CORN 171 



159. Harvesting. More corn is husked from the stand- 

 ing stalks in the field than is. harvested in any other way. 

 The standing stalks are then commonly pastured during 

 the winter. This is the cheapest method of gathering the 

 grain, but the fodder is of more value when cut. In regions 

 where feed is less abundant, the corn is usually cut for 

 fodder or is put in the silo. 



Corn harvesters are very desirable, but are not profit- 

 able unless one has a considerable area to cut. Zintheo 1 

 figures that the interest and depreciation on such a binder 

 is $22.50 per year, and that the twine and labor of cutting 

 is worth 75 cents per acre. If one cuts only 10 acres per 

 year, it would, therefore, cost $3 an acre, besides the 

 shocking or hauling to the silo. If one cuts 20 acres, the 

 cost would be about $1.90 per acre besides the shocking, 

 which costs about 45 cents. It costs about $1.50 per acre 

 to cut and shock by hand. If one has 20 or more acres 

 per year to cut, it will probably pay to own a harvester, 

 as the work can be done more rapidly and with greater 

 independence, and the bundles are much easier to handle 

 than the loose corn. For a less area, it will pay better to 

 hire a neighbor who has a harvester, or do the work by 

 hand; or a sled may be used. This seems to be the cheap- 

 est of all methods, costing about $1.20 per acre, cut and 

 shocked. 



160. Corn Silage. One of the most important develop- 

 ments in the use of corn in recent years has been the in- 

 troduction of the silo. The first silo in America was built 

 in 1879. Silos have come into general use in dairy sections 

 during the past fifteen years. The entire corn-stalk and 



^Farmers' Bulletin No. 303 



