Silk of Com Inj Weight. 
729 
ment, without resorting to fraudulent practices, is IG per cent. 
(The maximum probable error of weighing, without resorting to 
(fraudulent practices, is 6 per cent. 
I One point of difficulty in making a weight uniform was 
: suggested to be the need which would arise for farmers to obtain 
new sacks. This, Mr. Chaney thought, would be a traiisitory 
difficulty, and I have since ascertained from Mr. Wadham, of 
li the Great Eastei'n Company's goods office, that they supply the 
sacks to the Eastern counties farmers, for which the charge is 
\cl. a sack for one journey. If kept for a certain number of 
days they charge \d. a quarter, and \d. per sack per week as 
long as the grain remains with them. Not one in a hundred 
Eastern counties farmers are said to use their own sacks. They 
can apply to a country station for any quantity. 
Formerly wheat was carried at five quarters to the ton 
irrespective of weight ; barley six quarters, oats seven, malt 7^, 
beans and peas five. The result of this plan was that the com- 
pany usually lost a sack (or a coomb) in wheat and in beans 
and peas, and about a sack in malt. The fact, no doubt, is that 
in some Eastern counties barley is sold by measure only, but it 
is equally true that some is sold by weight. On this point, no 
doubt, we shall hear much more, but it must be remembered 
I that the bears and bulls of the corn trade are very capable of 
writing newspaper paragraphs to influence farmers and the trade. 
My object in writing this article has been to remind those 
who have expressed themselves in favour of a uniform weight 
for grain, and have taken some steps in trying to secure it, 
that an opportunity is at the present time afforded for making 
another attempt to settle this controverted question. If agri- 
culturists generally will be good enough to afford their con- 
sideration to the inquiry commenced last session by a Committee 
of the House, which I hope will be reappointed early next 
session, and if farmers will deal with the question unitedly, 
there is a fair likelihood of its settlement. 
R. Jaspek More. 
ABORTION IN CATTLE. 
Abortion is the premature expulsion of the impregnated ovum, 
the embryo, or the foetus before viability, by which is under- 
stood the power to live when separated from the mother. After 
viability, tlie untimely expulsion of the fa'tus is described as pre- 
