370 AGRICULTURAL SURVEY OF chap. XVII. 



2 per cent, better than the English quarter : and 

 the barley boll is about -} of a pint less than 6 

 Winchester bushels. Potatoes are measured by 

 the barley firlot, and as many are allowed to 

 the firlot as can be thrown on with a shovel. 



The Scots ell of 37 inches, is still in use in 

 this county ; but most kinds of goods are sold 

 by the English yard of 36 inches. When land 

 is let by the acre, or when grass or growing corn 

 are sold, the Scots acre is the measure -common- 

 ly used. The Scots acre contains 5,760 square 

 yards of 37 inches. And 4 Scots acres are equal 

 to 5.0284 acres English ; the English acre con- 

 sisting of 4,840 square yards of 36 inches. 

 Land is measured here, as in other counties, by 

 a chain, 24 Scots yards, or 74 feet in length, 

 divided into a hundred links of 8,888 inches 

 each, and consequently ten square chains make 

 exactly an acre. 



The diversity of weights and measures em- 

 ployed not only in this county, but through 

 every part of Great Britain, has been often com- 

 plained of as a great inconvenience, and the 

 cause of much uncertainty and confusion. By 

 some, however, it is alleged that the evil ap- 

 pears more formidable in theory than it is found 

 to be in practice. Those who trade in grain or 

 any other commodity, whether at home or with 

 foreign countries, very soon understand the pro- 

 portion which the weights and measures in dif- 

 ferent places bear to one another ; and find no 

 difficulty in adjusting their prices accordingly. 

 And with respect to the internal commerce of a 

 county, the different weights and measures, in 

 use, are so well known in general, and are be- 



