428 AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS AND TOOLS. 



are by what they have been, to construct the history of the 

 past in order that we may know what is meant by the facts 

 of the present. 



It will be convenient to introduce here the facts about 

 grinding instruments which are of minor importance as com- 

 pared with mills. In 1424 a quern is bought at the high price 

 of icxy. A malt mill, probably one worked by hand, is quoted 

 under the year 1486 at is. %d. In 1548 a kitchen millstone is 

 priced at 3.9. 4^., and in the Irish expedition of 1574 a 

 number of handmills are provided at 64^-. 6d. each. Between 

 1518 and 1582 there are six entries of mustard querns at prices 

 varying from is. 8d. to 6s. Four before 1540 give an average 

 of 35-. 3<f. ; two after that date of 4^-. $d. Quern-stones are 

 bought in 1424 at is. 4^., in 1462 at is. 8d., and in 1495 at 4$-. 

 In the absence of information as to the size of these articles, it 

 is difficult, perhaps impossible, to draw any inference from 

 these prices. 



SACKS. The capacity of the sack is often given, and is 

 generally of five bushels. This at least is the commonest 

 measure. In the early years the price of such sacks is nearly 

 nd. But we also find four-, six-, and eight-bushel sacks. The 

 price of an eight-bushel sack in the earlier period is u. 3^., of 

 the others is. The price of others whose capacity is not given 

 is, in the early period, 9!^, After this period it is is. 6d., but 

 there are no entries for the last twenty-two years. The average 

 sack in the early period seems to have needed three yards of 

 cloth. 



BREWING UTENSILS. The trade of the brewer became 

 general during the fifteenth century; so general, that the 

 principal cause of my deficient entries of barley and malt 

 consists in the fact that ale was bought in place of malt, and 

 later, beer that is, ale with hops. Sometimes, however, the 

 corporation took to brewing on its own account, and there 

 are consequently entries of brewing utensils, of barrels, and 

 especially of hair-cloth. 



Hair-cloth was used to dry malt upon. It is bought by the 



