84 



HARVESTING AND UTILIZING CORN 



monly done by the machine. There is also a machine for husking 

 from the standing stalks, but this is not in general use, as it is only 

 very little cheaper than hand husking. 



Proportion of Grain Loss With Light Yields* 



Storing Ears. In the central and northern States the ears are 

 commonly stored in ventilated cribs, until thoroughly dried. The 

 com may then be shelled out and stored in bins. It is not safe to 

 store shelled corn in bins or even ear corn in cribs, if the corn has 18 

 per cent moisture. When dry (13 per cent moisture) many thou- 

 sand bushels may be safely stored in a tight bin. 



Shrinkage of Corn in Curing. There are two causes of shrink- 

 age in stored corn, (1) loss of water, (2) loss of dry matter. During 

 the first 12 months after harvest ear corn will lose from' 5 to 20 per 

 cent in weight, depending principally on how dry when husked. 

 Air-dry corn one year old will have from 10 to 14 per cent moisture, 

 depending on the climate. After that the degree of moisture will 

 vary with, the degree of moisture in the air. It has been noted that 

 corn shipped from a very dry climate 'to a more humid one, would 

 actually gain in weight in transit. 



There is also another loss due to the very slow decomposition or 

 oxidation of dry matter amounting to 1 to 3 per cent in a year. 



In silos this loss of dry matter is very high, amounting in some 

 cases to as much as 20 per cent. In fodder corn, in addition to some 

 oxidation that may take place, there is always considerable loss of 

 leaves in handling. Ordinarily, the loss in fodder corn before it is 

 fed amounts to 10 to 20 per cent. 



Cost of Producing Corn. When the Prairie States were first 

 broken up, corn was produced very cheaply in the corn belt. The 

 yields were large with a, minimum of labor. Data taken in the corn 



