The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1885-10-29
WINTIIIsING CORN,
PRACTICAL Manner OF Arranging Corn.
Cribs With n View to UtiIity.

One of tho objections often stated
against farmers is an assorted habit of
working on the hapd-to-mouth priuci-
pie. In other words. to answer a tenn
| porary purpose rather than a perma-
nent one. In tho settlement OF u new
country this Is often necessary from
the want of money, where SO many
| Things must b" accomplished. and is
unwarrantahlc. But II habit once fixed
Is apt to be followed, and in no respect
more often t han in cribbing corn. The
result Is loss from rated, bitter.
moldy, or rotten corn. and to degree
capable OF paying all the way from 10
10 ~ per cent. on the investment ncc-
esSary to build permanent cribs that
would keep tho corn perfectly from
| year to year.
An examination as to tho result of
imperfectly-built cribs in deterioratino
the value of corn, and the rulo will an.
ply measureably to all grain, will show
that a crib infested with rats and mice
tho difficulty is not alone in what tho
vermin destroy by eating out the chit
or germ of the corn, but also from the
| efiiuvia arising from and contamjnut
ing the corn from their nosting-places.
| 1t ia also known that bitter corn arises
largely from fermentation OF tho cob
which, put in wet, does not dry out
properly. Mold is incpicnt decay from
tao compact storing when damp and
rotting is an advanced stage of decay.
| The loss of q few cents per busbel in
selling makes large aggregate in tho
crop. Hence, however the crib il
built, it should be only of such size rs
to give circulation OF air, immunity
from rain, and safety against vern,in.
Tho writer has mover known n crib
made OF rails, eight feet at the bottom.
Haired to twelve feet at the top. and
covered securely from rain. to fail in
preserving corn perfectly il dry enough
TO crib. The reason is, tho air circu-
lates freely all around tho crib. If Il
crib eight feet ut bottom and twelve
feet at top snould be extended, saw.
100 feet, tho Case would bc different.
and If tho crib Is uniformly twelve foot
wide the danger of injury will be in
creased in large degree. Twelve
teet cribs are not unusual in tao clry
autumn and winter climate of tho
West. and if filled SO full that the rain
and snow cannot beat in under tho
roof, In ordinary seasons they keep tho
corn perfectly. In seasons wueu corn
does not ripen perfectly. or When from
long spell OF foggy weather penc,rut-
ing tho crib tho corn becomes damp
through and through. Ii warm wealth.
er ensues before the wind dries it out
tho germ is attacked, producing bitter
ness and mold, and ut longth rotten-
ness ensues.
The fact that corn kept compactlv in
wide CRIBS never dare be usou for seed
Is sufficient cvidouco that such are not
calculated TO season corn in the best
manner for commercial uses. 1t is
questionable If it really is for animal
feeding purposes. 1t is therefore wiso
economy that overy farmer build crib
room enough to properly save all corn
that must remain with him after the
| first Of March or April
In building crib there arc three
things to bc taken into consideration.
Immunity from rats and other vermin.
| provision against tho leakage Of roofs.
and the driving in OF rain or snow next
the caves, and safety from hcuting.
Protection against vermin is provided
by elevating the crib eighlcun inches
above ground on posts. placing an in
Verted tin pan on IL large, flat, smooth
stone between tho top of tho post aud
tho sills of tho crib. Danger from
leaky roof is secured by proper in
clination-not less than quarter pitch
and attention to keeping the roof
boards. If so made, carefully nailed. A
roof Of grooved boards. properly bat
tened, makes Il perfect roof 1t tshould
bo Il double pitched roof for obvious
reasons. and extend over tho sides of
tho crib twelve inches to prevent the
drip from driving in on top of tho corn.
If before snow is expected it be tempo
rarily boarded tight from undor tho
caves. six inches below the top of the
corn, this boarding to be removed car.
ly in tho spring, no danger from driv-
ing snow will be experienced.
10 prevent heating or fermentation
in the body of n crib twelve feet wide,
tho writer has found the following plan
safe and practicable: Form skeleton
OF six-ineh fencing two or three feet
wide at the bottom and half the height
OF tho crib, carried to sharp peak at
tho top of the skeleton, running the on
tire length of tho crib, the spaces be-
tween tho boards six inches wide.
Thus you virtually divide tho crib into
two, the bases of each boing only four
and half or five feet wide. The crib
will thus have a horizontal and a ver-
tical circulation of mir through tho CEN
tire, and at a nero nominal cost COM
pared to that of naring the outsides of
the crib. The projection OF the roof
prevents drip being blown in. that
striking tho sides nevor penetrating to
do damage. II, in addition, tho side
strips arc put on diagonaly instead of
vertically, this drip will be distributed
still moro equally along tho outside
and quickly dries. Built in the man.
ner described, tho writer has never had
corn spoil that was put in tho crib in
the ordinarily dry condition as it comes
from the field at husking timo, nor
even when other cribs of the same di-
monsions, but not so protected, were
seriously injured.
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