Measuring Areas Of Land

Thero are few things that give the ordinary farmer so much trouble as measuring tho area of fields. Most of farmers have their plans by whioh they measuro square fields in a rough way by " stepping," calling live steps a rod. This is but little better than mere guess work. - A better plan is to have a light pole divided into feet and incheg. This inay be made of either clear white pine, or whitewood dressed, tapering from the ruiddle to each end, two and one-half inches deep at the middle and tapering to ono inch at the ends ; the thickness the other way to be uniformly one inch. If the fields bc square or equilateral, and tho measurement result in rods and fractions of rods, as for instance, 45 3-4 by 31 1-4 rods, multiply these suins together and divide by 160, the number of rods in an acre, or make the fraction decimals and multiply and divide as bofore. If the quantity be in rods and feet, reduce all to feet and divide by 43,060, the number of square feet in an acre. If tho plat be a right-angled-triangle, the base and perpendicular lines being equal, multiply them together and divide the product by two, and again by 43,560, which will give the area. If the field be a right-angled-triangle with a long base line, measure along the base, and then several times across the short way ; add these last quantities togethor and divide by the number of such measurements, thus : Length of base line 587 feet. Measurements across, 322 plus 207 plus 101 plus 50 feet ; added together the product is 680 feet ; divided by four, the number of measurements, gives 170. Multiply 587 feet, the length of the base, by 170, the average measurement across. Divide by 43,500 and the product is the number of acres. In this way the measurement will be nearly as accurate as that made by a surveyor, but care must be taken that the measuring pole be kept, while not in uso, where it will be dry and not Hable to warp, else the measuremonta will be incorrect. A better implement, and one which any carpenter can make, is a large pair of wooden compasses or dividers, the points of which may be made to oxtend just onethird of a rod, or five and one-half feet. If the instrument be five feet long it will be easily managed. Take it loosely in the hand at the top and revolve one point past the other as you walk forward. The number of steps this instrument makes across the field, divided by throe, will be the rods and thirds of a rod of the line. - A little practice will enable you to work this implement as fast as you can walk, and the distance will bo close enough for all practical purposes. The measurement of the areas in the various crops of tho farm is one of the first things to be attended to in computing tho cost and value of crops. Knowing tho cost and value is ono of the most important economies of the farm. A rough way of gotting a square acre marked out is to moasuro a square, the sides of which aro seventy yards. This gives the area 4,900 square yards - sixty square yards more than an acre. If it is wanted nearer than that, take 209 feet as the sides of the square, which will give an area of 43,681 square feet - 121 square feet or about 13 1-2 square yards more than an acre.