CORN OR MAIZE 



79 



husking may be done by hand or by means of a busker, 

 which not only removes the ears, but also shreds or cuts 

 the stover up into small pieces. Stover after passing 

 through the busker and shredder is called shredded 

 stover. It is usually stored in the barn, or sometimes in 

 stacks out of doors. Shredded stover is much more con- 

 venient to handle in indoor feeding than stover not 

 shredded. In some sections of the country only the leaves 

 are used as forage. Where this practice is followed, the 

 leaves are stripped from the plant and hauled away, leaving 

 the stalk and ear in 

 the field. Sometimes 

 the top of the stalk, 

 that part above the 

 ear, is cut off and 

 shocked, leaving the 

 lower part of the stalk 

 and the ear standing. 

 When the corn is used 

 for ensilage, it should 

 be cut just a little be- 

 fore it would be in 



proper condition to put into the shock. If allowed to 

 become too dry, it will not pack in the silo, and it will 

 be necessary to add water at the time of filling in order 

 to make it pack more closely and to exclude the air. 

 When corn is to be put into the silo, it is well to start 

 cutting while it is a little green, for if cutting is begun 

 just at the proper stage, part of the corn will have become 

 too dry before the work is finished. 



Another method of harvesting the corn crop is that of 

 turning hogs that are being prepared for the market into 

 the field. This method is followed only in a comparatively 



Fig. 23. — Filling the silo. 



