534 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



[No. 9 



From the Columbia Times and Gazette. 

 BUSHEL AND HALF BUSHEL. 



Sir,— Some time ago, 1 bonsht in this town a 

 half bushel measiire, branded S. B. 1835. It mea- 

 sured eleven inches and a quarter in diameter (in- 

 side measure,) and seven inclies and three-cjuarters 

 in depth. It contained therefore 770 cubic inches 

 and one-third. But it ought to have contained 

 1075 cubic inches, and was/therefore, more than 

 one-fourlh deficient in size. 



To any person acquainted with figures, this is 

 plain. The area oi" a circle whose diameter is 11^ 

 inches, is 99.4 inches; v/hich multiplied by 7.75 is 

 770.35. 



By express statutory enactment in all the old 

 thirteen States, New York excepted, the dry mea- 

 sure bushel is to be eigliteen inches and a half 

 inside diameter, and eijjht inches deep; and it 

 shall contain 2150.42 cubic inches : hence, the half 

 bushel must contain by law 1075 cubic inches, 

 whereas the half bushel in use in Columbia, ac- 

 cording to my s[>ecimen, contains but 770. 



I presume the store-keepers buy and sell by the 

 same measure, so that they are out of the ques- 

 tion: but it is surely a public grievance which the 

 public authorities ought to rectify, if the inhabi- 

 tants receive the bulk of 770 instead of 1075. 

 Ought not the intendant and town council to put 

 this'fo rights? They possess, I believe, a copper 

 bushel, but for what purpose I know not. The 

 matter complained of is surely worth their atten- 

 tion. 



I have said that, by the law of England, the 

 only measure for corn and grain was the Win- 

 chester bushel of IS^ inclies in diameter by eiii'ht 

 inches deep, conlaimntj 2150 cubic inches. The 

 acts of Parliament enibrcing the use of the Win- 

 chester bushel, and prohibiting every other mea- 

 sure for corn, are 22 Ch. 2, chr8,22 and 23, Ch. 2 

 eh. 12. In 4 Term Rep. 750 and 5 Term Rep. 353, 

 it is decided that no local usage will justify the sell- 

 ing of grain by any other measure than the Win- 

 chester bushel, or its aliquot parts. The colonies 

 adopted the same measure, and the old thirteen 

 states also by express law have done the same. 

 About seven or eight years ago, New York chose 

 to have its own peculiar weights and measures, 

 and altered the old corn bushel, but no other state 

 followed her example. 



By Sect. 1. of Act of Asscm. of South Carolina, 

 of April 8, 1710, the standard of all measures used 

 in Carolina is to be conlbrmable to the measures 

 of England : and by Sec. 2, any person who shall 

 keep or use any weights or measures than such 

 as are marked by the public officer, shall forfiiit 

 ten pounds. The mark is directed to be 



§§§ 

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X 



By Act of Assembly of South Carolina, 12 

 April, 1768, made perpetual by Section 1, of act 

 of Assembly, of 12 March, 1783, it is ordained, 

 that the bushel measure, the half bushel, peck, 

 and half perk, shall be made according to the 

 standard of London, that is, the Winchester mea- 

 sure ordained by act of Parliament. Also, that 

 each measure shall be made of cedar wood, neatly 

 shaped, and handled with iron. 



The English Parliament in 1825, 5 Geo. 4, ch. 



74, altered all the old weights and measures of that 

 kingdom, and established what are called the im- 

 perial weights and measures. The old Winches- 

 ter gallon (our legal gallon at this moment for dry 

 measure,) contained 268.8 inches, which multi- 

 plied by eight gives 2150.4 for the bushel. The 

 imperial gallon now contains 277.274 cubic inches, 

 and the imperial bushel 2218.192 cubic inches. 

 But no state in the union has ado|)ted the impe- 

 rial measure, or changed its old \Vinchester bushel 

 of 2150 cubic itiches — New York excepted. By 

 act of Assembly of South Carolina, of 17 of March, 

 1785, the several justices ol' the county courts of 

 this state, shall have full power and authority to 

 regulate weights and measures within each of their 

 respective jurisdictions, and shall enlbrce the ob- 

 servance thereof under such penalties as are pro- 

 vided by law lor that purpose. As the Circuit 

 Judges hnve succeeded to the power and jurisdic- 

 tion of the County Court Justices, ap[)lication may 

 be made to the Circuit Court by the town authori- 

 ties. Or, as every corporation may make a by- 

 law in harmony with aud in support of the laws 

 of the land, the Intendant and Town Council, I 

 apjTTehend, may lawfully enforce the existing acts 

 of assembly, by a by-law prescribing the most 

 convenient means of doing so. 



The nearest approximation to the legal contents 

 of the Winchester half bushel, will be a round 

 measure thirteen inches and one sixteenth of an 

 inch inside diameter, and 8 inches deep. This 

 will be within about a cubic inch of 1075. 



A BUYER. 



From tlie Petersburg Intelligencer. 

 HINTS AND QUERIES 



Suhmiited for the consideration of the merchants 

 if Petersburg, and the Farmers trading to that 

 73/«cc.— Published in 1825. 



Does the commercial prosperity of a town in- 

 crease in full proportion to the increase of pro- 

 ductiveness of the soil, and the profits of the 

 fl^rmers of its back country? — and is not the coun- 

 try interested in a similar and equal degree, in the 

 prosperit}' of its market town? Can the one pos- 

 sibly derive profit fi-om its labor, enterprise, or 

 from the bounties of nature, wi.hout the other 

 sharing largely in the benefit? 



Have these truths been kept in vieAV by us — or 

 have we not (both of town and country) nourish- 

 ed a ridiculous hostility to each oiher, and opposed 

 our own future profits, for the pleasuie of neglect- 

 ing or tliwarting the present interest of our neigh- 

 bors? 



Has not our want of concert and good feeling 

 hitherto prevented our obtaining any portion of 

 the Fund for Internal Improvement? though that 

 fund has drawn an enormous sum fi-om this, (or 

 the exclusive benefit of other parts of the state? 



Does not our section present valuable and profit- 

 able objects for improvements in water carriage — 

 and if we will only look to our own interest, and 

 will unite for its promotion, have we not both the 

 right and the power to divert a due proportion of 

 the improvement fund, lor our benefit ? 



Have not the improvements of the Upper Ap- 

 pomattox been carried on directly contrary to the 

 opinions of the best modern engineers? By 



