324 THE BOOK OF CORN 



bought husked, the husking and silking being done by 

 the factory. 



Use of Sweet Corn Fodder — After picking the 

 ears of sweet corn, the stalks are either cut and put in 

 a silo or allowed to ripen, then cut, placed in shocks or 

 stooks and fed in a dry state to cattle. In some sec- 

 tions the fodder is stored largely in silos and the milk 

 business thereby expanded. In the fermentation proc- 

 ess which corn fodder undergoes in the silo, the sugar 

 is changed t& starch, and if the silo is not perfectly air- 

 tight this changes again into acids which become very 

 rank and strong, owing to excessive quantity. Al- 

 though the stock seem to relish this sour silage, it 

 oftentimes has an injurious effect upon the milk. But 

 with a first-class silo and with the corn well cut and 

 packed, the sweet corn fodder makes an excellent 

 silage. The dry stalks make a rich, nutritious food, 

 almost if not quite equal to timothy hay in feeding 

 qualities, and are greatly relished by cattle. The stalks 

 should be allowed to dry thoroughly in the field, then 

 stored under cover in a dry place. Sweet corn stalks 

 mold readily and spoil if at all damp. 



In the selection of seed ears, they should be chosen 

 from the very best stalks true to the type or variety, 

 and either marked in the field or a strip left unpicked 

 for this purpose. Select neither the very largest ears 

 nor the smallest, but there is a general type which it is 

 desirable to perpetuate and the ears nearest to this type 

 are the .ones that should be chosen. After maturing 

 well, the best method is to pick the ears from the stalk, 

 leaving a few husks attached, and tie a half dozen or 

 more in a bunch. These bunches may be put astride a 

 fence or strung up in a dry loft where there is plenty of 

 air. Sweet corn retains moisture a long time and must 

 not be stored away in bulk. If kept from the weevil it 

 retains its vitality two years or more. 



