45 ^ MAIZE 



CHAP. Maize is less easily harvested than almost any other cereal 



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crop, except perhaps the sorghums, because of its large size 

 and hard stem. Whereas machinery has for a long time re- 

 placed hand labour in the harvesting of most cereals, it is 

 only quite recently that the application of machinery to the 

 harvesting of the maize crop has been practically and economic- 

 ally successful. 



The method and time of harvesting depend to some ex- 

 tent on the uses to which the crop is to be put, e.g. whether 

 it is required for grain only, or whether for grain and stover, 

 fodder or silage. 



The present method in general practice in South Africa, 

 with local variations, is for native labourers to walk up and 

 down the rows with sacks into which they put the ears as they 

 break them from the shanks ; the husk is opened by hand, 

 and the ear dexterously removed with a twist. One great 

 drawback to this method is the amount of labour involved in 

 walking back and forth with the sacks between the picking 

 place and the headlands where the ears are to be shelled. 



Mr. W. A. McLaren, South African Manager for Messrs. 

 John Fowler & Co. (Leeds), Ltd., has improved on this method 

 by making the shelling machine accompany the pickers 

 through the standing stalks (Fig. 179). 



421. Best Condition of the Crop for Harvesting. — The 

 stage of maturity of the crop affects the total yield of dry 

 matter, x^lso the difference in nutritive value at different 

 stages is shown by analyses to be considerable. It is, there- 

 fore, important to know the best stage of development at 

 which to harvest maize intended for grain, stover, fodder or 

 silage. 



In some fodder plants the feeding value increases gradually 

 up to a certain stage of growth, but begins to decrease before 

 the plant reaches full maturity, which is due in part to the 

 transfer of nutritive matter from the leaves and stems to the 

 seed, and in part to the loss of some of the leaves themselves. 

 In the case of the maize plant, however, both the total amount 

 and the feeding value of the dry matter increase up to, or 

 nearly up to, the stage of complete maturity. The Kansas 

 Station obtained the following yields at different stages of 

 maturity : — 



