EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS 285 



how TiuK-li corn shrinks when husked and cribbed under ordinaiy conditions in that 

 section. To this end they erected in tlie center of the tract mentioned a double crib 

 2G feet wide, 250 feet long and ten feet high at the eaves, with a driveway 8 feet wide 

 through the center and a good tight roof over all. Near one end of this crib a small 

 ofKee was built and a set of standard scales put in. Husking began October 22 and 

 ended December 17. Every day while it was going on Mr. Maxson remained at the 

 oflice, and all the corn that went into the crib was weighed and recorded. The quan- 

 tity put in footed up 16,1,55 bushels of 70 pounds each. The corn was finally sold 

 to be delivered earl}' the following July. At that time ]\Ir. Maxson again took charge 

 of the scales and weighed the corn as it came out of the crib. It was also weighed 

 at the elevator, the total weight at the two places varying but a few pounds. The 

 corn weighed 14,896 bushels and 40 pounds when taken out, showing a total shrinkage 

 of 1,258 bushels, or a small fraction less than 7% per cent. When husking began 

 the grain was considered to be in fair cribbing condition. Very little rain fell 

 during the Avinter, only a few showers in ^March and April, while May and June were 

 \ery dry. 



In the fall of 1808 a series of experiments were begun at the Iowa Experiment 

 Station to test tlic shrinkage of corn in the ear. The results of the first year are 

 reported in Bulletin 45 of that Station. There was weighed into a crib 1.3.5 feet long 

 by 7.5 feet wide, built on a scale so that weights could be taken whenever desired, 

 7,000 pounds of corn in the ear. The corn was weighed from time to time and the 

 shrinkage noted. 



The loss for the first three months was 630 pounds, of 9 jier cent ; the second three 

 months recorded a loss of 390 pounds, or over 5.5 per cent; the third three months 

 gave a loss of 220 poimds, over 3 per cent; in the whole year the loss was 1,430 pounds, 

 or slightly over 20 per cent. 



The experiment was repeated the following year and the results reported in 

 Bulletin 55. The 7,000 pounds of corn shrank 400 pounds between October 19 and 

 January 19; the loss for the entire year was 035 pounds, the lowest weight being on 

 August 9. This was a shrinkage of 9 per cent. At the end of the year the kernels 

 of corn contained 12.14 per cent of water and the cob 25.82 per cent. 



The Shelled Corn. — In the report of the Connecticut Experiment Station for 1880 

 the analyses of sixty-three samples of corn show a water content varying from 6 to 15 

 per cent. Prof. Johnson remarks that the water in maize kernels and maize meal as 

 these arc found in the market may range from 13 to 22 per cent; Avell cured corn 

 and meal contain from 15 to 17 per cent, while new corn and the meal ground from 

 it are liable to contain over 20 per cent. 



Prof. \V. H. Brewer remarks (Tenth Census, Statistics of Agriculture, The Cei'eals, 

 p. 105), "Corn and corn meal have been articles of export since colonial days. The 

 two things that have operated most against its export were the vulgar prejudices 

 against its use among the poorer classes abroad until of verj' late years, and the 

 dilliculties of shij)ping it in good condition. The grain, when fresh, contains a larger 

 amount of water than other cereals. It is harvested later in the year, when it does 

 not dry out so readily, and the kernels are larger and dry more slowly than other 

 grains. It is liable to come to market containing from 15 to 20 per cent of water, 

 and to mould or at least to be injured on the voyage. 



When once thoroughly dry tlie weight of corn fiuctuates with the moisture in 

 the air. 



Prof. Brewer shows in the article just quoted, p. 31, that an amount of corn which 

 weighed 100 pounds in February, 1881, \\eighed in the September previous and in the 

 Septcnil)er following from 105 to 107 8-10 ])oun(ls. 



At tlie Houghton Farm, in 1881, Dr. Manly Miles performed some experiments on 

 the effects of various manures on the corn crop, and incidentally tested the question 

 of the shrinkajre of corn and cob during the winter. He had 31 plots under investiga- 

 tion. He weighed the cars at the time of harvest, in October, 1881, shelled i)art of 

 them at once, and detorminod the weight of shelled corn and cob in October. The 

 remainder of the corn was left in the ear until March, 1882, when it was shelled, 

 and the weight of shelled corn and cobs determined. The experiments Avere performed 

 on two distinct areas — the first 15 i)lots were called the west plots, and the remain- 

 ing 16 the north plots. As far as they relate to the question of shrinkage, liie essen- 

 tial facts brought out by the experiment were as follows: On the north plots, 

 55,553 pounds of ears, as harvested in October, 1891, gave 41,399 pounds of shelled 

 corn, or 25.47 per cent of cobs. In the following March, when the corn was shelled, 

 but 19.84 per cent of the gross weight of the ears was cobs. On the west plots, 



