Rensselaer Union, Volume 10, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 November 1877 — Corn and Corn Cribs. [ARTICLE]

Corn and Corn Cribs.

The severe and prolonged rains over a large area of tiie corn zone of the West is very seriously injuring the crop standing in the fields. The excessive and continued saturation of the soil, together with the sweeping wind storms that have prevailed, have caused much corn to fall. It has also prevented its drying off properly, so that the' corn already cribbed remains damp, and unless hard freezing weather occurs to dry it out, very serious loss will ensue. As a means of cheapening the cost of storing corn on the large farms, it is usual in the West, to make cribs eight, ten and even twelve feet wide. When corn is put in such cribs thoroughly dry, and well covered from rain, it keeps well enough. Many who have smaller areas to gather, store it in square cribs, made of ten or twelve feet rails, broadening the crib at the top, so that there the entire length of the rails are used. If well covered, these pens will keep corn intact, unless the season be very unfavorable, or unless the corn is put in early and wet. The difficulty is, not one farmer in ten properly covers these cribs. Many leave them entirely exposed to the weather at top, contenting themselves with rounding the corn up more or less. In such temporary cribs the corn should be piled on as long as it will lie, being brought to as sharp a cone as possible. Then, beginning at the sides, lay straight corn stalks all around; over these, Jay others, as in placing shingles. When covered to the top tie securely, and no rain will enter. If. is objected that this will form a harbor for rats and mice. Rats, however, are seldom found permanently in the body of a crib, and tne mice may as well be in the top as through the body of the corn. * To save corn in the most perfect manner in such cribs, set rails endwise in the middle of each crib, in the shape of a sharp cone, tying at the top, and you have one of the most perfect ventilators known. A better way is to slit eight-inch boards, leaving each piece running to a point, then, by reversing, alternately, as they are set up, and bracing at the middle, leaving the spaces close enough so the corn will not pass through, you have a perfect ventilator to each crib. With the long board cribs in general use the means of ventilation is still more easy. All that is necessary is to arrange a number of A-shaped strips, upon which to nail fence boards. The distance apart at which the boards are nailed need not be ntore'than six inches, since very little corn will pass through in shoveling into the crib. These ventilators must be width 1 or narrower to correspond with the width of the crib; for a twelve-foot crib about four feet wide and five feet high. These arc placed along the center of the crib and give excellent , ventilation. The writer oncasaved a large crop of corn by this simple means, and the lumber was not injured for other purposes. The present season would seem to be so adverse to the drying of corn that much danger of injury in the cribs is likely to result. Hence these hints in relation to a cheap and economical means of arranging the cribs in ordinary* ww.—Prairie Farmer,