The barrel is a convenient receptacle for packing, transporting and storing commodities. It varies in size, sometimes being defined in terms of units of volume, 6,2534i cubic inches struck measure in Massachusetts. In other cases it is fixed as a definite number of units of dry measure, 100 dry quarts in New York, five bushels in Tennessee; or in some States as a definite number of liquidgallons, 36 gallons in Arkansas, 42 gallons in Tennessee, or more commonly gallons. Besides this method of definition the barrel, like the bushel and the gallon, is legally defined for certain commodi ties in terms of a definite number of pounds. The barrel of flour, for example, is commonly fixed at 196 pounds. Apart from this, but few States have used this method of defining the barrel and that only for a few products. One hundred and eighty pounds of shelled corn con stitute a legal barrel in Connecticut, 200 pounds of pork in Indiana, North Carolina and Ten nessee, 200 pounds of fish in Maine, 150 pounds of sweet potatoes in Massachusetts and 35 bushels dry measure in Louisiana. In New York and some other States the several dimen sions of the standard barrel are specified, al though other forms containing the same volume may be used The dimensions specified in New York are head diameter 17y, inches, stave length 281,4 inches, bulge not to exceed 64 inches outside measure. A barrel of crude oil is usually 31t5 United States wine gallons and the barrel of refined oil 42 gallons.
The hogshead (two barrels), the pipe (four barrels), and the tun (eight barrels) are more commonly not intended as definite measures but merely convenient receptacles for liquids in bulk.
The smaller units of dry measure, such as the peck. dry quart and dry pint, are largely used in retail trade, the pint and quart being used for smaller products like berries.
Avoirdupois The avoirdupois system of weights is used for almost all com modities except the precious metals chemicals and jewels. The avoirdupois dram differs from the apothecaries' dram, and the avoirdupois ounce and pound differ from the troy units of the same name. Ambiguity is avoided only by properly Qualifying the terms. The use of such tanqualtheterms as ounce, pound or ton causes great confusion owing to the uncertainty and azeil.ovity of the terms. The 'avoirdupois pound' or 'troy ounce,' however, are definite units. The avoirdupois units are as follows: One long ton = 20 long hundredweights = 80 long quarters =2.240 pounds = 35,840 ounces = 573,440 drams = 15.680,000 grains.
One short ton =20 short hundredweights = fiD short quarters =2 000 pounds = 32,000 ounces = 512.000 drams = 14.000,000 grains.
The fundamental unit of the avoidupois sys tem is the .osidupois pound it, derived from the Intern :anal kilogram, in :ordance with the law of ?66 and the executi\ order of 1893, the value "L' . on the basis of 2.2046‘.1 pounus to the euogram. The avoirdupois pound was probably derived from the Attic mina of 68453 grains troy, the 1-60 part of the large Attic talent, divided by the Romans into 16 ounces of nearly the same weight as the modern ounce. Congress has never directly legalized any standard of weight except the troy pound and that only for pur poses of coinage. To avoid confusion in com parisons of mass, the ratio of the avoirdupois pound to the troy pound was fixed at 7,(1)0 to 5:160, measured in grains.
The United States avoirdupois ram (or drachm) is the 1-16 part of the avoirdupois ounce (28.3495 grams). This unit must not
be confused with the apothecaries' dram (weight) which is the one-eighth part of the apothecaries' ounce or 60 grains. The avoir dupois dram is largely used in the textile in dustries. The avoirdupois ounce is the 1/16 of the pound and contains 16 drams. avoirdupois stone is a denomination often used, especially in England, and varies with different commodities, the most common value in England as 14 pounds.
Ike hundredweight (cwt.) is the 1/20 pan of the ton. The round hundredweight contains 100 pounds and is sometimes called the 'rental,* while the long hundredweight con tains 112 pounds. This unit is used very largely is fixing transportation rates.
The commercial ton of 2,000 pounds is in very general use throughout the United States, bat 112 pounds is the legal hundredweight in places, and 2,240 pounds the legal ton, as in The gross ore ton contains 2 688 pounds. Some confusion exists in the use of the word 'ton," as the unqualified term may mean the short ton, long ton, gross ore ton, miner's ton, varying from 2,500 to 3,000 pounds. displacement ton of 35 cubic feet, shipping ton of 40 cubic feet. timber ton of 42 cubic feet, or register ton of 100 cubic feet. The register tea varies in different countries. Accurate sta tistics covering more than a single State or industry are difficult to obtain, owing to the difference in the values of these units and methods of measurement. The tariff act de fines the ton of coal as '28 bushels of 80 pounds each' equal to the long or United States ton, but the statutory ton of coal in Montana is de fined as 26i bushels of 76 pounds each. In some cases the ton is defined as a definite num ber of cubic feet, for example, 343 cubic feet is a legal ton of hay in North Dakota and Okla homa, and in New Mexico the ton is defined as 380, 422, or 512 cubic feet, according to the time the hay has been stacked.
Troy The troy weights are as follows: One pound= 12 ounces =240 penny weights = 5,760 grains. The troy pound was legalized in 1828 as the standard unit to be used by the Mint of the United States in the regulation of the coinage. In view of the con fusion in the weights and measures of trade, Congress found it important to legalize some particular weight for the use of the Mint, and by the act of 19 May 1828 legalized the copy of the Imperial Standard troy pound. This copy was procured by Albert Gallatin in England in the preceding year and was received by Presi dent Adams 13 Oct. 1827. It was based upon the old Imperial Standard troy pound of 1758. legalized in 1825. This troy pound has not been recojnized as a legal standard in England since 185a, and was declared illegal, with pen alty attached, in 1878 The grain is the 1-5760 part of the troy pound, and is the only unit which connects the troy system with the avoirdupois. A very old English statute (51 Henry III. 1266) provided that the English penny should weigh 'thirty two grains of wheat well dried and gathered out of the middle of the ear.' Fifteen differ ent values of the grain in different countries are cited, varying from 0.68 to 1.54 United States troy grains. The troy grain, as used in the United States, is 0. gram. The diamond grain is 0.8 troy grain. The troy grain is practically obsolete in the avoirdupois measures. Fractions of the grain are usually indicated decimally.