FIELD CROPS 427 



under in order to hold it securely while the binder twine is being 

 placed in position and tied. If the corn is quite tall there is an in- 

 clination to tie the shocks too low. The tying should always bei 

 done within 2 or 3 feet of the top of the shock. 



In dry climates and where the corn becomes well ripened about 

 the time cool fall weather sets in, the corn shocks should be large 

 14, 16, or perhaps 18 hills square. Being in the right stage of ma- 

 turity and with the weather dry and cool, these large shocks will not 

 heat or spoil, and the interior, not being exposed to the rains and 

 wind, will be preserved in a better condition than the outer portion 

 of the shocks. In localities having wet, rainy, and warmer autumns 

 it is necessary to make smaller shocks 8 or 10 hills square. The fod- 

 der should not be left in these small shocks longer than is necessary 

 for it to become well cured. In such small shocks nearly all of the 

 stalks are exposed and cure quickly. The corn should then be 

 husked out and the stover placed in larger shocks or the fodder 

 should be hauled to the barn and placed where it will be dry. If 

 allowed to remain in the small shocks, rains will leach from the 

 fodder the soluble and most palatable and nutritious food elements 

 and render the stover dry, brittle, tasteless, and of little feeding 

 value. 



It is always best to have the shock rows straight across the 

 field, and if the corn has been checked the shock rows can be made 

 straight in two directions. This is very essential w r hen the ground 

 is to be sown to fall wheat. In this case wide shock rows are advis- 

 able, and by means of the corn binder and bundle carrier this 

 result can be easily accomplished. 



Jerking and Storing the Ears Unhusked. Jerking the ears and 

 storing them unhusked is a method of harvesting employed in some 

 sections, especially in the South, where the argument usually given 

 in its favor is that if the husks are on the ears they are more pro- 

 tected from the grain weevil. The destruction of corn by this in- 

 sect is one of the drawbacks to more extensive corn culture in the 

 South. 



As soon as the corn becomes dry enough to crib, weevils are 

 frequently found working under the husks on the kernels of the 

 ears, sometimes to the number of twenty or more to the ear. It is 

 a question worthy of careful experimentation to determine whether 

 the corn is more seriously injured by transferring the weevil with 

 the unhusked ears to the crib than would result were the corn 

 husked in the field, causing the weevils to drop to the ground and 

 thereby leaving most of them in the field. 



The total amount of work required to jerk the corn and after- 

 ward husk it is considerably greater than that required to husk it 

 directly from the standing stalk, and the quantity of forage ob- 

 tained by gathering the husks is not sufficient to pay for the extra 

 work. Much better forage could be obtained more cheaply by other 

 methods. If the husks are sold advantageously for mattress making 

 it is well to perform the two operations of jerking the ears and 

 afterward husking them in a manner that will furnish husks of 



