CORN CULTURE 53 



to twelve feet in height, the binder does not meet with favor, 

 since it is not yet built to handle corn of this size. 



On account of the expense of owning and operating a 

 corn binder, it is doubtful whether it pays to purchase one 

 unless at least twenty acres per season are to be cut. From 

 seven to eight acres a day can be harvested with the corn 

 binder, at a cost of about one dollar and a half an acre for 

 cutting and shocking. 



The corn shocker. The corn shocker cuts the corn 

 and forms it into a shock carried on the machine. When 

 the shock is completed it is tied by hand, and lifted from 

 the machine by a crane and set on the ground. From four 

 to five acres per day can be harvested with a shocker at a 

 cost of about a dollar and ten cents an acre. 



Shocking the corn. No matter how the corn is cut, 

 it should be shocked so that it will stand erect and keep 

 the fodder dry. Fallen and twisted shocks result in the 

 loss of millions of dollars worth of stover, and not a small 

 amount of grain as well. Shocks should be tied as soon as 

 they are made, and then tightened in a week or ten days. 

 ' Binding twine makes a convenient tie. The band should 

 be within about two feet of the top, so that the shock may 

 turn the rain. 



Fodder should not be left in the shock longer than nec- 

 essary to become well cured. -It should then be stored in 

 ricks or barns. The practise of leaving shocks in the field 

 over winter can not be too severely condemned. For the 

 rains and wind destroy the most palatable and nutritious 

 part of the plant and rob it of a large part of its food 

 value. 



The silo. The silo has come into general use on the 

 best managed farms. Although it will preserve any green, 

 succulent growth such as clover, sorghum, cabbage, sugar 



