DRYING AND STORING SEED CORN 119 



the corn was dry would weaken some of the sappiest ears 

 unless the attic could be heated. Notwithstanding the danger 

 of frost, the attic is far ahead of the cellar. If there is a 

 furnace in the cellar the corn is apt to dry too quickly or to 

 become too dry. Remember, if corn is allowed to become too 

 dry, it will be slow in starting in the spring. If there is no 

 furnace in the cellar, the corn will dry too slowly unless it 

 is well dried before being placed there. Again, the average 

 cellar does not have sufficient ventilation for the proper 

 drying and storing of corn. On all good drying days the 

 windows should be thrown wide open. There is nothing 

 that dries seed better than a warm, dry breeze blowing 

 through it as it lays on the racks. When the weather is damp, 

 the windows should be closed if a door can be opened into 

 the rest of the house. If not, the windows should never be 

 closed entirely, unless the room is very large and the amount 

 of corn small. If a tight room is filled with new corn, the 

 corn is apt to mold, no matter how well it is hung up, unless 

 the room is constantly ventilated. Moisture, as it leaves the 

 corn, must have some means of escaping. 



LAYING ON RACKS 



For several years past, we have dried all of our ear seed 

 corn on wooden racks. These racks are built of one by four 

 inch uprights in which tenpenny nails are driven every four 

 inches and on which heavy lathe are laid. .(See illustration.) 

 The racks are all placed on slatted floors which permit perfect 

 ventilation. There are a number of good ways to dry seed 

 corn. An old and very good plan is to string the ears on 

 binder twine and suspend them from the ceiling. Of late 

 years, various kinds of wire hangers for drying corn have 

 been placed on the market. If these hangers are not placed 

 too close together they will dry the corn as well as any other 



