Bushel measures are of two shapes: the drum-shape, 15 inches diameter by 12-2/4 inches deep, and the standard shape (that of the old corn-measure), 18-1/2 inches diameter by 8-1/4 inches deep.
Nothing has been changed in the excellent octonary series of measures, pint, gallon, bushel, quarter (eight of the first making one of the second and so on), with binary sub-units—some of them general, as the quart; others local, as the coomb; and some more or less obsolete, as the tuffet, famous in nursery rhyme.
─────────────────────┬───┬───────────────────────────────────────── 2 Noggins 1 Gill │ │ (In the South 4 gills to a pint) 2 Gills 1 Pint │ │20 oz. water│1 lb. wheat │ │ │ 2 Pints 1 Quart │⎫ │ │ 2 Quarts 1 Pottle │⎬ 8│ │ 2 Pottles 1 Gallon │⎭ │10 lb. water│8 lb. wheat │ │ │ 2 Gallons 1 Peck │⎫ │ │16 lb. wheat (old stone) 2 Pecks 1 Tuffet │⎬ 8│ │ 2 Tuffets 1 Bushel │⎭ │80 lb. water│62-64 lb. wheat │ │ │ 2 Bushels 1 Strike │⎫ │ │ 2 Strikes 1 Coomb │⎬ 8│ │256 lb. wheat (16 old stone) 2 Coombs 1 Quarter │⎭ │ │500-512 lb. wheat │ │ │ 4 Quarters 1 Corn-ton│ │ │40 cubic feet ─────────────────────┴───┴────────────┴────────────────────────────
These measures can be used for either dry goods or fluids. The smaller measures below a pint are used for fluids.
The institution of the Imperial gallon, while increasing corn-measure by 3 per cent., had less effect on Ale-measure. The Ale-pint, being 1/8 of the Ale-gallon of 282 cubic inches, was somewhat larger than the new Imperial pint, holding about 20-1/4 ounces; so the change to the Imperial pint of 20 ounces was practically imperceptible.
The Gill is officially, according to southern custom, a 1/4 pint; but in Lancashire and the north it is a half-pint. The name Gill, like the Jug synonym for Pint, is part of a popular series of names for beer or spirit measures. Jug is the feminine of Jack, with which name Gill is familiarly associated.
Pint or Jug 20 ounces 1/2 „ „ Gill (in the north) 10 „ 1/4 „ „ Jack (or Noggin) 5 „ 1/8 „ „ Jock (a dram) 2 1/2 „ 1/16 „ „ Joey 1 1/4 „
The customary capacity of wine-bottles is 1/6 gallon = 26-2/3 ounces. So six customary bottles go to the gallon, and a customary ‘dozen’ of wine or spirits = 2 gallons.