LEADING CEREALS AND THEIR BY-PRODUCTS 153 



higher the latitude or the altitude at which a variety was originated the 

 larger will be the proportion of ears to stalk and leaves, tho the total 

 yield of ears will usually be decreased. 



203. Corn cobs. Well-dried dent ear , corn of good breeding carries 

 about 56 Ibs. of shelled corn to 14 Ibs. of cob. The proportion of cob 

 to grain varies according to race, variety, and dryness, ranging from 

 below 20 to about 40 per ct., flint varieties having a larger proportion of 

 cob to grain than does dent corn. The cobs carry about 30 per ct. of 

 fiber, which at best is of low feeding value, and much of their nitrogen- 

 free extract is in the form of pentosans. (9) Since the cobs have some 

 nutritive value, under certain conditions it is profitable to grind the 

 whole ear into corn-and-cob meal. (208) Manifestly it is not economical 

 to purchase ground corn cobs in adulterated commercial feeds at a price 

 that would buy good concentrates. (288) 



204. Water content and shrinkage of corn. The amount of water in 

 shelled corn a year old will vary from less than 10 per ct. to about 14 

 per ct., depending on the dryness of the climate. Freshly husked corn 

 may contain 35 per ct. or more of water. 1 Rarely will ear corn contain- 

 ing over 20 per ct. water keep if stored in any considerable quantity. 

 Shelled corn may spoil when stored in bulk if it contains more than 

 about 14 to 15 per ct. moisture. 



As ear corn dries out the weight shrinks, due chiefly to the evaporation 

 of water but also due in small part to a decomposition or oxidation of 

 some of the nutrients in the grain. The rate of shrinkage depends not 

 only on the maturity of the corn when husked, but also on the moisture 

 content of the air. When the moisture content falls to 12 per ct., 

 shrinkage practically ceases. A large part of the shrinkage of ear corn 

 is in the cobs, which usually form about one-fourth of the weight of the 

 ears at husking and one-fifth of their cured weight. In studies at the 

 Kansas, 2 Illinois, 3 and Iowa 4 Stations ear corn fairly dry when cribbed 

 shrank from 3.3 to 9.7 per ct. on the average from November to March. 

 The average shrinkage in a year ranged from 8.6 per ct. to 19.4 per ct. 

 Twisting the ears slightly will fairly indicate the moisture contained. 

 Loose grained, ' ' sappy " ears carry too much moisture to be cribbed 

 safely. 



Corn is stored mostly on the husked ear in the North, but in the 

 South the husks are left on the ears because of the weevil, a beetle that 

 injures the kernels unless they are protected. As corn keeps better in 

 the ear than when shelled, it should be held in this form as long as possible. 



Seventy Ibs. of dry dent corn of good varieties will make 1 bushel, or 

 56 Ibs., of shelled corn, but in early fall the buyers frequently demand 

 75 or 80 Ibs., according to the estimated water content. According to 

 the Federal corn grades, by which corn is sold on the large markets, the 

 percentage of water in corn must not exceed for Number 1, 14 per ct. ; 

 Number 2, 15.5 per ct. ; Number 3, 17.5 per ct. ; Number 4, 19.5 per ct. ; 



'Iowa Bui. 77. 8 Kan. Bui. 144. 111. Bui. 113. 'Hoard's Dairyman, 49, p. 463. 



