172 THE BOOK OF CORN 



days' growth from the seed, greater in quantity and 

 value than that contributed by a two-year-old clover 

 crop at the north. It is therefore not surprising that 

 the cowpea should be regarded as the sheet anchor of 

 the southern farmer. Indeed it is due in great measure 

 to the impression that the northern plan of harvesting 

 corn would largely interfere with the accompanying 

 cowpea crop that the system has been so slow in com- 

 mending itself to the southern planter. 



HARVESTING IN THE SOUTH 



The Old Way — Supposedly necessitated by the 

 differing climatic conditions of the sections, it was gen- 

 erally deemed impossible, until definitely proved other- 

 wise, to harvest the southern corn crop in the northern 

 manner : First, because it was thought that their ear- 

 lier maturity forced the harvesting of the blades (tech- 

 nically "fodder" at the south) if utilized at all, as an 

 additional and separate operation to the subsequent 

 "shocking" process, since the hotter suns were pre- 

 sumed to parch them prematurely. No one for a 

 moment entertained the idea that the entire stalk could 

 be cut and cured soon enough to preserve the nutritive 

 value of the blades without ruinous loss from the 

 shrinkage of the grain in the ear. Secondly, if the 

 blades were stripped separately and the naked stalk 

 and ear left, there was no temptation in the stalk itself, 

 valueless before the advent of the shredder, on account 

 of its size and coarseness, to induce its preservation. 

 Thirdly, because the southern stalks were presumed 

 to be too large and succulent to respond without injur- 

 ious fermentation to the curing process. Hence 

 originated the three following primary differences in 

 practice under the old system. 



