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A llT OF GAEDENING. P art III.
( fiq. 421.') is composed of two pieces of deal about tliii-teen feet long, with a brass
or index (a), on which are engraven figures denoting the quarter girth m teet ancl
inches Eaising the instrament, the index end (a) is taken hold of, and the other ap-
nlicd to that part of the tran k where the girth is to be taken, opening it so wide as jn .t
lo M c L r t e fame time both sides of it,\e e p in g tho " f M r e L M
wbieb the fiuartor girth will be shown, allowing one inch in thirteen foi the balk.
(Trans Sm t Arts vol. xxv. p. 20.) There are various other dendroiMters, among
S is rL iO T S OTe by Montea th.?hich wül be afterwards notiecd. The above we
considei “ » / “ fr«®- U®!*® f™ " feet long, made
1781. Tor ta ta ^ ^ other, tapering as m a
422
fishin<r-rod, may be used. Five of them with feet marked on them
would enable a man quickly to measure the height of a trank
than forty feet, as he would reach above seven fe e t Fig. 422. shows
a mcasuring-staff for taking the height of trees.^ To form te®. “ T'â®
a square staff (a I, fig. 422.) of about seven or eight feet in length into
feet and inches, for tho convenience of measuring the distance between
the place of observation and the tree, or taking any other dimensions.
Upon one side of this staff, at a commodious distance from the bottom,
fix a rectangular board (c d e f ) whose length (d é) is exactly ec[ual to
twice its breadth (c d), which breadth may be about four or five inches.
A t c and d fix sights, or small iron pms, and also at y ancl c,
making d q and g e each equal to c d. Then, when the top of a tree
is seen through the sights at c and g, the tree’s height is cqml to your
distance from its bottom added to the height of yonr eye ; but it seen
through the sights at c and e, its height is equal to twice your ciis-
tance from its bottom, adding the same height as before. In mcffimg
an observation with this instrament, it ought to be fixed pei-pcndicu-
larlv to the horizon, which may be done by means of a plummet suspended
from n. In taking the altitude of a tree growing upon an
inclined plane, you must endeavour to make your observations from a
place upon a level with the bottom of the tree. I f this cannot be done,
direct the horizontal sights at c and d towards^ the lower part ot the
tree and let your assistant make a mark upon it ; then find the hcaght
of the tree above this mark, as before, to which add the dista,nce of the
mark from the gi-onnd, which must, in this case, be considered the
height of the eye, ancl the sum will be the height of the tree. (fi. B . tV.
in Gard Mag. vol. xvii. p. 350.) Anothei- mode of taking the height
of trees is by means of the instrument flg. 423. This machine consists
of a thin board of oak, two feet nine inches long, shaped hke a
gun-stock, the end (a) being adapted for the shoulder, the muzzle or
line (b c) for taking a sight of the top of the tree, and the square, of
■which e rf is a side, being marked or cnt on the board at the fai-ther
extremity. The length of the side of the squai-e is four inches. A
- diagonal line is drawn across from the angle c ; and parallel to this
line, a brass pendulum is suspended from a side pm. This pendulum
’ ^ has a curved limb or
5 finger (e) attached any
where near its middle ;
and the pendulum and
cmwed limb are kept
from flying off the
board by two brass
guards, which, however,
admit of the free
action both of the pendulum
and curved limb. At the extremity of the muzzle (c), a sight is fixed, as in tho
barrel of a common fowling-piecc, to guide the eye ; and the but-end of the instmmeut
being applied to the shoulder, aud the sight on the end of the bairel p ait directed to
the top of the tree, the operator advances towards it or retires backwards, till the point
of the cuiwed limb is visible above the line of the stock, as in the figure. The circumstance
of the cuiwed limb being visible above the bairel pait of the instrament
proves to the operator that the plumb line rests
on the diagonal line of the square, and consequently
that the angle made by the eye of the
operator with the top of the tree is 45°. The
distance of the operator from the tree, and the
height of his eye from the gi-ound, being then
added together, give the height of the tree,
unless the ground should not be level; in which
case allowance must be made, either by adding
or subtracting, according as the gi-ound may be
lower where the operator stands than at the root
of the tree, or the contrary. This instrament
was invented by Mi-. Cuthbertson, the head gardener
at Studley R o y a l; and fig. 424. shows a
modification of it invented by the late Mr. Jukes,
of much smaller size, as it is only twelve inches
long on the upper side. It is made of box Avith
a brass octant suspended from its centre, Avith
a curved limb, and loaded at the extremity.
It is used in the same manner as the instrument
shown mfig . 423. I t will be observed, however,
that this instrament can only be used where trees stand singly; where they are crowded
too-ether, the rods of deal or bamboo already mentioned are by far the best. To nse
them, a rod is pushed up the side of the trunk, and then a piece of tin tube, about four
inches in length, and of the same diameter in the clear as the rod, is fixed on the
lower end of it about two inches ; anothei- rod is then inserted in the other end of the
tube, and pushed u p ; and so on till the jointed rod is made to reach to the top of
1782.’ The ground-compasses (flg. 426.) are generally made of hard wood, such as oak,
shod with iron, and with an h-on gauge or segment (a) ; theh- length may be six fe e t;
they arc used chiefly for laying out parterres in the ancient m an n e r; since, by a previous
preparation of the soil, the curvilinear parts of such parterres can be described by them
with perfect accuracy. The statioiiai-y foot is placed on a slip of board a few inches
square, with a pin beneath to retain it in its place, and a lead cap above for the pomt of
the foot. , , . ,.
1783. The horning-piece (fig. 426.) is composed of the body (a), commonly a thin shp
of board, four inches Avide, half an inch thick, and four feet tAVo inches lo n g ; the head
(¿) of a similar slip of board placed across, hut only eighteen inches lo n g ; and the foot
is either of the same form as the head, or merely the squai-ed end of the body (as in the
figure). The upper and under edge of the head and foot must be perfectly straight, and
form right angles with the edges of the body. Borning-pieces arc used to prove, complete,
and continue level lines, or lines on certain given slopes. One is placed at each
end of a convenient length o fth e level or slope, and there held pci-pendiculai- to its surface,
and, otliers being placed in the interval, and in the same line or vertical plane, the
ground under the feet of the intermediate borning-pieces is raised or loAvered till it is
brought to the proper level or slope, when tho upper edges of all the heads will range.
Where box-edgings arc to be planted Avith accui-acy and beauty, the use of these implements
cannot be dispensed Avith.