Alma, Wis.
Did Napoleon burn Moscow, or was it burned by the Russians on his approach?
Inquirer.
Answer.—It is not certain that Moscow was set on fire by official order. If so, it was by command of Count Rostoptchin, who claimed that honor after he saw the result, the forced evacuation of the city by Napoleon and the French army, which had taken possession of it on Sept. 14 and 15. Some say that it was fired by Russian fanatics when they knew that Napoleon had taken up his headquarters in the Kremlin, which they regarded as sacred. The French endeavored to extinguish the conflagration, which was ruinous to them, as it was their reliance for winter quarters.
GRADES OF BARLEY.
Oostburgh, Wis.
1. What constitutes the difference in grades of barley? 2. Wherein does the color of barley affect the quality of the grain? 3. How, except to gouge the farmer, did the custom of making fifty pounds of barley for the bushel originate, the legal standard being forty-eight pounds? 4. Are farmers under obligation to conform to board of trade rules, contrary to law?
Quiz.
Answer.—1. The following are the rules governing the State inspection of barley in Chicago: “No. 1 barley shall be plump, bright, clean, and free from other grain. No. 2 barley shall be sound, of healthy color, bright or but slightly stained, not plump enough for No. 1, reasonably clean, and reasonably free from other grain. No. 3 barley shall include slightly shrunken and otherwise slightly damaged barley, not good enough for No. 2. No. 4 barley shall include all barley fit for malting purposes, not good enough for No. 3. No. 5 barley shall include all barley which is badly damaged, or for any cause unfit for malting purposes, except that barley which has been chemically heated shall not be graded at all.” 2. The color of barley is an indication of its age and condition in several respects. 3. The legal bushel by weight is different in different States. In California and Nevada it is 50 pounds; in Wisconsin and most other States it is 48; in Pennsylvania, 47; in Oregon, 46; in Louisiana it is only 32. Boards of trade make rules for themselves, one object being uniformity for the whole country. 4. As a rule, statutes fixing the weight per bushel of various commodities specify that this is to apply only in cases where contracts fail to specify the weight to be given. When grain is sold on ’Change the rules of the board determine the weight to be delivered. Since seller and purchaser are presumed to be acquainted with these rules, it is hard to imagine how either can justly complain of being “gouged.”