The Portland daily press., 1881-09-20
Harvesting and Care of Corn.

q The present summer has been cool, with
& more than the usual amount of wet wealth
ker. From this cause, together with the wet
q weather the last of May, that prevented
Splanting the larger portion of it till late IN
sNthe season, the corn il this State is BACK
ward, and will ripen later thao usual: EVEN
%that planted before the rain will be iate.E
zBut the stalks are well grown, and uniess|
4there is an early frost to prevent, a talf crop
#will he harvested. Good care of the corn,
&after it has grown, is as essential 10 success
Swith this crop, as suitable preparation OF the
#soil in the spring, and the necessary eultlva-
#tion of il afterwards. In harvesting, whenj
'sthere is no danger from frost, it is better 10,
Her it stand till the outside husks begin to|
8turn. before cutting it. After that use the|
%same kind of care in drying it as in drylng|
Inlay. This may be done by letting it remalnl
Sson the ground, turning it TO admit the AR i
&bDt it is better TO shock the corr, and let "
%remain out few days to dry. After that II!
Sshould be hauled to the barn, husked, ana
1.-THE corn and stalks taken care OF.
q When cut earlier on account of frost, or
Nfor any other cause, il should be shocked,L
Saand may be allowed to remain out nearly asI
#much longer than tue other, as 1t would takel
xto become as ripe, if left standing for ina
Spurpose ia good weather. Some think the!
Sstalks are better and the corn as good whenE
IN is cut as soon as the kernels are Glazed
land ripened in the shock. This wants.
Sproof, and besides there is loss OF tmel
'#when it is ripened in this way, as inc evapo
Mration of moisture from ears IN the "shocfI
.Sproceeds slower than from those on thel
%standing corn at the same time. In somel
s#places it is the practice to cut the tops be-
#fore the corn is fully ripe. When this Isl
|3done il ripens we'll, but it is doubtful if the
#gan in value of the tops will pay for the ex
Ttra work and if they are cut too early, the
S3grain will be lighter. When left in the field
It'll it is over-ripe and the leaves and stalks
begin to decay, a portion OF their vaiue is
and some of the grain is injured by the
#exposure. The possibility has been suggest
led. that some of the late ripening corn rais7
led this year may be injured by early frosts.
& 1t is generally known that when cut in the
!#afternoon preceding frosty night itreceives
E|Sno injury from it, Those who have the
$5care of tender house plants sometimes save
.Ethem when slightly frozen by sprinkllns
with water, and thawing them in darken-
III ed room.
sN Corn has been saved by similar means,
zwhen allowed to remain standingon frosty
Knight, by cutting and putting it in piles ID
1.-THE morning. In one case about hall OF a
g4piece was cut. By that time he sun was
sSdrying the wet off from the leaves, and the
#remainder was left standing. The corn
&from that cut in the morning dried OFF well,
land was good for food. while that from what
twas left standing was poor stuff When,
from the necessity of doing other work, or
#for any other reason the shocked corn is
zaleft out several weeks after it might be musk
Led and taken care of-as is sometimes the
&case-there is always some loss, as the evap-
ssSoration of moisture from the ears, proceeds
Slower while enclosed in their envelope OF
s#husks-as most of them are when In the
#shock-than after that is removed, and the
8 process of drying is retarded SO that 1t is moi
Tin condition for use or market so soon as Ii
42otherwise would be. The best place to dry
acorn after it is husked is in a courthouse
sssor crib built for that purpose. Where con-
%siderable quantities are raised one of these is
A courthouse that can De
#buill for from forty to fifty dollars, will be
#arge enough for six or seven hundred bas-
Is kets of ears of corn to dry in. The loss IN
Ss trying TO dry half that quantity on tight
81 floor will be more than the interest on the
ID cost of the courthouse every year. Where
&$small lots of corn are raised, and there is nc
suitable arrangement for drying it, the best
way is to leave husks on as many as possible
3aof the good ears, and trace them. The ira
Gees can be hui almost anywhere, and the
corn will dry well, but if some of it is to De
FUSED for seed, there may be a choice OF pla-
ices Mine failed once when the traces were
chung in the courthouse near crib filled
with ears of corn. After that the corn fol
sE@seed was kept in another place. Home Farm