FIFTIETH ANNUAL CONVENTION 155 



Grain that is cribbed will not be safe from spoilage un- 

 til the water content in it has dropped to 25 percent or less. 

 The cheapest and best way to dry it out this much is to leave 

 it in the field on the standing stalk. This method of han- 

 dling soft corn is highly recommended in northern states. 

 In fact, unless the corn is so immature that the silo would 

 be the only practical means of handling the crop, it may be 

 wise for those who intend to feed their grain to avoid the 

 storage question entirely and let the corn stand in the field 

 until it is needed in the feed lot, or else hog it down in the 

 field. 



In line with the plan of leaving soft corn in the field 

 on the standing stalk, the Minnesota Experiment Station 

 recommends that the crop be cut and put into small shocks 

 when the ears have reached the milk stage. One advan- 

 tage in doing this is that the shocked corn can be used dur- 

 ing the late winter to fill silos for a second time, thereby 

 doubling the yearly capacity of available silos. This may 

 be a highly profitable practice in case of an emergency. 

 Silage made from shocked corn is not so valuable as that 

 made; at the usual time, but is to be preferred over spoiled 

 corn a little later in the season. When silage is made from 

 shocked corn, from three-fourths to one pound of water 

 must be added for every pound of corn. 



Crib Drying May Be Necessary. 



On some farms it may not be possible to leave the corn 

 in the field until it has dried out enough to be safe for 

 storage. When this is the case, the excess moisture must 

 be removed, either by natural ventilation or by forced air 

 circulation, with or without heat, after the grain has been 

 cribbed. 



Anything which will hinder the circulation of air thru 

 corn in the crib will check drying and cause spoilage. For 

 this reason special attention should be given to clean husk- 

 ing of the ears and to the way in which the crib is filled. 

 The importance of this is brought out in a report made by a 

 farm adviser during the last soft corn emergency : 



"In many cribs the loss was caused largely by the pil- 



