Cotton scale
Regional name for a Scale beam. The typical scale was about three feet long and normally had a weighing capacity of 250 to 300 pounds. However, with a light counterbalance weight, these scales could be used to weigh only a few pounds (e.g., one or two chickens with their feet tied together). The same scale design, although much larger and heavier, was also used at gins for weighing baled cotton, which was usually about 500 pounds to the bale.
1001 Words and Phrases You Never Knew You Didn’t Know by W.R. Runyan Copyright © 2011 by W.R. Runyan