200 A MANUAL FOR NORTHERN WOODSMEN 
the section, which involves a cost of about' 25 cents per 
acre outside of the checking, overhead and office work. 
Ordinary variations are: — 
a. Double running each forty instead of running four 
times through it as above, a method widely practiced as 
costing less and considered sufficiently accurate in many 
circumstances. The cruise lines in this case are started 
5, 15, 25, etc. chains from the section corner to divide 
the area equally. Sometimes, also, the strip is widened. 
b. For preliminary work, one strip only may be run 
per quarter mile, and after a certain amount of that with 
its results in training, even this may be discontinued and 
a man rely on general observation. 
c. A 100 per cent cruise is carried out in some cases. 
In this case a second compassman may advantageously 
be employed and the cruiser work between lines run and 
marked by the two men, the exact width of the strip 
being then of no consequence. Sometimes, also, a second 
estimator is employed to take care of certain classes of the 
timber. 
d. Some men, instead of estimating the timber on 
strips, estimate circular areas so spaced along the compass 
line that they touch one another. For this practice it is 
claimed that a man can do better estimating work standr 
ing quietly at a center than while travelling, with his 
mind more or less distracted about footing, etc. In 
earlier times indeed a circular plot system was general, 
while another usual procedure was to count the trees on 
these circles or on strips to the length of one tally, and 
derive their contents from that of the average tree as 
estimated. Few follow this last practice at present, 
however. 
In conclusion on this branch of the subject, the follow¬ 
ing, by a man of long experience and acknowledged com¬ 
petence in this line of work, is introduced for the light it 
throws on the broad aspects of the matter. 
We work in general by the strip system but under a less hard- 
and-faSt rule than formerly. More is left to the judgment of our 
cruisers as to the number of runs through a subdivision neces¬ 
sary to secure correct results. Thus, if we find one forty that 
