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Weights and Measures: Government

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 divided by means of lines running parallel with these into sections 6 miles on each side. These are called townships. 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 corner. 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:

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES 1 township, 6 miles square....... 36 sections. 1 section, 1 mile square..........640 acres.

I quarter section, mile square.. 160 acres.

I eighth section, mile long, north and south, 1 mile wide... 80 acres.

Is section, mile square......... 40 acres.

Most of the Western States have been laid out on this plan by the Government. All titles, except city lots, are established under this survey.

Comparative Land Measure. The standard acre varies in the different countries of the world and allowance must be made for this difference in statements of the products of the land per acre in various countries.

The same land measure is used in this country as in England. The comparative size of the different units of land measure of different countries, in square yards, is given as follows:

English acre...........

Scotch acre.

Irish acre.

Hamburg acre....

Amsterdam acre....

Dantzic acre.. 4,840 sq. yards. 6,150 sq. yards. 7,840 sq. yards. .11,545 sq. yards. 9,722 sq. yards. 6,650 sq. yards.

France (hectare) acre....... 11,960 sq. yards.

Prussia (morgen) acre...... 3,053 sq. yards.

This difference should be borne in mind in reading of the products per acre in different countries. Our land measure is that of England.