SURVEYORS' AND LAND MEASURE Land Measure. — The same table with certain additions as follows is used for ordinary land or surface measure: 144 sq. inches 1 sq. foot.
9 sq. feet 1 sq. yard.
30} sq. yards 1 sq. rod or perch 40 sq. perches 1 rood.
4 roods 1 acre.
640 acres 1 sq. mlie.
Surveyors' Measure —In addition, the following table based upon Gun ter's Chain, which is 4 rods or 66 feet, is employed for land surveying. An engineer's chain, used by civil engi neers, is 100 feet long, and consists of 100 links.
7.92 inches 1 link.
25 links 1 rod.
100 links 1 chain.
66 feet 1 chain.
4 rods 1 chain.
10 eq. chains-160 sq. rods 1 acre.
80 chains 1 mile.
640 acres 1 sq. mile.
625 sq. links 1 sq. pole.
16 sq. poles 1 sq. chain.
10 sq. chains 1 acre.
sq. mi. A. sq. rd. sq. yd. sq. ft.
1 — 640= 102400=3097600=27878400 sq. in.
4014489600 Scale.-640, 160, 30}, 9, 144.
The term perch or pole is some times used instead of square rod. The rood, 40 perches, or 1 acre, is found in old title deeds and surveys. Rules for Land Measure.—The fol lowing rules and suggestions may be of assistance in pleasuring land.
Measure 209 feet on each side and the result will be a square acre within an inch.
To find the number of acres in any Plot of land when the number of rods is given, divide the number of rods by 8, multiply the quotient by 5, and re move the decimal point two places to the left. To find how many rods in length will make an acre when the width in rods is given, divide 160 by the width in rods and the quotient will be the answer.
To find the number of acres in a body of land having square corners and parallel sides, ascertain the length and the width in rods, multiply these numbers and divide the product by 160, the number of square rods in an acre. If there is a remainder, carry out to two decimal places. The result will be the answer in acres and hun dredths. If opposite sides of a piece of land are of unequal length add them together and take as the mean length or width.
To measure a triangular field, mul tiply the length of the longest side in rods by the greatest width in rods; take the product and divide by 160. To measure any field of irregu lar outline, provided the sides are straight, divide the field into triangles and measure each triangle by this rule. But if the sides are crooked make a number of parallel measure ments across the field at places equal distances apart, add them, and divide the total by the number of measure ments made; this will give the mean length; similar measurements in the opposite direction will give the mean width. Multiply the two results and
divide by 160.
To find the surface of a circular field, measure the diameter in rods, multiply the diameter by itself and the result by 7.854, and divide by 160.
To Lay Out an Aere.—An acre of land contains 160 square rods or 43,560 square feet. To lay out an acre at right angles, i. e., square corners, one side being known, divide the square contents of an acre by the length of thc known side, taking care that both are expressed in the same kind of units. For example: if one side is known to be 4 rods, divide 160, the number of square rods in an acre, by 4 and the quotient will be 40 rods or the depth of the acre plot.
Or, if the length of the known side is 180 feet, divide 43,560, the number of square feet in an acre, by 180 and the result will be 242 or the depth of the acre plot in feet.
The following table will be found convenient for reference: Estimate of Waste Land. — A standard English mile, which is the measure that we use, is 5,280 feet in length, 1,760 yards, or 320 rods. A strip 1 rod wide and 1 mile long is 2 acres. By this it is easy to calcu late the quantity of land taken up by roads, and also how much is wasted by fences.
United States Government Land Measure. — Government surveys in this country are made with references to a principal meridian running north and south, of which there are 24 in the United States. A base line is run east and west at right angles with the meridian. The land is then di vided by means of lines running par allel with these into sections 6 miles on each side. These are called town ships. A line of townships running north and south is called a range. It is designated by a number east or west from the principal meridian. Each township is divided into 36 sections. These are each 1 mile square and contain 640- acres. The sections are all numbered from 1 to 36, commencing at the northeast cor ner. They are further subdivided into quarters, which are named by the cardinal points, and the quarters are again subdivided in the same way. The following table will be found convenient for reference: 1 township, 6 miles square 36 sections.