The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1894-10-27

5onnfhGu FerIa1n-
Jonathan Ferinm, q well-known an.
thorify on agricultural topics. makes
some valuable suggestions about the
care Of corn between the times of har-
vest and consumption He thinks the
cereal would be far more attractive 70
Europeans II offered 4 them in better
shape. and that the average American
consumer would like food prepared
from corn much better were II not for
the fact that It Is allowed to become
musty. soured or bitter rs to the germ,
which destroys its integrity Is . food
grain He boldly advances the state
ment that, one year with another, In
dian corn keptin wide cribs through the
winter and subsequently, in the COM
merciAl elevators is not in q proper con-
dftion to be used for human food, nor Is
Il Ia the best state for the fattening
Of live stock It Is not strange that Eu-
ropeans decline to use Il as food when
the ordinary hog will refuse to touch
corr . year old II laid side by side with
q sufficient quantity of newly plueked
corn taken directly from the fields Of
the west in October. II the corn could
be carried to Europe in its perfect
state the people Of that part Of the
world would take kindly to It rs q
precious food
Ear corn, kept in the ordinary way
in the wide cribs of the west. heats in
the winter or early spring. I. acquires
q bitter or musty taste while on the
cob, and when shelled the chemical
process thus sta rted goes steadily for.
ward in the ordinary elevator, even If
the airing has been fairly carried on.
Corn that will terminate promptly
neither has been heated in the crib
nor has the germ been severely frozen.
Seedsmen compass this by p~lucking
the corn when just ripe. before freez-
ing weather, and drying it artificial
~. The Indians knew how to ac-
eomplish this in q better way. They
selected the best ears and placed them
In holes in the ground, points down
ward, without removing the husk, the
holes having n capacity of about two
bushels each, and being lined with
rushes If necessary to dryness. The
deposit was mounded over with earth.
and the seeds never failed to grow
promptly when planted. The secret OF
the process was complete exclusion
from the air.
Mr.. Pertain says when corn once has
got out of condition 1t cannot be re.
stored to soundness- It will make
musty four and meal in spite of
sulphuring and polishing, which may
deceive the superficial observer but not
the chemist.
He advocates the building of store
houses in which corn and other food
products could be kept in alright
chambers, and does not believe Ii
would cost more than store room con-
structed on the present wasteful plan
The principle used in canning fruits
and NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. of the air
might be extended in q more simple
way to the cereals through storage
elevators When this il done we may
have pure materials In the cereals
used for human sustenance, and hui
man ingenuity viii find the means of
doing this economically. Both do
nestle and foreign consumers would
pay more for the -four and meal from
grain thus kept than for what is made
from grain that is musty, smutty, mill
dewed. sweated or infested with
weevil. such rs too often comes from
our present system of warehouse stor-
age. It is certain that all the cereals
are far better as food II containing
normal moisture of about Is per cent
than after the moisture has been arti-
fcially eliminated by kiln drying or
other manipulation.-Chicago Tribune.