1836] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



485 



as of the greater mass iur sale, and ibr feeding 

 stock. 



No kind of grain, in this climate, can be so ea- 

 sily and certainly kept free from deterioration of 

 every kind, as Indian corn : and it is for that rea- 

 son, that generally no care is taken ibr the pur- 

 pose, except to keep it for home consumption in 

 the ear, and usually in open log cribs, thus per- 

 mitting the air to |)aes through the whole bulk. As 

 the corn sliL-lled, at short periods, lor meal for the 

 family, is taken Irom tb.e ears, and these usually 

 selected careluUy to avoid the rotten ones that may 

 have been admitted, the quality will not be mate- 

 rially injured by any outward contamination, as 

 every thing of the kind is left among the shatter- 

 ed grain at the bottom of the balk. But in most 

 summers in eastern Virginia, and more south, the 

 moth-weevil commences its depredations by July 

 — and when they arc plenty, every ear of corn re- 

 ceives more or less injury, and of a. kind which 

 cannot possibly be removed l\v a loss of quantity. 

 The maggot of the weevil eats the greater part of 

 the interior of the grain, leaving the outer surface 

 untouched except at the small hole at which the 

 mature insect comes out — the whole cavity remain- 

 ing filled with its excrement and its cast skin. The 

 extent of this loss of the substance of the grain, 

 and of contamination to the portion left, varies 

 with the season, and the exposure of the corn. 

 But there are but ihw years in which corn kept in 

 the usual manner as late as August, or wheat un- 

 til Septendier, does not furnish bread more or less 

 injured by this insect. 



Corn may be kept almost free from weevil, and 

 every other cause of injury to its quality, by being 

 put up in the shuck — using the [;recautions neces- 

 sary ibr that mode, and which I shall proceed to 

 ritate. 



When housed in the shuck, it is necessary that 

 corn should be perfectly ripened, and dry, both as 

 to ear and shuck. I have so put up large quanti- 

 ties of corn, and with success, from the first 

 to the latter part of November. But I would 

 not advise it to bs commenced before late in No- 

 vember, unless when the early maturity, and per- 

 fect dryness of the corn, left no doubt ol"its safety. 

 The shucks shoulil also be free from any acciden- 

 tal moisture ii'om rain or dew, or from lying on the 

 earth — and the house should be perfectly secure 

 from the entrance of rain. The open sided log 

 cribs, which are best ic)r shucked corn, are not 

 safe for that not shucked ; because driving rains 

 will penetrate at the sides, and the shucks, when 

 thus made wet, cannot dry, as naked ears of corn 

 would, and the dampness will affect more than 

 the exterior ears. Close ii'amed houses are there- 

 fore the best — and if the corn is dry, and perfectly 

 matured, there is no danger from the largest bulk. 



I have put up corn in considerable quantities, 

 in this manner, though not with as much care as 

 I now recommend to be taken by others, and ne- 

 ver have had any injured, when in closely board- 

 ed houses. Some small losses were suffered, more 

 than once, in open cribs, evidently by rain having 

 penetrated — and in one case, the last crop, 1835 — 

 from the corn having been put up too damp. 

 But of this crop, much corn, for want of being dry, 

 was lost in jxreat quantities, and in many places in 

 every usual mode of being secured. Mine was 

 put up under the management of a very careless 

 agent, from whose carelessness so much other loss 



was sustained, that this one furiiishes no evidence 

 of the plan being unsafe in any case, with pro- 

 |)cr attention. 



^Vhen corn is thus put up, the shucks covering 

 the ears protect the grain efi'ectu.ally from the 

 moth weevil, except the very few eggs that might 

 have been laid in ;>utunm, on forward corn, while 

 standing in the field. Even of these lew, proba- 

 bly but a small proportion will hatch, while so 

 closely packed in bulk, and excluded liom air, ex- 

 cept at the surface of the bulk. Rats and mice, 

 according to their number, of course will have 

 their full share under any circumstances; but the 

 protection of the shuck confines their depredations 

 to the outer and exposed parts of the 'bulk, and 

 guards all other pans from their filth. If these 

 vermin, and the black weevil, could be guarded 

 against, I believe that corn put up in the shuck 

 might be kept securely, and in the best condhion, 

 not only through one, but lor many years. 



I confess that my opinions on this subject are 

 not altogether practical, or sustained by "full and 

 sufficient experiments. It was not to keep sale 

 corn in the best possible manner for bread, that 

 ray practice was begun and continued. Like 

 other producers, I had no interest in taking much 

 trouble to ofier the commodits^ in better condition 

 than consumers required, or would pay for. But 

 when corn was below a remunerating price, (iind 

 that was generally the case from 1820 to 1830,) I 

 preferred to keep my surplus, ior the consumption 

 of a future year. It was ibr this purpose that I 

 commenced and continued the practice of puttinof 

 up corn in the shuck ; and it was once kept as 

 long as into the third summer after being so 

 housed, without much itijury. This, the oldest 

 corn I ever kept, then sold at from .f:3 to -94 the 

 barrel, at the barn, after having been at less than 

 02 v/hen first put up. The reason that there was 

 amj deterioration from age, was that less care was 

 used than I have advised above. Besides this, 

 to avoid taking up too much space, the stem of 

 the shuck was broken off half-way in gathering, 

 so as to leave the inner leaves only, instead of the 

 whole, to protect the corn from w'eevil and other 

 vermin. Still the corn in its third year of keeping 

 was better than much that is sold and used for 

 bread in the first, if in a bad year for weevil. Of 

 corn kept in equally large bulks into the second 

 year, I never sustained any injury or loss, other 

 tha.n by rats &c. 



But there would be a more important object 

 gained, both for public and individual interest, by 

 the more general adoption of this plan, than mere- 

 ly having good and palatable bread. This would 

 he the tendency to equalize the supplies of corn, 

 and the prices, in good and bad years, and avoid- 

 ing the great fluctuations which are so frequent in 

 this staple product. Nearly all the corn made is 

 consumed in our countr}^ the foreign demand be- 

 ing extremely limited. The meal cannot be kept 

 barrelled, like wheat flour, (unless kiln-dried,) nor 

 will the grain keep good (as usually managed,) 

 more than one year, if as much. Therefore the 

 crop of each year is generally consumed in the 

 course of the next. Besides — many poor and im.- 

 provident producers will always glut the market 

 with early sales, even if they have to bu}' again 

 at double price before another crop comes in. For 

 these reasons, no crop that we make fluctuates so 

 greatly in price as corn. A very plentiful crop 



