CHAPTER IX 



MEASUREMENT 



IN England trees are measured by the quarter- 

 girth. At a point midway between the top and 

 bottom of the tree or portion of the tree to be 

 measured, the circumference, excluding bark, is 

 measured in inches and divided by four ; the 

 result is the quarter -girth. It is the side of a 

 square inscribed within a circle whose circum- 

 ference is equal to the circumference of the tree. 

 The quarter-girth when squared, divided by 

 144 and multiplied by the length of the tree 

 in feet, gives the cubic contents in feet. A tree 

 whose length is 40 feet, and whose circumference 

 at 20 feet from the ground is 24 inches, has a 

 quarter-girth of 24 -f- 4 = 6. The contents are 



6 x 6 x 40 , . f 



= 10 cubic feet. 

 144 



This measurement gives something like 22 per 

 cent, less than the real contents of the tree. 

 Four portions of the area of a circle are outside 

 a square inscribed within the circle. These 



us 



