Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1905-12-15
Making Il Rat Proof Corn Crib.

A Kansas farmer who seems to
know what he is talking about writes
WalIaces' Farmer concerning a rat
proof corn crib, as follows: We fire.
%quently see in the farm journals
articles explaining how to make a
! rat-proof crib. In all such articles
that have come under my observation
the writer's have directed us to set up
posts three or four feet high and put
an inverted tin pan or sheet tin on
the top of each post. On these posts,
capped with sheets or pans or tin, we
are directed to build the crib--a crib
on stills. | am surprised when L
think of it that with all the intel
ligence of farmers and those who
make suggestions to them that there
should not have been something
better offered to the public long ago.
When you put a crib on stills to
keep the rats from jumping into it
you must have a ladder to enable you
to climb into it when you want to get
corn. If you omit to take down your
steps or ladder any time after coming
out of your crib the rats Will ascend
the ladder and occupy the crib. If
you are willing to climb the ladder
100 times a year during the rest of
your life you may so ahead and put
the corn crib on stills. But for my
self l wish to reserve the energies of
my legs and body for something of
more value than climbing up and
down a ladder to get corn out of a
crib on stills in order that I shall
have it where the rats can't get to
it.
l built a small barn, 80 32, with
cribs on the sides set upon rock
foundations about twelve or fifteen
inches high so as to admit a good
sized dog under the crib floors, using
2x6's for the floor joists and flooring
the cribs with good shiplap planks.
The cribs are eight feet wide, thirty
two feet long and ten feet high.
This leaves a space between the cribs
not floored, 16x32 feet and about
eleven feet high. 1 closed this
l6x32 central space by sliding doors
at each end, nine feet wide the same
height as the cribs, shutting up seven
feet of the open end spacing by ship
lap boxing.
The sides of the cribs next to the
large central space I rallied up by
using heavy undressed lx4 crib stuff
set about one and one-fourth inches
apart giving access to air for the
corn. The ends and outer walls Of
these cribs are shiplap barn siding.
Above the central space and above
the cribs is the hay NOW, 32x32. This
hay NOV is tightly loored with good
shiplap lumber, and this flooring
forms the covering to the cribs.
So much corn vas damaged and
destroyed during the first few years
! concluded to try making one crib
rat-proOf. / obtained from a wire
cloth mill sufficient wire screen cloth,
four meshes to the square inch, to
cover the open rallied inner wall Of
one crib, and also to cover the floor
OF the same crib. After spreading
this wire screen cloth down on the
cribffoor / put on it another shiplap
plank floor, letting the wire cloth
turn up at the edges of the crib
about FIVE inchs to prevent any pos
sible cutting of rat holes in the crib
at the lower edges. / hung this wire
screen Cloth to the open rallied sides
OF the crib, securing it with common
plastering lath nailed over the wire
cloth on each rail, at the upper edge
Of the rail, using shingle nails for
mailing the lath on. This wire cloth
being on the outside Of the rails, next
to the central barn space, is protected
and held fat against the crib rails by
the lath.
Overhead between the 2x6 nov
joists ] spread galvanized +
cloth, and secured it and held it up
tight under the floor over the crib by
mailing iatn on 1t. have not seen
rat in that CRIB since ] put this gal.
yaaized wire cloth on the floors over
and under the crib and on the open
rallied sides OF the crib. This heavy