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CORN 



Cribs. In the western states, where lumber is high in price and 

 the elevators not within immediate reach, much corn is piled on the 

 ground. As soon as the husking season is over, it is shelled and 

 hauled to the elevators. Stave fencing has become so cheap and yet 

 serviceable, that round cribs have been made from it which hold from 

 500 to 1,000 bushels. Two heavy posts are usually set in the ground 

 about four feet apart. The fencing is then fastened to one post ex- 

 tended in a convenient circle, with a diameter of 12 to 20 feet and 

 then securely stapled to the other post. A short piece as a sort of 

 gate is left between the posts. This is easily opened at the time of 

 shelling. The frozen ground, if cleared off well before the corn is 

 thrown in, makes a comparatively smooth surface upon which to 

 shovel. Of late, woven wire fencing is most commonly used for tem- 

 porary cribbing of corn. 



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HORIZONTAL AND SLANTING BOARDS ON CORN CRIB. 



In the east central states in the timbered sections, the familiar 

 rail crib is no longer so often seen. The profits accruing from large 

 fields all over the corn belt both east and west, have enabled the corn 

 grower to build substantial structures in which to store his product. 

 Then, too, as the farmer feeds his own crop very largely, he must be 

 in position to keep it in good condition. Even the renter has capital 

 enough to be able to hold back for a rising market. 



Well ventilated frame structures built on foundations of solid 

 masonry and painted to prevent rotting have proved themselves to 

 be of value. Different methods have been adopted to facilitate the 

 circulation of air through the newly husked corn. Shafts at intervals 

 through the center of the crib accomplish the required result. Tight 

 boarding on the sides will never do. But for the best preservation 

 of the corn, the floor should be far enough from the ground to allow 

 free circulation of air. If the siding be put on vertically, or at an 



