458 O F G R A N A R I E S. Part IV. 



without leather, or any other matter hable to be deftroyed by 



vermm. 



A large pair of thefe bellows being fo fixed as to receive the air 

 from without, and convey it between the bottom and falfe bottom 

 of the granary; when you would ventilate the corn, open the vent- 

 holes at top, and work the bellows, which will drive the air through 

 the whole body of the corn- with fuch force as to make the duft fly 

 out of the vent-holes, and when confined to one fmall opening will 

 blow up fome grains of corn a foot high. The vent-holes may 

 be covered with a clofe wire-lattice, to keep vermin out. 



It is of great importance that the corn be well cleaned before it 

 be put into one of thcfe granaries ; becaufe it mufl continue there 

 till it is made ufe of: and particular care Ihould be taken that there 

 be no fmutty grain mixed with it. 



The corn I chofe for this experiment, continues M. Duhamel, 

 was of a good quality, I ventilated it not more than fix days in a 

 year, without the help of fire ; which was fufficient to keep it fo 

 well, that the moft fkilful allowed it to be as good as could be. 



When the bellows had not been worked for fome months, the 

 corn was allowed, by good judges, to look and fmell perfedly well : 

 but they objefted that it did not handle well, that is, that it had 

 fome little dampnefs in it. The bellows were worked for half a 

 day, and that objedlion was entirely removed. 



In hot countries, corn may be preferved a long time by being 

 depofited in a vault or ciftern, fo clofely flopped that the air can 

 have no accefs : but experience fhews, that this method will not 

 fucceed in our climate, the fun not having power to exhale the 

 moifture from the corn, fufficiently to prevent its fermenting when 

 laid in a large heap : and this is farther proved by feveral experit 

 ments of corn dried in a kiln, which, tho' its weight was confi- 

 derably diminiflied, did not lofe its vegetative quality, but grew 

 very well. 



From thefe obfervations it follows, that it is neceflary to take 

 away the fuperfluous moifture, and bring our corn to the fame de- 

 gree of drynefs as that of the hotteft countries, in order to prefervfi 

 it in great quantities. 



'Experu' 



