Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-01-01
Measuring Areas of Land.

There are few things that give the or
binary farmer so much trouble as meas
uTing the area of fields. Most of farm
ers have their plans by which they meas
ure square areas in rough way by ''step-
ping calling five steps a rod. This is
but little better than mere guess work. A
better plan is to have light pole divided
into feet and inches. This may be made
OF either clear white pine, or wildwood
dressed, tapering from the middle to each
end, two and One-half inches deep at the
middle and tapering TO one inch at the
ends; the thickness the other way to be
uniformly one inch.
If the fields be square or equilateral,
and the measurement results in rods and
fractions of rods, as for instance, 454 by
81 4 rods, multiply these sums together
and divide by 100, the number of rods in
an acre, or make the fraction decimals
and multiply and divide as before If
the quantity be IN rods and feet, reduce
all TO feet and divide by Is, $50. the nnm-
Der of square feet in an acre. If the plot
be a right-a1gled-- Gle, the base and
perpendicular lines being equal, multiply
them together and divide the product by
two, and l-z1-- 1F =, $50, which will give
the area
II the E=L Dr. 8 right-angIed- triangle
with Z l1l.E 1a.s= line, measure along the
base Elnl then several times across the
tie sLlsrT YCT- allI these last quantities
t0gsl1Er int divide by the number Of
S,----- zzls,GFII',lnglIGE- thus: Length Of
base -1-e ijtT iea1. Measurements ScrOss,
- JUS Ri 9ilJH 131 plus 50 feet; adding
tCg@-1zE INC lraltfIc5 Is $50 fee6s divided
by [C-r the number Of ueaSurenaeuts
gives 10 H-IEgIv ST. feet, the length
OF the ggsa, gT L7',.. the average measure
mems EGE.ss.. Divide by -, 500 and The
prC1-C1 u 1llG ugLu1er of acres In this
way the E-5iissUreu1eUf viii Ce nearly as
acClra1E IS ll-l5 ulsJda 2T 8 surveyor. but
care L-sl &c GBEsn E1ab the measuring
pole u kept. when rot Ia use, where Il
will De dr. md NOT liable 53 warp, else
the iLeas--c.--s-.Gs VIII be incorrect
i better imp s.-lslzG a1& one which znv
caTpence- can make Is q large p&1r Of
cOmplssas OF eLT5--s-s- the points OF which
may be made 10 extend lust Qns-shi-I Of
rod or i've al6 C2e-Aalt feet. II The in
stTument be i've feet long it viii be easily
managed Take 1t loosely IN the hand Al
the top and rsT0lye one point past the
other as you walk forward The number
of steps this instrument makes across the
hO4N, Nlf 4ACA " tlAEC- VIII DC the TOUS
and thirds Of a rod of the line. 4 little
practice will enable you to work this in
plement as fast as you can walk, and the
distances will be close enough for all
practical purposes. The measurements
Of the areas in the various crops of the
farm is one Of the first things to be at
tended to in computing the cost and value
of crops Knowing the cost and value is
one of the most important economies of
the farm.
A rough way of getting square acre
marked out is to measure square, the
sides of which are seventy yards. This
gives the area 1890 square yards-sixty
sqsare yards more than an acre. If il is
wanted nearer than that take 200 feet as
the sides OF the square, which will give
an area of 43,6St square teet-12t square
feet OF about 1879 square yards more than
an acre esteiy3 RttrrI