[13]. The story of the Nail will be found in [Chap. XX].
[14]. The Standards Commission in 1870 advised that the public standards of length should be placed so as to be readily accessible to the public without their use ‘being disturbed by passers or idle gazers.’ Anyone who has tried to get access to those in Trafalgar Square may regret that there seems to be no provision made against their site being made the usual lounge of often very objectionable persons.
CHAPTER VI
LAND-MEASURES
1. Introduction
The first measures of land were seed-measures. They are found in every country; they become fixed in course of time as the idea of geometric measurement arises; they survive in name giving the peasant a concrete idea of the extent of his fields.
Then came the estimation of land by the amount of ploughing, or sometimes of hand-digging, that could be done in a day, and by the extent that could be cultivated with a pair of oxen. Then came a system of geometric measurement, fixing the former seed-units or labour-units by measures of length and breadth, and finally the abstract idea of superficial area. These different systems have succeeded one another everywhere and in all time.
1. Seed-units.—The land that could be sown with a certain measure of seed-corn, wheat being the usual standard: Fr. seterée, estrée, boisselée, &c.; It. moggio; Sp. fanega; G. scheffel; Nor. tunn-land. These names correspond to corn-measures.
2. Day’s hand-labour units.—The land that could be tilled with spade or hoe in a day: the ‘Daieswork,’ about 10 square rods; Fr. hommée, ouvrée—20 square rods of vineyard.
3. Day’s ploughing units.—L. jugerum; It. giornata; Fr. journal, arpent; G. morgen, joch, acker; Du. bouw; Hind. bigha; Ar. feddan; Ir. ardagh. All about an English acre more or less.