They say that in the spring a young person's fancy turns to thoughts of . three-cubic-foot bags of mulch, bulk loads of topsoil and tons of patio brick!! I know it's not as poetic as the original version but here in the Franklin County Auditor's Office it's true.

In past columns, I've told you about the duties of our weights and measures inspectors and the great work they do throughout the year to protect both merchants and consumers in the marketplace.

In addition to testing UPC price scanners, gas pumps and retail scales for accuracy, our inspectors also perform tests to make certain you get what you pay for when you purchase mulch, topsoil and other gardening supplies. "Getting what you paid for" is a plan for all seasons. If you're someone who enjoys yard work, you know that being a part-time mathematician comes in pretty handy, too!

For example: If you want to spread fertilizer on your lawn, you'll need a pretty good estimation of the square footage of your yard when you purchase the materials.

And what about mulch, which is most often sold by volume - usually in two- or three-cubic-foot bags, or in bulk. How do you convert that three-cubic-foot bag of mulch for use in your garden, the area of which is measured in square feet?

A cubic yard of mulch will cover a 100-square-foot garden to a depth of three inches. Because one cubic yard equals 27 cubic feet (three feet wide on each side and three feet high), a total of nine, three-cubic-foot bags should cover a 100-square-foot garden if spread three inches thick.

But how do you know that the bag actually contains three cubic feet? That's where we come in. We open a sample number of bags and measure the contents to make sure you're getting the correct amount.

The following tips will help you at the garden supply.

• Know what you're buying. Packages must be identified and include a declaration of the weight, measure or count of the product, as well as the name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer or distributor.
• Check for holes. When buying fertilizer, seed or other bagged products, always check for holes in the bag or you could be paying for lost product.

• When buying in bulk, make sure the product is sold by the exact weight or cubic yard - and not by the truckload, scoop or other approximation.
• For bulk purchases, be sure to get a receipt that contains the name and address of the buyer and seller, a product description, the date delivered, the quantity delivered and the quantity upon which the price is based, if this differs from the delivered amount.
• To determine the volume of bulk mulch, topsoil or gravel you receive, you'll need to get the measurement of the delivery truck bed dimensions to figure the cubic feet. To do this, measure the length, width and height of the truck bed and multiply those numbers. Divide the total by 27 to get the number of cubic yards. Also, make sure the load is level before it is dumped.

In last month's column, we invited consumers to visit our Web site and test their weights and measures knowledge by taking a short online quiz. Thank you to the dozens of local residents who submitted entries.

Following are the answers to the quiz:

• A cord of firewood totals 128 cubic feet.
• The first weights and measures law in the United States was passed in 1799.
• If apples sell for 89 cents per pound, 5 pounds will cost $4.45.
• In U.S. Customary Units of Length, 72 inches equals 6 feet equals 2 yards.
• "Tare" is a deduction from the gross weight of a substance and its container made in allowance for the weight of the container .
• Nine square feet equals 1 square yard.
• UPC Scanners, scales used in retail sales and gasoline pumps are tested for accuracy by weights and measures inspectors at least once a year .
• A carat is a unit of weight for precious stones equal to 200 milligrams.
• Weights and measures inspectors inspect and seal the following: Gasoline pumps, UPC price scanners and retail scales.
• A gill is a liquid measure of exactly four ounces. (Some people insisted that it was part of a fish.)

So everyone get out there in this warmer weather, get your gardens in shape, lawns cut and flowerbeds planted. Later on when you are lying in your hammock, sipping an ice-cold beverage with the scent of "Ben-Gay" pain relieving ointment filling the air, you'll know that those bags actually contained three cubic feet of mulch although they felt like they weighed a lot more.