HARVESTING 



161 



In Christian county, Illinois, Messrs Ricks, Pro- 

 vine & Maxon placed sixteen thousand one hundred 

 and fifty-five bushels of corn in an ordinary covered 

 crib during the autumn of 1895. The corn was sold 

 the following July, the shrinkage amounting to seven 

 and three-fourths per cent. The corn was in fair crib- 

 bing condition when husked, but the winter and spring 

 following were unusually dry. 



In the fall of 1897 seven thousand one hundred and 

 six bushels were cribbed, and sold in July, 1900, and 

 the shrinkage was three hundred and fifty bushels, or 

 slightly over four and nine-tenths per cent. In 1900 



Fig 46— Excellent Rat-Proof Corn Crib 



twelve thousand two hundred and twenty-eight bushels 

 were cribbed, and the shrinkage by the next fall 

 amounted to four hundred and fifty-three bushels, or 

 slightly over three and seven-tenths per cent. Mr 

 Maxon states that the corn in 1899 was very poor, in 

 fact the poorest ever raised on that tract, but in 1900 

 the crop was of excellent quality, although the ears 

 were not large. He believes that his neighbors con- 

 sider his corn shrinkage very small. This may be due 

 to his manner of cribbing it and to the quality of the 

 corn. He has a double crib two hundred and fifty feet 

 long which holds twenty thousand bushels. The corn 

 is kept quite dry. 



