Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 88.djvu/416

 �The housewife's safeguards — accurate measures. These

are glass graduates, pints and half pints, and accurate

spoons, from table to quarter teaspoons

��Exposing the Tricks of the Short- Weight Tradesman

THE efficient management of the The basis of the kitchen system of

modern household is greatly pro- weights and measures is the standard moted by the careful use of well- cup. Ordinary china cups cannot be selected measu ring appliances. I m p r o \- e d systems have been slowly evolved from the guesswork o f earlier times. For example, terms like the "pinch of salt," "speck of pepper," "handful of

rice,'' "sweeten to taste" (units of vague magnitude) have gradually been replaced by definite amounts, speci- fied and measured. The Bureau of Standards has de- voted much attention to this subject, so neglected in the average kitchen. Household appliances ought to include:

1. A test set of weights and measures for checking purchases and other pur- poses.

2. Meters for measuring the delivery, for household use, of gas, water and elec- tricity.

3. Special measuring in- struments, such as thermom- eters, hygrometers, barom- eters, hydrometers and time pieces, for measuring tem- perature, moisture, pressure, density and time.

4. Special measures used in cooking.

���A "crab" or "hand- cuff" scale. By combining its parts incorrectly, results greatly in error are obtained, the com- monest method re- sulting in shortages of 25 per cent

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��used, smce they vary in size. A spe- cial set of spoons will also be found con- venient.

Accuracy in measure- ment should not be con- fined to bak- i n g and cooking, but should also extend to buying. I n this regard, it is a fact that many house- wives scrutinize the cost and quality of goods, but fail to realize that unless the quan- tity is determined, the actual cost price is not ascertained. Dishonest merchants, whose prices are low, may be mak- ing big profits by giving short measure.

The Bureau of Standards discovered that only a few states and a few of the larger cities maintained any efficient inspection service, and that negligence in this regard was costing the con- suming public large sums of money, and putting a premi- um on dishonesty in compe- tition. Shortage in weights and measures was found to be common. The honest dealer, as well as the pur- chaser, suffers from the ex- istence of such fraud, since the possessor of a lying scale can apparently undersell him

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