CHAPTER IX. 



THE CARE OF THE CORN CROP 



HARVESTING AND STORING THE GRAIN 



1. HARVESTING CORN IN THE EAR. 



A. Stage of Maturity. 



B. Time of Harvesting. 



C. Methods of Harvesting. 



D. Cost of Harvesting. 



E. Methods of Unloading. 



2. STORING CORN. 



A. Principles Involved. 



B. Cribs. 



C. Shrinkage of Corn. 



HARVESTING CORN IN THE EAR.— Stage of Maturity. It 



is a generally accepted theory that in plants of the grass family the 

 percentage of fat increases and that of protein remains constant or 

 decreases slightly with the advancement of maturity. Tests made at 

 the Iowa State College show that the kernels increased in the per- 

 centage of fat from 2.18 per cent on September 14th to 4.93 per cent 

 on November 2d. *The protein content decreased from 10.75 to 10.40 

 per cent between the same dates. Mature corn has a much larger 

 percentage of carbohydrates stored in the kernel. The drying of the 

 lower leaves and the turning of the husks from green to whitish in 

 color, indicate the ripening of the ears. But the pith inside of the 

 stalk holds its moisture a long time and keeps feeding the kernels. 

 The kernels should be of a horny texture and husks well dried before 

 being gathered. 



*BacIielor's Thesis, Morris and Oohagen, 1907 



