>Before metrication it was used alongside the morgen >and many other agrarian units.
I heard somewhere (it might have been here) about measuring by working time. This could vary by region, by worker and by difficulty of the work. I think the furlong was one such units (i.e. the length of a furrow). Given the nature of agriculture hundreds of years ago (feudal obligations and limited alternative ways of measurement), it makes a lot of sense to look at the world that way. I remember something about a dispute over the working day in rural parts of France and in the cities.
