148 



PRODUCTIVE FARMING 



4. Stripping the blades of corn before the ears are har- 

 vested is quite common in some parts of the South. The labor 

 is too great to compensate for the crop of forage thus secured. 



5. Topping is a name given to the practice, in some 

 localities, of cutting the stalks just above the ears. This is 

 as much labor as to cut and shock the whole crop. 



FIG. 80. Silo filling. This silo is made from wooden staves and steel hoops, 

 a structure common in the Eastern States. The ears and stalks are cut fine and 

 carried up into the silo by the endless chain. 



6. In some sections the ears are husked from the stand- 

 ing stalks late in fall or in winter. This is done by driving 

 through the field with a wagon having a large box, into which 

 the ears of corn are thrown by the men doing the husking. 

 The stalks are wasted, but cattle are sometimes allowed to 

 "pick over" the field and eat the ears that were skipped. A 

 considerable amount of fodder is also eaten by the stock. 



