633 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 10 



the day before, in a heap outside of the barn door 

 (not shucked) and exposed to al! the rain. 



23d. In the morning, so damp a steam was 

 rising from the pen No. 3, (began the 18th, and 

 filled only six feet,) that the overseer was alarmed, 

 and was induced to open a hole for examination, 

 by taking out ears from the top — and in this man- 

 ner, as he reported, he penetrated below the damp- 

 ed corn. I saw that some of the ears taken out 

 for this examination, were evidently so green and 

 soft that, they ought never to have been put up in 

 that manner — and these were slightly damaged, 

 and generally where the grains were bruised or 

 wounded by rough and careless handling after be- 

 ino- shucked. On other ears had been formed a 

 white mould generally — and the worst of these 

 were two ears that had beenlying on the top of the 

 bulk, and had not been covered or moved. These 

 several facts seemed to indicate that, it was the 

 extreme dampness of the weather, and not the 

 position of the corn in the pens, that had caused 

 the damage — and that whatever had been the 

 cause of the injury, it had then ceased to operate. 

 This pen was on the second story of the house, 

 on an open floor offence-rails laid across the joists, 

 and consequently was as well ventilated as possi- 

 ble. Penned no more corn, for the present, and 

 began this morning to lay the parcel which was 

 last shucked, in the garret of the barn, about two 

 and a half feet deep, on an open floor of rails. 

 About twenty barrels more brought in before 

 night. 



24th. Rain began in the night to fall lightly — 

 and continued all this day without cessation, and 

 part of the lime heavily, and had not quite ceased 

 at 9 o'clock, P. i\l. The corn brought in the day 

 before, was thrown into the house soon after day 

 break, belbre much rain had fallen, and shucked 

 and put up in the garret. This was the only por- 

 tion of all yet gathered, which had not been in a 

 saaking rain, or in repeated showers, either lying 

 on the ground in the field, or at the bam door be- 

 fore being shucked. 



25th. Cloudy and damp until near 10 A. M. 

 Carting in corn again. Shucks of course quite 

 wet. Still putting the corn in the garret. The 

 steam from the third pen still continued, as the 

 corn was damp at and near the top, though dryer, 

 and apparently safe, 18 inches below. Some of 

 the ears which were evidently too green, had fine 

 white mould, (like fibres of cotton,) and these, 

 so far as could be found by examination, w T ere on- 

 ly on and near the top, as if the vapor passing 

 from the bulk in drying, had there condensed (by 

 meeting the colder air) and settled. The other 

 older pens were slightly examined into, and seemed 

 to be in good state — and also the fourth, which 

 had been later filled to the height of four feet only, 

 and with corn less wet. Foggy, and generally 

 cloudy, but some sunshine. 



26th. Observed that the corn, (as shucked,) had 

 a little white mould between the grains of many 

 ears — as I supposed, from trial, at least of one 

 ear in every ten of those as large and ripe as any. 

 This too was from the last gathered of the day 

 before, not rained on since, and was as much af- 

 fected, as any, on the surface of the heap. Of 

 course this effect could not have been produced af- 

 ter gathering — and must have been caused mere- 

 ly by the damp weather; and it had probably so 

 affected all the standing corn in my field, and in 



every other. There was so little mouldiness that 

 it. was barely perceptible. It would probably have 

 disappeared" in a few dry and cold days — but might 

 spread and become generally injurious in damp 

 and confined air, as was in my barn, notwithstan- 

 ding the circulation from doors and windows 

 throughout every day — and through some upper 

 windows throughout the night also. 



27th. Cloudy,and threatening rain, until 8 A. M. 

 — afierwards, sunshine and very warm. The 

 greenest ears (having the shuck quite green,) had 

 been laid thin on a floor of rails. These, were 

 shucked this day, and found to be in good order — 

 sound, and the curing so advanced, that the grain 

 was out of danger. 



28th. Sunday — raining incessantly for 16 hours. 

 The heap of corn hauled in the day befbre,and not 

 shucked, exposed to the weather. 



29th. Pulled down one of the divisions of the 

 second pen, 5^ feet deep, and containing 13 to 14 

 barrels of grain. Picked out carefully every da- 

 maged, or too green ear. These made not quite 

 two bushels of ears and ends of ears (broken off) 

 partly rotten, and eight bushels of ears which had 

 been too green for penning, and were still damp, 

 or a little touched with mouldiness, rot, or sprout- 

 ing. Some sprouts were 1^ inches long. The 

 good corn put. into another pen. Cool. 



30th. Clear and cool. The corn gathered and 

 hauled up this day was the only parcel from the 

 beginning which could be called free from the wet 

 of rain — and except the part shucked and housed 

 on the 26th, all the balance (about ISO barrels of 

 grain) had been in rain either in the field after be- 

 ing (rathered, or at the barn door, before being 

 shucked. 



Oct. 1st. Cloudy and threatening to rain, and 

 several light scuds of but a tew minutes duration. 

 Very warm through the afternoon. About 4 

 o'clock, P. JM. I discovered that the corn in the 

 first four filled pens, was quite wet, as if in a gen- 

 eral sweat — and the same of all in the garret, ly- 

 ing 2| feet thick over an open floor of rails. Sup- 

 posed all the balance in the house equally in dan- 

 ger, but had no time then to examine further. Be- 

 gan immediately to pull down the first, third, and 

 half of the fourth pen, and the corn (about 80 bar- 

 rels) was carried out and spread thin on the ground 

 by 8 o'clock. Rain then threatening, or the work 

 would have been continued longer. In feeling the 

 ears, for examination, my hands were soon made 

 quiie wet. Was told that the looking glasses and 

 varnished furniture in my dwelling house had been 

 observed to be as wet as I found the corn. At 8 

 P. M. the thermometer was at 75 degrees. A 

 slight scud of rain only in the night. 



2nd. Proceeded in the morning to empty the 

 remaining pens, but. soon stopped, as it appeared 

 that the external moisture of the corn had passed 

 off'. The threatening of rain (and which came 

 before night,) compelled the exposed corn to be 

 brought in, and again penned, by noon. About 

 four barrels were left out as touched with mould, 

 rot, or as still too soft and sappy. Perhaps not 

 one barrel of this, if separated by grains, would 

 be considered actually rotten, or greatly damaged. 



3rd. Still warm. Return to gathering, shuck- 

 ing and penning, under the shed which covered 

 the horse-power of my thrashing machine. Two 

 pens were finished here by the 8th, and of these 

 | only, all the corn kept well. 



