CHAPTER XIX 

 HARVESTING THE CORN CROP 



151. In the New England States, where corn culture 

 first developed, it was the custom from the beginning to 

 harvest the stalk as well as the ears. " Topping " was 

 a common practice, the stalk above the ear being cut off 

 for forage when immature, and later, when the ears had 

 matured, these being " snapped " off and stored in barns 

 to be " husked." 



With the opening up of the North Central and Western 

 States, from 1840 to the present time, corn became an 

 important article of commerce. The acreage of corn 

 increased rapidly and, with little use for the stover, the 

 custom of harvesting only the ears became general. 



In the Southern States, the corn area has never been 

 extensive and a part of the forage has generally been saved. 

 The custom of " topping " and " stripping " has been 

 more general in the Gulf States than in other regions. 



Corn has also been found to be the cheapest and best 

 crop for silage ; in dairy regions throughout the North- 

 eastern States, corn is grown principally for silage, the 

 entire crop of large dairy regions being utilized in this 

 way. 



In the Central and Western States, only a small propor- 

 tion of the stalks are harvested for either silage or stover, 

 but the practice of harvesting the entire plant is increas- 

 ing. It is customary, when only the ears are harvested, 



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