FARMERS' REGISTER— EARLY GATHERING OF CORN, kc. 



61 



as shucked, and sorted, so as to leave out tlie 

 greenest and the already rotten corn. 



Two pens were begun and carried on together. 

 One was built in the same manner as formerly, 

 except that the rails were not notched at all, ex- 

 cept near the bottom of the pen. This saved much 

 trouble, and admitted air more freely. The dry- 

 est corn, so far as it was obtained by careless ne- 

 groes, was used to fill this, and was emptied in 

 from baskets as the building rose. The laborers 

 were not allowed to stand on the corn, that it 

 might lie the more open. Ears were placed on 

 end, with some care, along the widest openings 

 between the rails, to prevent any falling through. 

 Tlie second pen was of the same size of base, nine 

 feet square within the side rails ; but for greater 

 safety, was given two parallel flues, which divid- 

 ed the space to be filled with ears into three 

 parts, each 9 by 2^ feet. One of the outer parts 

 was filled nearly to the top with the greenest of 

 the ears that were sound, and tolerably well filled. 

 The balance of this compartment, and the whole 

 of both the others, received the dryer corn, such 

 as filled the first pen. The first was raised to 

 fourteen feet, and the second to eleven, and both 

 contained from 120 to 130 barrels of corn. After 

 taking off these two sorts of corn, there remained 

 the rotten (or rotting) ears, those most imperfect- 

 ly filled with grain, and the greenest and softest of 

 all, from late replanting. Altogether, this parcel 

 contained nothing that would have been fit for sale 

 if it remained in the field, or for any other use, 

 except to feed hogs. This was laid on a floor si- 

 milar to those of the other parcels, and penned 

 Avithoutany partition, or flue, as it was expected 

 to be used for fattening hogs before it would suffer 

 damage. This bulk was three to four feet thick 

 in the middle, but thinner at the sides, and only 

 covered by loose shucks. Several days passed be- 

 fore the hogs could be put up, which delay caused 

 this parcel to be that much longer on hand than 

 was expected. Several rains fell on its cover of 

 loose shucks, and it was not dried or removed. Tn 

 fact, the quantity of corn was so small, and in the 

 course of being rapidly consumed, that the over- 

 seer neither examined it, nor thought of its being 

 in danger, until too late. The last of it rotted, 

 and there was a loss of about ten bushels of grain, 

 which the slightest care might have prevented. 



The pens were covered by cornstalks, laid 

 straight, and about a foot thick, raised to a ridge 

 across the middle, and forming eaves projecting 

 two feet over the north and south sides. The corn 

 was closely watched, and with much alarm for its 

 safety, for twelve or fifteen days. 'SVithin three 

 days after the pens were finished, a few ears on 

 the north of the first pen, so near the outside as to 

 be exposed to the eye, began to show a white 

 mould forming in some spots ; but they were left 

 undisturbed, and the damage did not appear to ex- 

 tend much farther. The interior of the bulk was 

 examined by pulling out enough ears in other pla- 

 ces, and found in good condition. No scent, nor 

 other indication of sweating or heating was per- 

 ceived. 



On December the 7th, the pens Avere emptied, 

 and the corn again sorted, and put away in the 

 house. By cutting an opening through a fev/ of 

 the bottom rails of each division, the ears come 

 down as fast as required. Every rotten and da- 

 maged ear was thrown out, and the whole appear- 



ed to the eye about equal to a bushel of grain. — 

 Perhaps fii'teen or twenty ears were entirely rot- 

 ten. All besides was sound, in perfectly good con- 

 dition, and uncommonly dry for the time of year, 

 so as to shatter considerably in the operation. I 

 examined particularly the emptying of the parti- 

 tion which contained the greenest corn, and found 

 it as solmd as any. But many of the ears, though 

 sound, were so shrunk as to offer abundant evi- 

 dence of their very green and sappy state when 

 gathered and put up. Others that were plump 

 and well filled, remained bent by the pressure 

 they had suffered in the pen ; and even the grains 

 in some spots were indented and altered in posi- 

 tion by the pressure of another ear, without be- 

 ing otherwise affected. Some others, however, 

 showed mouldiness at such indented spots. Alto- 

 gether, the loss in the pens from both rotting and 

 mouldiness Avas very inconsiderable, and less than 

 would have been sustained if the corn had remain- 

 ed either standing or in shocks in the field. The 

 shrivelled ears did not suffer either from penning 

 or too early gathering — but from having the fod- 

 der taken off before the grain was enough advan- 

 ced. The plant is effectually killed when depriv- 

 ed of its top and leaves ; and the ear may be as 

 safely pulled witliin three or four days after, as at 

 any later time, if it can be kept as well exposed 

 to the sun and air. 



The gross error committed in gathering for this 

 experiment so much of the greenest corn, caused 

 much trouble and still .jiiore alarm. But even 

 with that blunder, I think there was no loss of 

 crop sustained, except in the parcel used for hogs, 

 which also Avas caused by neglect. When these 

 pens Avere completed, the Avhole of the balance of 

 the field might have been safely gathered for pen- 

 ning ; but I feared to proceed Avith even dryer 

 corn, when 130 barrels Avere considered already at 

 great risk. I therefore proceeded to cut off the 

 remainder of the coi*n, and carted the Avhole to the 

 ground before the cribs, and ricked it, by the op- 

 posite rows of stalks being made to lean against 

 each other across poles on iov»- forks. The Avidth 

 across the tops of these ricks, Avhere the ears Avere, 

 Avas generally from six to ten feet ; and about the 

 loth of October, one place (for Avant of room at 

 that time,) Avas set up betAveen tAvelve and fifteen 

 feet across the top, Avhich Avas considered safe, from 

 the dry state of the corn then brought in. But 

 this spot Avas damaged by the thickness of the 

 rick, and about one to one and a half barrels of corn 

 was found Avhen gathered, to be partly or entirely 

 rotted. This corn, from the better quality of the 

 land, Avas much more matured than the greenest 

 part penned, at the time when the latter was ga- 

 thered. 



Another examination Avas made of the corn that 

 had been penned in March 1833. Its good condi- 

 tion continued, nor Avas any difference from other 

 corn perceptible, except that the large end of the 

 cob generally appeared darker. Eight or ten 

 acres of my present crop Avere planted from this 

 corn, Avhich was for.nd to vegetate as Avell as the 

 adjoining, planted Avith other seed. We arenoAV 

 using the same for bread, and can discoA'er no ob- 

 jection to its quality. 



The results of all these experiments proA-e that 

 corn may be safely gathered a month earlier than 

 is usual ; and the errors that have been stated, and 

 the consequent losses, probably may serve as 



