The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1885-09-03
WINTERING CORN.
A Practical Manner OF Arranging Corn
Cribs with q View TO Utility.

One of the objections often stated
against farmers is an assorted habit OF
working on the hand-to-mouth princi-
pie. In other words, to answer a tenn
porary purpose rather than q perma-
nent one. In the settlement of a new
country this is often necessary from
the want of money, where so many
things must be accomplished, and is
unwarTRntable. But habit once fixed
is apt to be followed, and in no respect
more often than in cribbing corn. The
result is a loss from rated, bitter,
moldy, or rotten corn, and to a degree
capable of paying all the way from 10
to 20 per cent. on the Investment nee
essary to build permanent cribs that
would keep the corn perfectly from
year to year.
An examination as to the result of
imperfectly- built cribs in deteriorating
the value of corn, and the rule will ap-
ply measureably to all grain, will show
that crib infested with rats and mice
the difficulty is not alone in what the
vernin destroy by eating out the chit
or germ of the corn, but also from the
effiuvia arising from and contaminat-
ing the corn from their nesting-places.
1t is also known that bitter corn arises
largely from fermentation of the cob,
which, put in wet, does not dry out
properly. Mold is incipient decay from
too compact storing when damp and
rotting is an advanced stage of decay.
The loss of few cents per bushel in
selling makes a large aggregate in the
crop. Hence, however the crib is
built, it should be only of such size as
to give circulation of air, immunity
from rain, and safety against vermin.
The writer has mover known a crib
made of rails, eight feet at the bottom,
flared to twelve feet at the top, and
covered securely from rain, to fail in
preserving corn perfectly if dry enough
to crib. The reason is, the air circu-
lates freely all around the crib. If
crib eight feet at bottom and twelve
feet at top should be extended, say,
100 feet, the case would be different,
and if the crib is uniformly twelve feet
wide the danger of injury will be in
creased in a large degree. Twelve
feet cribs are not unusual in the dry
autumn and winter climate of the
West, and if filled so full that the rain
and snow cannot beat in under the
roof, in ordinary seasons they keep the
corn perfectly. In seasons when corn
docs not ripen perfectly. or when from
long spell of foggy weather penetrat-
ing the crib, the corn becomes damp
through and through. If warm wealth
or ensues before the wind dries it out
the germ is attacked, producing bitter
ness and mold, and at length rotten
ness ensues.
The fact that corn kept compactly in
wide cribs never dare be used for seed
is sufficient evidence 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 wise
economy that every farmer build crib
room enough to properly save all corn
that must remain with him after the
first of March or April
In building a crib there are three
| things to be taken into consideration.
Immunity from rats and other vermiI,
provision against the leakage of roofs,
and the driving in of rain or snow next
the caves, and safety from heating.
| Protection against Vermin is provided
| by elevating the crib eighteen inches
| above ground on posts, placing an in
verted tin pan on large, fiat, smooth
stone between the top of the post and
the sills of the crib. Danger from
| leaky roof is secured by a proper in
| clination-not less than a quarter pitch
| and attention to keeping the roof
boards, if so made, carefully nailed. A
roof of grooved boards, properly bat
| tened, makes a perfect roof 1t should
be double pitched roof for obvious
| reasons, and extend over the sides of
the crib twelve inches to prevent the
drip from driving in on top of the corn.
If before snow is expected it be tempo
rarily boarded tight from under the
1 .1ixr I'll . a.
corn, this boarding to be removed ear
ly in the spring. no dagger from driv-
ing snow will be experienced.
To prevent heating or fermentation
in the body of crib twelve feet wide,
the writer has found the following plan
safe and practicable: Form a skeleton
of siX-inch fencing two or three feet
wide at the bottom and half the height
of the crib, carried to sharp peak at
the top of the skeleton, running the en-
tire length of the crib. the spaces be-
tween the boards six inches wide.
Thus you virtually divide the crib into
two, the bases of each being only foul
and half or five feet wide. The crib
will thus have horizontal and a YER
teal circulation of air through the CEN
tire, and at a mere nominal cost com.
pared to that of haring the outsides o.
the crib. The projection of the roo
prevents drip being blown in. that
striking the sides never penetrating to
do damage. If, in addition, the side
strips are put on diagonally instead Of
vertically, this drip will be distributed
still more equally along the outside
and quickly dries. Built in the man
ner described, the writer has never had
corn spoil that was put in the crib il
the ordinarily dry condition as it comes
from the field at husking time, mol
even when other cribs of the same di
mansions, but not SO protected, were
seriously injured.