SECTION XXVIII 



Garden Surveying, Levelling, and 



Mensuration 



Everyone connected with the land, be he market gardener, nursery- 

 man, or farmer, should make himself acquainted with the principles of 

 land surveying and measuring in so far as they relate to his business. 

 A knowledge of the art will not only be useful in itself but will prevent 

 anyone from making serious miscalculations as to areas, and the quantities 

 of produce to be obtained from them. Such ground operations as levelling, 

 digging, trenching, draining, &c., can be measured up to a nicety, and the 

 cost of the work estimated very closely in advance. In the case of wet 

 or heavy land, a knowledge of surveying and levelling will enable the 

 market gardener or farmer to decide without any possibility of mistake 

 the lowest part of his land, towards which it may be advisable to run 

 drains or to dig trenches or ditches for drainage purposes. If walls, fences, 

 greenhouses, or buildings of any description are to be erected, it is advisable 

 to go over the land survey it to discover the most suitable sites or levels 

 for the intended operations. Mensuration is so closely bound up with 

 surveying operations that a knowledge of it is indispensable, and will be 

 found of great advantage. Thus, if it is desired to heat a glass structure 

 that is intended for the cultivation of stove or greenhouse plants, a certain 

 quantity of hot- water piping will be necessary to supply sufficient heat, 

 according to the cubic capacity of the greenhouse. The cubic contents 

 of any glasshouse or other building are easily arrived at by mensuration, 

 and this knowledge enables one to know almost exactly the quantity of 

 piping necessary for any particular house. In the same way the area 

 or contents of any building or structure, pipes, boilers, tanks, water pots, 

 flower pots, &c., may be found. And if repairs are necessary it will be 

 easy to estimate the quantities of paint, putty, bricks, timber, &c., required. 



In that branch of horticulture known as " landscape gardening", a goorl 

 knowledge of land surveying and levelling, and mensuration, is almost 



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