86 HARVESTING AND UTILIZING CORN 



pack closely. Natural heat soon develops, which destroys organisms. 

 At the same time the air is used up and carbon dioxide gas, given off 

 by the decomposing silage, takes its place. The carbon dioxide is a 

 preservative, and no further decomposition can take place. How- 

 ever, the carbon dioxide gas is heavier than air, so the silo must be 

 tight or the gas will leak out and air coming in will cause further 

 decomposition. Any kind of green material can be preserved in a 

 silo. Even part dry material can be so preserved, if it is well wet 

 down and closely packed. Corn fodder which has been cut a week 

 or more, or frosted, is sometimes kept in a silo by wetting down. 



USES OF CORN 



The principal reason corn has such extensive cultivation is due to 

 its great value as stock feed, and the fact that it yields more grain per 

 acre than any other cereal. The great development of the fat stock 

 industry in the Middle West is due largely to the supply of corn 

 for feed. 



Perhaps nine-tenths of the corn crop is fed directly to stock. 

 The other one-tenth is manufactured into a great variety of products, 

 but mostly food products. The three most important uses of corn in 

 the arts is the manufacture of glucose, cereal foods, and alcohol. 



Glucose is made by first degerminating the corn, then treating 

 the starchy portion with dilute hydrochloric acid, which converts the 

 starch to glucose. 



Cereal foods are of two classes, as the ( 1 ) corn meal and hominy 

 products and the (2) cooked and flaked " breakfast" foods. Corn' 

 meal is made in two ways. The whole corn may be ground and only 

 the coarse parts, consisting largely of bran, sifted out. This meal 

 contains considerable germ. The germ meal present gives its own 

 flavor, which is rather agreeable but makes the meal more difficult 

 to keep. Degerminated meal is made by cracking and removing 

 the germ. The cracked product, after germ and hull are removed, 

 is called hominy. This coarse hominy may be sold in this way, or 

 ground further into meal. This is commonly called " fancy " meal, 

 and is the kind most commonly on the market. 



Flaked cereal foods are made by cooking the hominy, then rolling 

 out into thin flakes, and further cooking in a dry oven. 



