To ascertain the value of a given amount of hay, straw, or other com modity sold by the ton, when the price per ton is given, multiply the number of pounds by the price per ton and point off three figures from the right. The result will be the price of the article.
Weights of Trade Packages.—The following is a table showing the style of package in use in ordinary com mercial practice in the sale of various kinds of commodities, and the cor responding weight as ordinarily rec ognized in the trade: Comparative Table of Weight of Commodities per Bushel.—While the standard units of weight and of ca pacity are now practically uniform throughout the United States, legisla tion in the various States differs widely as to the standard of weight for a bushel of various kinds of prod uce. The law in each State usually specifies the weight of a bushel, re quiring it to weigh at least the amount specified. The following ta ble shows the range in the standard weights as prescribed by statute in the various States, and also the stand ard or minimum prescribed by the laws of the United States and in ef fect wherever there is no State statute to the contrary. The majority of the States have adopted the United States standard, and there is an increasing tendency in this direction. Eventu ally, it is to be hoped that uniformity will prevail throughout the country: Table of Weight of Commodities per Cubic Foot.—The following is a table of the weight per cubic foot of various metals and other commodi ties: To find the weight of any of these commodities, arrange loose materials in square bins, or pack such commodi ties as bricks in piles having straight sides and square corners; multiply the length, width, and depth together in feet and multiply this result by the number of cubic pounds in a cubic foot, as shown by the above table. The result can then be turned into quarters, hundredweight, or tons by reference to tlae table of cubic measure.
Household Weights and Measures. —The uniform accuracy of results ob tained by professional cooks, bakers, and caterers is due, in great degree, to the fact that the measurement of ingredients called for by their recipes is accurately determined by weight, Weight of Commodities by State Law.—The following are the excep tions to the United States standard: and the temperature of their ovens is definitely ascertained by means of the thermometer. Thus the condi
tions surrounding each batch of food cooked are made identical, and uni formity in the product necessarily follows. Any cook can obtain similar results by like means, and a good pair of scales in the kitchen may be regarded as one of the marks of et good housekeeper. There are numer ous occasions when the use of scales is necessary, and there is no ques tion but that measurement by weight could be advantageously made use of far oftener than is usually done at present.
Capacity measures, or measurement by bulk, in comparison to measure ment by weight, is always more or less inaccurate. But steps can and should be taken to insure as great a degree of accuracy as possible. Hence all dry ingredients, such as flour, meal, confectioners' and powdered sugar, should be sifted before using. Mus tard, baking powder, cream of tartar, soda, salt, and spices should be stirred before measuring to lighten and free them from lumps. To dip a measur ing cup into flour or other dry mate rial in order to fill it and to then shake the cup to level its contents, condenses or packs the flour and causes the cup to contain more than the recipe calls for. Instead, the sifted material should be lifted into the measuring cup by spoonfuls, the contents rounded slightly, and leveled with the back of a case knife, care being taken not to shake the cup.
A cupful is measured level with the brim; a heaping cupful rounding, not as much as will stand upon the cup; a scant cupful level, with two table spoonfuls taken out.
All ingredients, measured by the tablespoonful or teaspoonful, are measured level unless otherwise stated. To measure spoonful, fill the spoon and level it with the back of a case knife. For a half spoonful, first measure a spoonful, then divide it in halves, lengthwise, with a thin knife blade. To measure a quarter spoonful, first measure a half spoonful and divide it crosswise, a little nearer the back than the point of the spoon, to allow for its curvature. This is equivalent to one saltspoonful. A speck is a little less than one half. a saltspoonful or one eighth of a tea spoonful. Butter, lard, and other solid fats are measured by packing them solidly into the spoon or cup and leveling with a knife. Butter should be measured before melting, unless melted butter is stated in the recipe, in which case it should be measured after melting.