Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-11-17
HOW MUCH Is A BUsHEL7
Legal Weights Are Not Uniform and
u..., A.. n;a~r>nk a.,


Vary In Different States.
The principal work of the bureau
Of standards in Washington Is to es-
tablish scientifically accurate stand
ards for the weights and measures
used in the United States. Recently
the bureau has been engaged In gath
ering statistics to show the legal
weight of a bushel Of different COM
modities, as fixed either by national
legislation for the purposes Of the
customs or by state legislatures for
the purposes of trade within the
states.
In the case Of few commodities
only, such as wheat, oats and peas,
are the legal weights uniform through
out the country, and in many cases
they differ widely. Neither do the
legal weights which the bureau has
listed represent volume equal to the
bushel Of 2,15040 cubic inches
United States bushel, so-called.
On account Of the variation In the
densities of commodities in different
localities and in different seasons, 1t
Is impossible to fix with any degree OF
certainty the weight of a given vol
ume Of any commodity such as pota-
toes, apples, coal or corn. Since,
therefore, the actual weight can be
fixed only approximately, 1t Is i'm
portant that in the transactions In
which the bushel measure is used 1t
b. distinctly understood which bushel
Is meant; that Is, whether a volume
of 2,15O.42 cubic inches or certain
number of pounds. Since these two
definitions Of the bushels are contra
dictory, the bureau recommends that
all sales be made by weight, as Is now
the practice in all transactions In
wheat.
There are "a commodities for which
legal weights in pounds to the bushel
have been generally adopted by the
states. The list begins with alfalfa
seed and ends with wheat, both OF
which run 60 pounds to the bushel.
Apples range between 45 and so
pounds to the bushel; dried apples
"a to 2S; barley, A. and 4S, and SO
on.
The list includes vegetables, fresh
and dried, seeds Of many kinds, char
coal, coal, berries, meats, nuts, lime,
fruits, salt and popcorn.
In some cases the United States
standard has been adopted; In other
cases where there Is no United States
standard the states have had to fix
their own. In some instances there
is a considerable difference In the
standards. For example, malt ranges
from 80 to 38 pounds to bushel,
and popcorn from AZ in the ear In
Ohio to 20 shelled in Iowa. When
such great differences occur, how
ever, there Is usually reason. such
as the presence or absence OF the
cobs Knowing this, traders make
proper allowances. 1t Is interesting
to notice that peas, clover seed and
wheat are all rated at 60 pounds to
the bushel. and that in these commod-
tiles such states as have standard
make II conform to that of the Fed
eral government.
Here Is a list Of the United States
standard weights for all the COM
mOdities for which ii has been estab-
lished:
Barley, so: buckwheat, AZ; bitumi-
nous coal, 80: corn. Sc; corn meal. 4S;
faxseed Qinseed). Sc; malt, "a; oats,
81; peas, 60: potatoes, go; rye, 30;
wheat, 60.
The table published by tho bureau
of standards Is valuable to the mid
man who deals with producers in
various parts of the country. 1t Is
also valuable to the statistician who
may want to ascertain, for example,
the difference in the cost OF living
between certain localities. Without
knowing accurately how much of a
given product there is in bushel
the ordinary man would be wholly
at Il loss to know whether or not he
was getting like quantity for like
money.
If the time arrives when goods are
sold by universal standard through
out the union such table as the
one just described will become un-
necessary. Until then it is useful both
to the producer of crops and the con-
sumer.-Youth's Companion.