WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. 



WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. 



Its multiples are the peck, the bushel, and the 

 quarter; the peck being 2 gallons, the bushel 

 4 pecks, and the quarter 8 bushels. The fol- 

 lowing are the rotations : 



Cubic or Solid Measure. 



1 cubic foot. 

 1 cubic yard. 



1 load. 



1728 cubic inches make 

 27 cubic feet - 

 40 feet of rough timber") 

 50 feet of hewn timber j 



This comprehends length, breadth, and thick- 

 ness. 



And 108 solid feet, that is, 12 feet in length, 

 3 feet in breadth, and 3 feet deep, or commonly 

 14 feet long, 3 feet I inch broad, and 3 feet 1 

 inch deep, are a stack of wood. 



And 128 solid feet, that is, 8 feet long, 4 feet 

 broad, and 4 feet deep, are a cord of wood. 



Grain Measures. 



(London's Encyc. of Agr. p. 20.) 

 English Corn Measures. 



See BUSHEL, PECK, QUAHTEII. 



The Winchester quarter is more than the 

 Imperial quarter, being in the proportion of 1 

 to 0-96945. The English Imperial quarter, in 

 estimating weight, means the ^ of a ton of 2240 

 Ibs. = 560 Ibs. or 1 quarter. 



English Measures of Wood and other Fuel. 

 Cord-wood, being the bigger sort of fire-wood, 

 is measured by a cord or line, whereof there 

 are two measures ; that of 14 feet in length, 3 

 feet in breadth, and 3 feet in height. The other 

 is 8 feet in length, 4 feet in height, and 4 feet 

 in breadth. This last is generally adopted in 

 the United States. 



Weights. Weights are used to ascertain 

 the gravity of bodies, a quality depending part- 

 ly on their magnitude and partly on their den- 

 sity. The determination of the gravity or 

 weight of different bodies supposes the in- 

 vention of the balance. Nothing is known of 

 the steps which led to its introduction ; but it 

 was used in the remotest antiquity. Weights 

 have frequently been derived from grains of 

 corn. Hence in England, and in some other 

 European countries, the lowest denomination 

 of weight is a grain ,- and 32 of these grains are 

 directed, by the ancient statute, called Composi- 

 tio Mensurarum, to compose a pennyweight, 

 1112 



whereof 20 make an ounce, 12 ounces a pound; 

 and so upwards. 



Tables of Weights and Measures according to the 

 Imperial Standard. 



Avoirdupois Weight. 



1 drachm 



16 drachms 1 ounce = 



16 ounces 1 pound = 

 28 pounds 1 quartercwt.= 



4 quarters 1 cwt. = 



20 cwt. 1 ton. = 



French (trammel. 



1 771 



28-346 



453-544 



12 699 kilogram. 

 50-796 

 1015920 



In England the stone is generally 14 Ibs. 

 avoirdupois weight, but for butchers' meat or 

 fish it is 8 Ibs. Hence the cwt. equals 8 stone 

 of 14 Ibs., or 14 stone of 8 Ibs. 



Hay and straw are sold by the load of 36 

 trusses. See HAY and TRUSS. 



The custom of allowing more than 16 ounces 

 to the pound of butter used to be very general 

 in several parts of England. 



Wool Weight. Like all other bulky articles, 

 wool is weighed by avoirdupois weight, but the 

 divisions differ thus, 



7 pounds 

 2 cloves 

 2 stone 

 6t tods 

 2 weys 

 12 sacks 



Cheese and butter. 



8 pounds = 



32 cloves = 



42 cloves = 



56 pounds = 



1 clove. 

 1 stone. 

 Itod. 

 1 wey. 

 1 sack. 

 1 last. 



1 clove. 



1 wey in Essex. 

 1 wey in Suffolk. 

 1 firkin of butter. 



Miscellaneous Information relative to Weights 

 and Measures. Specific gravity is determined 

 by weighing the substance first in air, and then, 

 in water at the temperature of 60 Fahrenheit, 

 In the latter case the substance loses of its 

 weight a quantity precisely equal to the weight 

 of its own bulk of water. The total weight in 

 air is then divided by the loss of weight in water, 

 and the quotient is the specific gravity. This 

 is either over or under that of pure water, 

 which is the standard of comparison. The 

 standard of weights is, the cubic inch of dis- 

 tilled water, weighing 253-458 Troy grains ; 

 the Troy pound, 5760 grains, or 22-8157 inches. 

 The same standard of 7000 Troy grains makes 

 the pound avoirdupois, 27-7274 cubic inches ; 

 10 of which, or 277-274, being the imperial 

 gallon, or a quart 69-32 ; and a gill of 5 ounces 

 of water, equal to 8-664. 



The specific gravity of water being 1-000, 

 that of alcohol, pure, is 0-829; beer, 1-034; 

 cider, 1-018; milk, 1-032; linseed oil, 0-94; 

 vinegar, 1-025; sea-water, 1-026; ox bone$ 

 1-666; brass, 7-824; brick, 2; cork, 0-24; gold, 

 19-2587; granite, 2-728; bar-iron, 7-68 ; lead; 

 11-352; lignum vitae, 1-33; mahogany, 1-06; 

 marble, 2-716; mercury, 13-58; oak, M7; 

 platina, 20-722; silver, 10-474; clay-slate, 2-67-, 

 tin, 10-717; limestone, 1-386; elm, 0-671 ; ho- 

 n ey, 1 -45. ( Treasury of Knowledge.) 



A cubic foot of loose earth or sand weighs 

 95 Ibs. 



A cubic ft. of common soirweighs 124 Ibs. 

 " " strong soil, " 127 " 

 " clay, " 135 " 



" mason's work " 205 " 

 " distilled water, 62-5 " 



" " cast-iron, " 450-45" 



" steel, " 489-8 " 



