Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1911-11-02
HOW MUCH IS A BUSHEL?
Varies In Different states-Tbe United
states standard.
(rrom the YOUTHS CompanionJ

(ErOm inc ! Ouln 'bllDtlil'i'I
The principal work of the bureau of
standards in Washington is to establish
scientifically accurate standards for tho
weights and measures used In the United
states Recently the bureau has been
engaged in gathering statistics to SHOW
the legal weight of bushel OF dili"r-
cut commodities, as fixed either by ma
tional legislation for the purposes OF
the customs or by state Legislatures Tor
the purposes of trade within the states
In the case of a few commodities only,
such as wheat. oats anu peas, are the
legal weights uniform throughout the
country. and in many cases they dllf"f
widely Neither do the legal weights
which the bureau has listed represent a
volume equal to the bushcl of llT' Y
cubic inches-the United States bushel.
so-caled
on account of the variations in the
densities of commodities in different To-
cali,ies and in different seasons it is Inn
possible to fix with any degree of Ger
tain.y the weight Of a given volume of
any commodity such as potatoes. apples.
coal or corn. Since therefore the actual
weight can be liked only approximately.
| It. is important that in transactions in
|
distinctly understood which bushol is
meant; that is. whether volume of o
| 10 - cubic inches or 4 certain number
OF pounds. Since these TWO definitions Of
n bushel are contradictory. tn bureau
recommends that all sales be made by
weight, as is now the practice in all
transactions in wheat.
There are clghty-four commodities for
which legal weights in pounds to the
hushel have been generally adopted b.
the states. Tho list begins with alfalfa
seed and ends with wheat both of which
run sixty pounds to the hushel Apples
range between fortv-iivc and nifty pounds
to the bushcl; dried apples. twenty-four
~ twcrtv-cirht: barley. forty-sevcn and
torty-eght. and SO on.
The list includes vegetables fresh AMI
dried, seeds Of many kinds. charcoal
coal. berries. meats, nuts, limo. fruits
salt and popcorn.
In soin" cases the United states stand
ard has been adopted in other case
whore there is no United States stand
ard the States have he'd to fix their own
In some instances there is a consider
, able difference in the standards. Fr
example. malt ranges from thirty It
thirty Eight pounds TO a hushel and pop
corn from forty-two In tho ear in Ohio t.
seventy shclcd I'm Iowa. When sucl
Erent differences occur, however. there +
! usually reason. such as the presence o
absence Of the cobs Knowing this, trad
z ers make proper allowances. 1t is inter
esting to notice that peas, clover seed an
G wheat arc all rated NJ sixty pounds 4
the hushcl and that In these commod.
ties such states as have standard max
e it conform to that OF the federal gov
, orumont
n Here is list of the United state
4 standard weights for all the commoditie
for which It has been established.
/ BARLEY nf,y, buckwheat, forty-two
bItuminous coal. eighty corn, hfty-siY
. cornmcal. forty-eeht; faxseed Oneeed
e ffty-slN. malt. thlrty-four: oats thirty
o two. peas, sixty; potatoes, sixty ~
i fftysiX wheat, sixty.
The table published by the bureau c
= standards is valuable to the mddlema
n who deals with producers In various part
of the country II is also valuable {
g the statistician who may want TO ascer
4 tain, for example the difference in tn
cost of living between certain localtie;
q Without knowing accurately how nuc
of n given product there Is in n bushe
q the ordinary man would be wholly at
= loss to know whether or not he was &c,
ting Ike quantity for Ike money
II the time arrives when goods are sol
by a universal standard rhroughout ~
Union, such table as the one Just de
. scTbed viii become unnecessary Inv
then it is useful both TO the producer c
crops and tnr consumer.