Back way back when we had to run a circuit around four hundred feet from the panel... then runabout ten 20amp outlets and a set of lights... to a blacksmiths shed... boss had me run a full set of number sixes to the box in the shed.. through the conduit that was buried...
in the panel he ran a 20 amp double pole breaker, but did not connect the one wire... just capped it and taped it to the others that were in the group... the neutral and the ground at the time ran to the ground bar... there was not a separate ground bar at the time. Then he ran a number ten from the other live wire to the breaker... telling me to pay attention.
in the blacksmiths shed he taped a label in the box stating the panel and the breaker number and that it was a 20 amp circuit only. He then hooked in a fusible switch of some sort with a blank spot next to it. Then he had me run number twelve wire to everyplace in the shed following his directions, and we wired it all up... he tested it all and called in the inspector, who wanted to know about how he sized the wires and such..voltage drop, etc... that was when he introduced me to his guidebook... until then I had never seen a code book, or the rules or anything... I just did what he said for me to do and until that job he never even let me strip a wire..just pull them...