Rural School Leaflet 



1297 



Enemies. — The young com plant has many enemies, among the most 

 serious being crows, blackbirds, and cutwoniis. Various measures are 

 used to frighten away the birds, among them the erection of a scarecrow 

 or keeping a live crow captive in the held. The seed corn is sometimes 

 coated Hghtly with coal tar, by dipping a wooden paddle into hot tar and 

 stirring it rapidly among the kernels of com. The coat of tar repels some 

 of the enemiies. Cutworms can often be caught in the neighborhood of 

 indi\4dual hills, but for large areas 

 they are controlled by fall plow- 

 ing, and by the use of poisoned 

 bait. The bait is made by mois- 

 tening wheat bran with water that 

 has been sweetened with molasses 

 and treated with a poison, such 

 as paris green or arsenate of lead. ^ 

 The mixture when spread along 

 the rows, attracts the cutworms 

 and kills them. 



Thi n nin g. — When the com 

 plants are about six inches high 

 and danger from birds and insects 

 seems to be past, evevf hill that 

 has more than three stalks should 

 have the extra ones removed by 

 pulling them out. The three 

 most vigorous ones shoiild be left. 



Harvesting. — In September when 

 the lower leaves on the comstalks 

 begin to wither and many of the 

 husks are becoming dry, it is time 

 to cut and shock the com crop if 

 the stalks are to be used for fodder. Cutting com hy hand 



About sixty hills of com may be gathered into a shock and the tops bound 

 together to make the shock stand up. Too large a shock will not cure 

 properly, and some of the ears may thus be spoiled. Six weeks of good 

 autumn weather will cure the com shocks sufficiently for husking. After 

 husking the ears the fodder should be tied in bundles to make handling 

 easier, and stored under cover for winter feeding. If the com is not to be 

 for fodder, the ears will be better if left on the standing stalks until the 

 latter are dead and dry and the ears are thoroughly ripened. After 

 husking, the ears shotdd be stored where air can circulate between them, 

 and where rats and mice cannot destroy them. 



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