Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1916-07-27

ment of Agricultnre.)
With the simple homemade instru-
ment illustrated herewith 1t is q very
easy matter to measure the height of
any tree provided one can get view
Of its top from a point 90 or 100
feet from Its base. 1t Is the instru-
ment which the Forest Service, In
Farmers Bulletin 715 recommends to
farmers who are thinking of selling
timber from woodlots and who wish to
base their sale upon the actual amount
Of timber rather than upon guess work
or mere acreage basis.
Making the instrument.
As accuracy In drawing parallel
lines. laying off right angles, and meas.
uring distances is extremely impOr-
tant, those making the instrument
would do well to provide themselves
with a good steel square accurately
ruled for inches and quarter inches.
Take a piece of half-inch board Z by
Q inches and plane It smooth on oil
sides. Draw the line ABB, three eight,:s
Of an inch from the lower edge and pa
rallel to 1t. Two inches from the left
end Of the board draw CD. at an exnct
right angle to ABB. Make mark at u.
Ga inches from d, and another at n,
3M from d. Now draw q line JK
through f, exactly parallel to ABB.
Starting at d, lay of accurately
inches and quarter inches ABB on both
directions, marking ID as zero and put
ting down the number Of inches from
D for each inch mark. Do the game
for the line JK. Then mark the scales
as indicated In the illustration. the fig.
ures above the line being for feet and
those below the scale for the number
Of 18-fOot logs on the meTchantable
part Of the trunk. It will be seen that
each quarter inch on either Of the pa
rallel lines represents feet In height
and each line represents log 10 feet
long.
To Make Sights.
! Take a brad or small nail and drive
II In carefully on the line JK about an
inch from the edge of the board. Drive
1t in until the point comes out on the
back of the board; then pull It out and
drive 1t in from the back until the point
sticks out about one-fourth inch from
the face of the board. File or or
cut Off with pliers any part Of the
brad that projects from the back Of
the board. In the same way insert an
other brad near the other end Of the
line JK. It Is Important that the brads
or sights be straight and true.
To Make Pendulum.
Now take piece Of straight, heavy
wire 10 inches long, and bend one end
Of 1t Into loop about an eighth Of
an inch In diameter. Be certain that
the center of the loop Of the wire iR In
an exact line with the straight part
of the wire. Fa5ten this piece Of
wire loosely to the board at q with n
hnlf-inch screw, so that 1t will swing
freely when the board Is on edge. The
loop should be big enough to fit loose
ly over the shank Of the screw, but
small enough so that 1t will not slip
off over the mead.
Screw a piece of wood about six
inches long, one inch wild" and half
inch thick to the back OF the board
to serve as handle, and the height
measure Is complete.
Using the Instrument.
To measure the totnl height Of a tall
tree, stand exactly 100 feet from Its
base. Hold the instrument in the right
hand In such a way that the pendulum
swings freely but very near the boa. d.
Sight along the brads ut the top CT the
tree and let the pendulum Gene to
rest. Then with the left hand press
the pendulum against the board with
out giving 1t chance to change Its
position. The pendulum may also be
kept in position by fitting the right
hand slightly to the right. This brings
the wire against the board and holds
It in place so that q reading can be OBJ
tanned. Care should be taken that the
wire does not slip after the board is
tilted.
NOW ICuu Oh biC huhDCh Va ACCL IA
height on the lower scale. If the wire
crosses the line FIVE inches from the
point d. It indicates that the tree Is
so feet high above the level Of the eye.
Without changing position. next
sight ut the foot Of the tree and take
the second reading. If in the second
reading the pendulum lungs to the left
Of d, that Is, between A and d. add
the amount indicated to the first read
Ing. and the result will be the total
height Of the tree. Thus. If 1t hangs
half nm inch to the left Of d. add eight
feet to the first reading, making a total
Of 8S feet. II. however. the eye 4s.be-
low the foot OF the tree. the wire viii
hing to the right ofgD lbetwe"n d and
81 Ond the amount Of the second read