This section is from the "A Complete Dictionary of Dry Goods" book, by George S. Cole. Also available from Amazon: A complete dictionary of dry goods and history of silk, cotton, linen, wool and other fibrous substances,: Including a full explanation of the modern processes ... together with various useful tables.
Yard. An English measure of 3 feet or 36 inches. How this particular measure came to be first established in England is uncertain, but it has so intimate a relationship to the standards employed by the ancient Egyptians and Hebrews that authorities consider that it may not improbably be traced to these ancient units. The present standard has been scientifically fixed by the United States government to the one-millionth part of an inch. [See Measures, Metric System]
 
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