84 FIELD CROPS 



four cribs 8 feet deep and 20 feet long, 5 feet wide at the bot- 

 tom and 7 feet wide at the top, would be necessary. If 

 possible, the corncrib should be raised on concrete pillars 

 high enough so that mice and rats can not readily get into it. 

 The bottom should be tight, to save the corn that will natur- 

 ally shell off as it is handled, but the sides are commonly made 

 of 1 by 3 or 1 by 4 inch material nailed on to the studding 

 with an inch open space between the cleats. Cribs wider 

 than 6 feet should have some provision made for the circu- 

 lation of air through the middle. This may be easily sup- 

 plied by standing three or four posts erect, and placing 

 woven wire around these so as to make a spout up through 

 the center of the crib. The spout may be from 6 inches to 2 

 feet across and should extend from a hole through the floor 

 of the crib to allow free circulation of air. With these spouts 

 placed every 6 or 8 feet through the center of the crib, it is 

 safe to make the crib from 8 to 12 feet wide. Two or more 

 cribs may be placed under one roof. A very common prac- 

 tice is to place two cribs 12 to 14 feet apart, cover them with 

 one roof, and use the driveway between them for a wagon- 

 shed. 



96. Handling Bundle Corn. A great deal of corn is not 

 husked, but is fed in the bundle. When it is desired to 

 handle corn in this way, it is cut with a corn binder (Fig. 30) 

 and shocked. It is then either hauled to the yards as it is 

 fed or stacked in very narrow ricks. It is impractical to 

 stack corn in large stacks, as it is liable to heat. 



97. Shredded Corn Stover. In some instances, corn that 

 has been cut and shocked is run through machines called 

 shredders which husk the ears and tear the stalks into fine 

 bits. Corn stalks are not made more palatable by running 

 them through the shredder, but they are made much more 

 convenient to handle and the corn is husked by machine 



