636 



F A R M ERS' R E (7 I S T E R 



[No. 10 



the causes above stated, it is probable, was prejudi- 

 cial, and may have caused, or increased this slight 

 amount of loss. 



The very green ears (mostly also small,) which 

 had not been put in the general mass, were mosily 

 put together in a partition only 15 inches wide, in 

 another pen. From their small size, they lay 

 very close together, and many of the greenest 

 were found (Oct. 18th) to be damaged. Blue 

 mould was between the grains, which had evi- 

 dently proceeded from the cob, but which had not 

 (apparently) affected the inside of the grain. The 

 mould was then completely dry, and of course the 

 progress of injury was at an end. The proper 

 way to prevent any loss in the small portion oi 

 such very green corn, is to feed it away to hogs as 

 soon as possible. It is in the best state for that 

 use, and then there would not be an ear lost. It 

 may also be cured sound, (though shrivelled from 

 want of maturing,) by being left in the shuck, and 

 laid to dry singly over an open platform, or floor. 



Experiment 5. — On another farm two pens 

 were erected on the barn floor, and the filling of 

 both was commenced on Sept. 24th. The land 

 here was a sandy loam, about equal to the other 

 in productiveness. The whole crop, (including 

 the replanted,) was of the common large white 

 corn. In one of the pens, two flues were made, 

 so as to divide the corn into three separate parti- 

 tions, and in the other (as in the previous cases) only 

 one flue. All these flues were made a foot wide 

 at bottom, and for a i~ew rails in height — and then 

 were drawn in to the usual width of 4 inches. As 

 there was no danger (in a house) of loss from dep- 

 redations, nor of exposure to the weather, no care 

 was used to keep the side rails close; and 

 of course no cover was wanting. The pens 

 were raised to the joists (about 12 feet.) After 

 having been filled a few feet, the broad ends of the 

 flue (about a foot deep) were cut out with a saw, 

 so as to make room to introduce a hoe Avhcn ne- 

 cessary to draw our. such ears as fell through the 

 sides, and might otherwise have choaked the flue. 

 By using this means, no care was wanting to 

 place the ears in the pens, to effect which before, 

 had been both troublesome, and hurtful. The 

 trouble of making and filling pens withindoors, 

 was found to be altogether much the easiest job. 

 and was equally effectual. There were no green 

 shucks when this gathering was commenced, nor 

 was there any corn excluded from the pen, except 

 such as was already rotten. The short and green- 

 est ears were put into one of the narrow partitions, 

 and soon after fed to the fattening hogs, without 

 any loss, or the appearance of damage commen- 

 cing. The remainder of the corn in that, pen, was 

 used on the farm by the last of November, with- 

 out finding more than a dozen ears showing any 

 appearance of mouldiness. The other (with only 

 one flue) was emptied, and the corn beaten out for 

 sale, Jan. 14th and 15th, and every ear that was 

 the least darilaged, was separated for my inspec- 

 tion. They were only about 25 in number. The 

 corn was then in good order for shipping, and unu- 

 sually dry for the time of year. These two pens 

 held about 100, or 110 barrels of corn, and the one 

 mentioned in Experiment 4, about 60 or 65. 



The whole amount of mouldy and rotten corn 

 in the three large pens would certainly not have been 

 equal to one bushel ol'grain to 1000 of the sound. 

 Still it is a matter of some importance to know 



whether even this small loss was caused by the 

 early gathering: for if it causes any to rot, the 

 plan is so iar objectionable, and may be danger- 

 ous. I fully believe that not a single ear will be 

 lost, or injured, by the proper use of this plan, 

 and that the small loss which 1 sustained, was 

 owing to other circumstances. This is not sus- 

 ceptible of being proved; but I will state the several 

 reasons for the opinion. 



It is customary on every farm, when corn is 

 gathered and housed at the usual late time, to as- 

 sort the crop into thtee parcels, long, short, and 

 damaged or rotten. The first parcel includes only 

 the. best and perfectly sound ears, and is intended 

 for bread for the family, or for sale. Yet I have 

 never seen a crib of long corn emptied in the 

 spring, without finding rotten ears, and more than 

 could be supposed to have escaped the notice of 

 the laborers when filling the house. I infer that 

 many of these ears, as well as of those found rotten 

 in my pens, 1 hough appearing fair outside, when 

 gathered, had some early internal defect, and would 

 have rotted in any mode of housing. Rotten ears 

 of large size and perfect form, and securely covered 

 by the shuck, are often gathered from the stalk. 

 without there being any apparent cause for such 

 an effect; and what is well known to take place 

 thus early, may be reasonably supposed to be 

 sometimes produced, or to reach its completion, af- 

 ter gathering the crop. 



If gathering when in a green state alone would 

 cause mouldiness or rotting, the greenest of the 

 ears, however kept after gathering, ought to be so 

 affected. But some of the greenest, selected and 

 marked, have been kept perfecily sound — some 

 singly, some at the outer sides of the pens, and one 

 in the interior. But many sound ears have been 

 found (in Experiment 4th,) pressed out of shape 

 by the weight of the mass, and therefore evidently 

 were such as were soft and full of sap when put 

 up. All such are more or less shrivelled — but that 

 was; caused by the fodder and tops being removed, 

 (which kills the plant,) and not by the ears being 

 gathered afterwards. I readily agree that great 

 damage is often done to corn by too soon stripping 

 it of its leaves. In many cases, the damage to 

 the whole crop of grain is not short of the whole 

 net profit of the crop of fodder. But this evil, 

 great as it is, has nothing to do with the propriety 

 of early gathering the corn. 



On September 20th, a very large and well form- 

 ed ear of' corn, was gathered. The shuck w T as 

 still green, and therefore the ear was excluded 

 from the pen. When shucked, the grains seemed 

 firm, and as much sunk at the ends as they were ex- 

 pected to become. The cob however, was so 

 green, that sap could be pressed from the end of 

 the pith, by a slight pressure with the thumb nail. 

 In that state, the ear, divested of the shuck, weigh- 

 ed 1 lb. 14-| oz. It was placed in a dry and warm 

 room, and when weighed again, about Christmas, 

 had lost 13 oz. Still, the grains were as firm and 

 as compactly set on the ear as ever, and perfectly 

 sound. The principal loss of weight was from 

 the cob; and by its shrinking in size, the grains 

 were kept as close together as at first. This ear 

 was barely below my standard of fitness for the 

 pen, and many no doubt were included (by care- 

 lessness,) still greener. The great proportion of 

 water which it lost in drying, and its perfect state 

 afterwards, show that good ventilation only would 



