8 NEW HAMPSHIRE EXPERIMENT STATION (Bulletin 264 



In the same way deeds ^ivinor surveyor's descriptions were very 

 valuable, l^ut had to l)e checked. To follow these it was. of course, 

 necessary to have at least one corner of the lot known from which 

 to work. 



Frequently the owner of a lot would describe the bounds, with 

 directions as to the best way to find them, and sketch out the owner- 

 ships around that section. Often this worked out very well ; but 

 where the lines were not distinct, or the bounds were at all hard to 

 find, it was usually difficult to g-et jii^ood results without spending con- 

 siderable time. On the other hand, of course, this method required 

 less effort on the part of the owner. 



Details mentioned during casual conversations concerning the sur- 

 vey proved very valuable at times in locating a bound or settling 

 some questionable ownership. 



Deeds without surveyor's descriptions, giving only adjoining own- 

 ers, now or formerly, possibly a stake and stones or two, and the 

 approximate acreage, were found to be of value only to supplement 

 other data. They usually helped to finish out areas which were 

 partly known and often supplied details even to those lots which 

 were well established. They did not, however, give enough data to 

 place the lot and its boundaries definitely without evidence from 

 other sources to support and clarify them. At best they 

 could not be accepted without careful checking^ in the field. It is 

 seldom that all the deeds for a region are available ; some are.not re- 

 corded, and some have been handed down by inheritance for gener- 

 ations. Often where one man has traded lots frequently in a section 

 his name will appear on nearly all the deeds for that time, either as 

 owner or adjoining owner. This can be exceedingh- confusing. 

 Deeds of this sort are quite likely to be incorrect in some detail. In 

 spite of these limitations, any deed is of assistance, and quite often 

 will supply the information which is needed. 



In the actual work, all these sources of information were helpful, 

 that one being selected for each problem which seemed most likel}- 

 to work out correctly with the least difficulty. Where the lines were 

 definite and unquestioned, going over the ground with someone fam- 

 iliar with them was quick and usuall}- satisfactor}-. The oral 

 description was often all that was needed. Old maps and deeds were 

 very valuable where they were available. Where there was any 

 doubt, it was usually necessary to check one sort of evidence against 

 another, with a final check in the field. 



The actual ma])ping was done by pacing with a hand compass. 

 While this seems at first to be too inaccurate for very good results, 

 it was possible,' by constant checking to well established points, to 

 compensate errors so that the final map was quite accurate, espec- 

 ially where property divisions corresponded to the old lot lines. It 

 has been found that it is more accurate to follow cardinal directions 

 than to follow the line itself and record the compass directi(~>n. By 

 crossing the line in several places several points on it are established, 

 and the rest can be drawn in from them. This allows the map to be 

 drawn u]) in the field, where any obvious errors can be checked and 

 corrected immediately. 



