HARVESTING 163 



season's testing, the machine will be put on the market 

 provided it continues to give satisfaction. The in- 

 ventor has been working on it for about fifteen years. 



THE CRIBS TO USE 



Suitable cribs are important where com is to be 

 held for feeding or for higher prices. The rather 

 careless methods in vogue in many of the western 

 states are to be discouraged. For instance, in many 

 localities rail pens are used, especially for the surplus 

 corn. These will fairly well answer the purpose pro- 

 vided they have good bottoms, are built well off the 

 ground and are carefully covered as soon as filled. As 

 a general rule they are left uncovered until some con- 

 venient season and very frequently heavy rains fall. In 

 any event, the top layers are badly bleached and some- 

 times more seriously damaged, while occasionally the 

 cribs "take water," resulting in rotten and moldy ears. 

 Of course, most farmers have permanent covered cribs 

 which are perfectly safe. These are somewhat more 

 expensive than the temporary rail cribs, but when the 

 corn is once in them there is little or no danger of its 

 spoiling. The loss from rats and mice can be pre- 

 vented to a certain extent by building cribs well off 

 the ground, say eighteen to twenty inches, placing 

 inverted tin pans on top of the pillars, or bands of 

 flaring tin about them near the top. 



The most satisfactory storage place for unshelled 

 corn is the double crib with a covered passageway 

 between. This is made of pine lumber. The frame 

 is made of the usual sills, two by eight joists, two by 

 four studding, two by four rafters, one by four boards 

 for siding and the roof shingled or covered with iron 

 roofing. The boards used for siding miust be at least 

 two inches apart so as to permit free circulation of air. 



