144 ENGLISH WOODLANDS 



amount to about 22 per cent, of the area of 

 the circle. They are omitted by the quarter- 

 girth measurement on the ground that the out- 

 side portions of a tree are of little or no value 

 to a timber merchant. On the continent of 

 Europe both the valuable and the valueless 

 portions of a tree are equally included in the 

 measurement. Also railway companies in Eng- 

 land measure the whole contents of a tree if 

 sent in the round ; they use as a divisor 113 

 instead of 144. The measurement is taken by 

 string under bark (or by string over bark with 

 a reasonable allowance for the bark) except 

 when such timber is consigned at tape over 

 bark rates, or it is agreed that tape over bark 

 rates shall apply. 



The measurement of the quarter-girth is made 

 either by stretching a piece of whipcord round 

 the tree and then folding it four times and 

 taking the result with a foot-rule, or a quartering 

 tape measure is used. 



The cubic contents are found by using a 

 timber ready-reckoner, such as Hoppus, whereby 

 the cubic contents of any piece of timber may 

 be found at sight from 2 to 54 inches the side 

 of the square (or one fourth of the girth), and 

 from one quarter of a foot to 45 feet the length. 



