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BUSHEL (from the O. Fr. boissiel, cf. med. Lat. bustellus, busellus, a little box)
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BUSHEL (from the O. Fr. boissiel, cf. med. Lat. bustellus, busellus, a little box), a dry measure of capacity, containing 8 gallons or 4 pecks. It has been in use for measuring corn, potatoes, &c., from a very early date; the value varying locally and with the article measured. The " imperial bushel," legally established in Great Britain in 1826, contains 2218.192 cub. in., or 8o lb of distilled water, determined at 62° F., with the barometer at 30 in. Previously, the standard bushel used was known as the " Winchester bushel," so named from the standard beingkept in the town hall at Winchester; it contained 2150.42 cub, in. This standard is the basis of the bushel used in the United States and Canada; but other " bushels " for use in connexion with certain commodities have been legalized in different states.