STORING CORN 79 



goes across the field. These machines, of course, cannot 

 husk corn under all conditions as clean as it can be done by 

 hand, but the}^ reduce the man labor required and make it 

 possible to get out large acreages in a short time. 



95. Storing Com. Corn cannot be stored in the same 

 manner as other grains, on account of its liability to heat. It 

 is practically impossible to store a large quantity of it together 

 until it is at least a year old, without great danger of its heat- 

 ing and spoiling. 



The most common method of storing corn is in the corn- 

 crib, a narrow bin with slatted sides so that air can circulate 

 freely through it. Two and one half cubic feet of space are 

 required for a bushel of corn on the ear, which is the form in 

 which it can most safely be stored. If 40 acres of corn are 

 produced on a farm of 160 acres and storage room must be 

 provided for 30 acres with a yield of 50 bushels to the acre, 

 3,750 cubic feet of space are required. To furnish this space, 

 four cribs 8 feet deep and 20 feet long, 5 feet wide at the bot- 

 tom and 7 feet wide at the top, would be necessary. If 

 possible, the corncrib should be raised on concrete pillars 

 high enough so that mice and rats cannot readil}^ get into it. 

 The bottom should be tight, to save the corn that will natur- 

 ally shell off as it is handled, but the sides are commonly made 

 of 1 by 3 or 1 by 4 inch material nailed on to the studding 

 with an inch open space between the cleats. Cribs wider 

 than 6 feet should have some provision made for the circu- 

 lation of air through the middle. This may be easily sup- 

 plied by standing three or four posts erect, and placing 

 woven wire around these so as to make a spout up through 

 the center of the crib. The spout may be from 6 inches to 2 

 feet across and should extend from a hole through the floor 

 of the crib to allow free circulation of air. With these spouts 

 placed every 6 or 8 feet through the center of the crib, it is 

 safe to make the crib from 8 to 12 feet wide. Two or more 

 cribs may be placed under one roof. A common practice is 



