How Land Measurements Originated.
The ' acre ' is the amount which a team of oxen were supposed to ! plough in a day. It corresponds to I a German ' morgen ' and the French I ' journee.' Ifi was fixed by tb« orj diuance of Edward I. as a furlong in j length and four poles in breadth. j j The ' furlong ' or furrowlong is the i distance which a team of oxen can ploLighconveuiently without stopping to rest. Oxen, as we know, were driven, not with a whip, but with a goad or pole, the most convenient length of whirh was 16i feet ; and tho ancient ploughman also used his pole or perch us a measure by placing it at right angles to bis first furrow, thus marking off tho amount ho hul .0 nlmgh. ILuue otr ' pjle ' or • porch ' nf iu'.jj- fuel, which at first, sight seems a singular unit to have selected. This width is also convenient both for turning the plough and for sowing Hence the most convenient unit of land for arable purposes was a furlong in length and a perch or pole in width. — Sir John Lubbock.
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Manawatu Herald, 27 March 1894, Page 3
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189How Land Measurements Originated. Manawatu Herald, 27 March 1894, Page 3
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