Daily Republican., 1885-10-19
AG RICULTU R AL
CORN HUSKING.
From the American Rural Home.
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CORN HUSKING.
From tho American Rural Home.
There has really been no improvmen
In methods Of hu ,king corn In ffty
years; perhaps we might correctly -,
In one hundred years, but We limit tn.
time TO the period over which our mem
ory xteuds. The average huskercAn husk
no more bushels to day than he could half
II century ago. Nay, We think he doe,
not average az many bushels daily, for
he does not work, as rule, rs manv
hours In day. No device has been
invented by which the stalks Of corn
can be handled over, the husks strippeo
from the ears, the ears broken off and
tossed into basket or pile. with any
greater celebrity than In the days of our
great grand fathers.
Now, In making this assertion we do
not forget that machines have been In.
vented that promised to husk Cor their
Inventors did, four or five times At
many bushels in day as q man could,
hut those machines we're shown 70
farmers, were tried In their corn fields
and, from the fact that they are not
found there In operation, to-day, we're
found wanting, We conclude. How
ever conservative farmers may once
have been, 1t Is now fact that any
new machine which saves labor Aad
reduces cost of production, Is not long
excluded from the fields or barns of the
farmer. We think II may be safely a..
sumed that husking machines have
not yet proved practicable.
When we commenced learning the
art Of huskins corn, the corn VA
topped, the ears being left on the hillr
instead of being cut up and bound ny
with the stalks. We think q mar
could busk about one quarter more
from the hill than from the shock, AND
the corn was much better dried out, IL
better condition for cribblng. The
busks pretty generally cleaved from
the ears so that little more remained u
be done than to break off the ear ant
toss it in thu basket. 1t required much
less time TO go over q bill and selec
the ears than 1t does to handle over tn,
stalks in q shock, and there was n,
delay in binding up the stalks.
little time was consumed in moving tn,
basket. but an experienced huckste
would move it SO az TO consume az littl'
time as possible. But the practice O
topping corn and huskiDg on the hill
has been superseded and will probably
never be restored.
There are but few operations on q
farm where 30 much depends upor
making every motion quick and max
ing no false motions as husking TIVE
men will husk in the same field, in tn,
same corn and appear TO be equally
diligent and faithful, bat one will put
fifty per cent. more bushels of ears II
the wagon than the other. How is thi,
done? The one will make every
mo ton quickly and make 1t tell for tn,
most in the right direction. In pulling
over the shock, cutting up the hill lef
standing in the centre, placing til,
basket, hauling over the stocks and dc
Itermining whether there are cars OF
them OF not, and in grasping the butt o
an ear, stripping down the husks
breaking off the ear and tossing 1t into
the basket, one will make every move
ment in but little more than half ths
time required by another 1t Is quit,
easy to lose little time in every on,
OF these operations without being
really conscious of 1t.
We always took pleasure In huskin6
corn 80 long as our hands remained
sound, but. generally, . few days
work would cover our fingers will
deep cracks that were very sore and
then, the felicities of husking wer'
greatly diminished. When the al
was humid and the stalks, in conse
Iquence soft. fingers were much less liza
BILE to crack; but when the atmospher,
was dry and the stalks brittle, crack,
very soon appeared. Gloves and NIT
tens we're resorted TO as protection
to the hands, but they retarded the ope
ration of husking.
With all its drawbacks, and infelici
ties there are many pleasant associs
tons in memory's store-house in con
nection with husklng days. Colder
autumn days with hazv, dreamy at
lmosphere weather just cold enougl
to stimulate activity ; OCCASIONAL,
dark clouds, with squalls of rain o
snow scurrying over the landscape
followed by bright sunshine mellow
yellow pippins hanging in the orchard
and, sometimes, q jolly evening, ex
tending into morning hours, at
neighboring pairing. bee. Farm life, eve
in the olden times, was not entirel
without its eujoyments and amust
long evenings for reading for those G
disposed Sometimes the fsrme
would ask all hands to spend an even
|, ing, asserting and cribbing corn I
, make room for more to come, and
sometimes, the good housewife woul
TASK all hands TO join in pairing some al
Z pies to dry, but, in most families, thet
I were exceptional occasions.
Il Many farmers practice drawing the
: corn, on the stalks. into the barn I
, husk when inclement weather forbid
, outdoor labor. This may answer as
resort when IL Ia impossible to finish u
a all the fall work before winter sets II
, but 1t increases the cost of CROWN
corn. There is no other way In wbiC
corn can be harvested and stored at
q little cost as by busking IL in the feel.
1t Is heavy work, handling and haulin
the stalks with the corn attached and
is slower husking on the barn hot
j. than in the field.