STORING SEED CORN 



109 



Seed may be left hanging imtil spring, but if the mice are not in 

 evidence it is better to take the ears down and store them in racks 

 after the fall winds have thoroughly dried out the excess moisture. 



The first four weeks is the critical period of storage. Seed corn 

 selected in the field in the fall of lOOfi on the following dates, showed 

 a very high percentage of moisture. 



TABLE NO. 23 

 SHOWING PER CENT OF MOISTURE IN KERNELS AND COB 



Date 



Kernels 



I'ob 



September 14 

 September 21 

 September 28 

 October 5 . . . . 

 October 12 . . 

 October 19 . . . 

 October 26 . . . 

 November 2 . 



The above table taken from the thesis of E. L. Morris and O. A 

 Cohagan (1907), of the Iowa State College, shows the large amount of 

 water present in early gathered seed corn. It shows that the cob con- 

 tains the greater percent of the 

 moisture and that the cob is also 

 much slower in losing this water. 

 Up to November 2d the cob was 

 very heavy and damp, the pith 

 cells being quite turgid. 



The Place. Unless the small 

 grain has been threshed early in 

 the season and has had time to 

 cool off after the sweating pro- 

 cess, do not hang the seed corn 

 over the oat bin in the granary. 

 Furthermore, the ordinary gran- 

 ary has hardly enough direct ven- 

 tilation to dry out the newly gath- 

 ered corn before colder weather. 

 A double corn crib, with a sort 

 of garret fixed over the drive, is 

 almost an ideal place for the dry- 

 ing of early picked corn, as the 

 wind has free access to the ears 

 and a thorough drying is soon 

 effected. 



The attic over the living room ^^^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^^^^ HANGERS 

 is often advocated as the best 



place for seed corn storage. Early in the season, when the ears are 

 sappy and require the circulation of air, the ordinary attic has too 



