182 



THE GARDENEK'S ASSISTANT. 



One great advantage of using the chain con- 

 sists in the facility with which areas calculated 

 in links may be reduced to acres; for as there 

 are 100,000 square links in an acre, we have 

 only to point off five figures to the right, and 

 the equivalent area in acres and decimals of an 

 acre is obtained; thus, if the area be 118,960 

 links, by pointing off the last five figures we 

 have 1*18960 acre. Accompanying the chain 

 are ten small arrows, about 15 inches in length, 

 the use of which is to mark the termination of 

 each chain's length. A staff having been set 

 up to show the direction of the line to be 

 measured, a person, called the leader, takes 

 one end of the chain, holding at the same time 

 the ten arrows in his hand, and proceeds in a 

 straight line towards the staff. The other end 

 of the chain is held by the surveyor, who directs 

 the leader till the chain is stretched in a straight 

 line in the direction of the staff. When this is 

 done, the leader fixes an arrow in the ground 

 at the end of the chain, and again starts off till 

 another chain's length is measured, the chain is 

 then directed and stretched, and an arrow fixed 

 in the ground as before. The surveyor picks 

 up the first arrow, which he retains, and con- 

 tinues picking up the arrows as the measure- 

 ment progresses: when the surveyor holds ten 

 arrows, they are returned to the leader, and 

 the circumstance noted. The leader then starts 

 afresh, and the measurement is continued in 

 the same way till the whole distance has been 

 measured. Each change is then counted as 

 1000 links, every arrow the surveyor holds in 

 his hand as 100 links, and to this are added 

 any links that there may be over; the sum will 

 be the length of the line in links. Thus, if 

 there have been two changes, and the surveyor 

 hold five arrows, and there be 13 links more, 

 the length of the line measured will be 2513 

 links. 



Measuring-rods. — Two thin rods, such as are 

 used by surveyors, are useful for accurate mea- 

 surements; but for common use in the open 

 ground a 10 -feet rod of clean, well -seasoned 

 deal, about 1 \ inch square, with each foot clearly 

 marked and numbered, may be substituted. A 

 copper fastening should be put round each end, 

 to prevent splitting and wearing. 



It is often necessary to measure ground work 

 and garden allotments by the pole or perch. For 

 this purpose a measuring-rod 16^ feet in length, 

 divided into 100 parts, will be found exceedingly 

 convenient ; for the length in rods and parts set 

 down as decimals has only to be multiplied by 

 the breadth set down in a like manner, and the 



area is at once obtained in rods and decimals of 

 a rod. 



Stakes. — For marking out lines for walks, 

 boundaries, and divisions, stakes are necessary, 

 and may be reckoned amongst the first requisites 

 for the laying out of gardens. They are, in fact, 

 necessary on many occasions, as when plantations, 

 edgings, and lines have to be made out afresh. 

 Stakes for these purposes should be made of clean, 

 well-seasoned deal; they should be 6 feet in 

 length, 1 inch square, quite straight, and the 

 lower end regularly pointed. When not in use, 

 they should be kept in a dry place, strapped 

 together in bundles, ready to take out whenever 

 they are wanted. 



Borning-rods. — These usually consist of three 

 straight rods of equal length, each with a cross- 

 piece at right angles across the top. They are 

 used for determining points that shall be either 

 in a horizontal or uniformly inclined plane. For 

 example, supposing the edging of a walk is re- 

 quired to run straight between two fixed points; 

 then, if we place a borning-rod on each of these 

 points, and another anywhere between, by look- 

 ing over the top of one at either end, we may 

 direct the person holding the intermediate rod 

 to raise or lower it, as the case may be, till it is 

 seen to be in a line with that at the farther end. 

 For ordinary purposes, the above construction 

 of rods will answer tolerably well; but in using 

 them an imperfection is experienced, which may, 

 however, be easily remedied. In looking over 

 their tops, a fringing of the rays of light on the 

 edges prevents the latter from being exactly 

 seen. The following construction is therefore 

 recommended. 



Instead of the three cross-pieces being of 

 the same width and height, one of them should 

 be about an inch broader and higher than the 

 others. If two have their upper edges, say 

 4 feet from the bottom of the rod, the upper 

 edge of the other may be 4 feet 1 inch; but a 

 line should be drawn exactly at 4 feet. A very 

 small hole should be pierced through the cross- 

 piece to form a sight; the sides of the hole 

 should be smooth and blackened, as should like- 

 wise be the cross-piece, but not varnished. The 

 hole should not be wider than would admit a 

 small pin. On looking through it, the top of 

 the intermediate rod can be easily and much 

 more correctly placed in line with the top of 

 the farther rod than by looking over the tops 

 of the three. 



Another set of borning-rods, shown in fig. 215, 

 will be found handy and accurate. The sight- 

 ing hole is in the plain upright rod, where a 



