Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1889-12-20
He Made the Ears Fly.

stacks in John Duryea's corn field In
Uniondale, New York, last Tuesday.
Mr.. Duryea says if his man, John H.
Macy, can't do anything else he can
husk corn. Some time ago he back
ed him for 500 to husk 100 bushels
of corn in seven hours, the man to
take the corn as it stood stacked in
the field. He was to pull down the
stacks himself and tie and set up the
empty sheaves. The bet was taken
up by number of persons who con-
sidered the task an impossibility.
Lacy's own confidence in his ability
was only limited by the extent of
his pile, as a number of the farm
hands in that vicinity can now testify
to their sorrow. The match was to
have taken place some time ago, but
was postponed on account of the
weather.
The sun rose bright and warm
Tuesday morning. A big crowd
soon gathered about Mr.. Duryea's
barn in Uniondale. They spent
their spare time admiring Mr.. Dur
yeas famous horses that have taken
the first premium every year at the
Queens county fair and looking at
the stacks of corn in an adjoining
| three-acre field. Nine o'clock was
the hour set for the husking to begin.
Edgar Duryea was timer and Uncle
David Fowler was judge. Uncle
David is more than 80 years old. He
has husked many bushel of corn in
his life, and witnessed many husk-
ing match, but he now says never saw
so good a man as Macy. Macy is tall,
big boned, and about 50 years old,
with a big blond moustache. He
looked like business, in a SLOUGH hat
and flannel shirt and his overalls
tucked in his boots. He was equip
ped with an iron husking peg of his
own invention. 1t was sharp on both
sides, and had slight bend in the
blade near the handle.
The corn stood as it was stacked up
after cutting. There were fifty-six
hills in each stack and between two
and one-quarter and two and one-half
bushels of ears to the stack. At the
word Macy attacked the stack that
stood nearest him in the three-acre
lot. With one stroke of his husker
he ripped the bands that bound the
stack. Then he pulled the corn
down, and getting on his knees be-
gan to make the ears fly. He made
only three movements in husking an
ear. He caught the ear with his left
hand near the middle. With his
right hand he drove the husker in
through the middle of the husk,
ripping it loose from the ear. A
twist of his hands, and the naked ear
went spinning in the air. AS soon
as he got an armful of stalks he
bound and stood them in jify. He
left white and yellow wake of corn
behind him. At first Mr.. Duryea
put only one man to pick up after the
husker. Macy soon left him SO far
behind that Mr.. Duryea put another
man to help him. 1t made their
backs ache to keep up with Macy.
Uncle David said he thought Macy
could husk corn almost as fast as a
nail machine could turn out nails.
Macy husked the first eight stacks in
So minutes. They contained 191
bushels. In 3 hours / minute and 40
seconds he husked "a stacks, making
551 bushels. At the end of 6 hours
80 minutes and "a seconds he had
husked 46 stacks, making 1902 bushels.
This gave him the match, with two
bushel margin and 80 minutes 6 sec
onds to spare.
This, it is thought, beats the record
of the world in husking corn. 1t is
said he could have finished the 100
bushels ten minutes sooner if he had
tried. When he got through every stack
was done up neat and strong and not an
ear of corn remained on any stalk he
had gone over. Three single wagon
loads and one double wagon load of
corn was hauled off the field. Macy
was apparently as fresh at the end as
he was at the start. The only mark
on his hands was where he got scratch
ed in taking down the last stack. He
challenges any person in the United
States to husk corn. He says he is
willing to put up from 500 to $500
that he can husk an ear of corn every
second for five minutes. This would
be 800 ears in all. The corn he
hushed is known as known as Duryea's
Favorite. 1t is corn that Mr.. Dur