TITLES 231 



marked except by monuments at the lot corners and blazed lines 

 in between the corners even aside from the expense of fencing. 

 Unfortunately, too, these monuments are often of the flimsiest 

 character and the blgzes carelessly done and only renewed at 

 rare intervals. 



As a result of the low regard for private mterests in woodland 

 the old descriptions are crude and hazy in the extreme. A grant 

 of thousands of acres may be tied to " a white oak post situated 

 on- the ridge between " two creeks. When the post rots the tract 

 is suspended in air. This has actually happened in many cases. 

 For example, the Government's title to the famous Olmsted 

 tract in North Carolina hung upon the location of a stake all 

 traces of which had disappeared in 40 years. The testimony of 

 local inhabitants as to where they had heard that it had been was 

 the best evidence that could be found to relocate the starting 

 point. Courses, too, may be as vague. Even when stated in 

 degrees, and not vaguely as " westerly, northerly," etc., there is 

 often grave reason for questioning t"he accuracy of the instrument 

 used or the skill of the surveyor. Open sight staff compasses are 

 the most accurate instruments usually employed in such work so 

 that the declination and local attraction must always be con- 

 sidered in determining the present bearing from an old reading. 

 What still further complicates the retracing of old descriptions is 

 that the distances are frequently either vague or inaccurate, i.e., 

 they may be given as approximately a fraction of a mile, measured 

 on the surface without allowance for slope, or so carelessly done 

 that large errors have been made. As a consequence the areas 

 given for tracts of rough woodland are seldom within 10 per cent, 

 always the saving phrase " more or less," is added in stating the 

 acreage. In fairness to the old surveyors it should, however, be 

 said that the areas usually overrun. In other words, their esti- 

 mates, and they are frequently little less, have the virtue of con- 

 servatism. 



Nothing that has so far been said should be construed as advis- 

 ing undue accuracy in woodland surveying. The values per acre 

 do not justify city survey methods. All that is needed is reason- 

 able definiteness in locating tie points, and reasonable accuracy 



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