The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-03-05
WINTERINo CORN.

Ono of the objections often STATED
against farmers is an assorted habit o.
working on the hand-to-mouth princi
pie. In other words. to answer tenn
porary purpose rather than a permanent
one. In the settlement of q new coun.
try this . often necessary from the
want of money, where SO many thing.
must be accomplished. and is unwar'
rantable. But habit once fixed is apl
to be followed, and in no respect more
often than in cribbing corn. The result,
is loss from rated. bitter. moldy OF
rotten corn, and to . degree capable Of
paying all the way from ten to twenty
per cent. on the investment necessary
to build permanent cribs that would
keep the corn perfectly from year to
year.
An examination as to the result oil
imperfectly-built cribs in deteriorating
the value of corn, and the rule will APP
ply measureably to all grain, will show
that with crib infested with rats and
mice the difficulty is not alone in what
the vermin destroy by eating out the chit
or germ of the corn, but also from the
eiiiuvia arising from and communicating
the corn from their nesting-places. 1t
is also known that bitter corn arises
largely from fermentation on 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 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 never known q crib
made ofrails, eight feet at the bottom,
fiared to twelve feet on the top.
and covered securely from rain, to fail
IN preserving corn perfectly if dry
enough to crib. The reason is. the air
circulates freely all around the crib. If
a crib eight feet at bottom and twelve
feet at top should be extended. say
one hundred feet, the case would be
different and If the crib is uniformly
twelve feet wide the danger of injury
win b increased in large degree.
Twelve feet cribs are not unusual in the
dry autumn and winter climates Of
the West and If filed SO full that the
rain and snow can not beat in under
the roof, in ordinary seasons they keep
the corn perfectly. In seasons when
corn does not ripen perfectly, or when
from . long spell of fogy weather
penetrating the crib. tho corn becomes
damp through and through. Il warm
weather ensues before the wind dries
it out, the germ is attacked. producing
bitterness and mold, and q length rot
tenness ensues.
Tie fact that corn kept compactly
in wide cribs never dare be used fol
seed is sufficient evidence that such are |
not calculated to season corn in the best
manner for commercial uses. 1t is there.
fore 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 crib there are three
things to be taken into consideration.
from rats and other verlnin.
provision against the leakage of roofs
and the driving in Of rain and snow
next the caves, and safety from heat
ng. Protection against vermin is pro-
Vided by elevating the crib eighteen
inches above ground on posts, placing
IN inverted tin pan on . large, fiat,
smooth stone between the top of the
post and the sills Of the crib. Danger
rom leaky roof Is secured by . proper
nclination-not less than a quarter
,itch-and attention to keeping The