American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1912-08-08
Stack Your Grain.


ed oy either gasoline or steam pow
er ~tnTeshfng machines all over the
West. While IL Is a general cuS-
tom in the East TO stack the small
grain in a stack yard adjacent TO
the barn lot, in the West where
the combined harvester cutting,
tAreshing and sacking the grain at
one and the same time-is not US
ed, the grain is usually thresned
IRON the shock in the field.
very little western grain IS now
stacked. This plan OF threshing
from the Held may save labor but
II loses grain, causes a loss in
quality when threshed, and pre-
vents blowing or any preparation
OF seed bed in the field for the sue
eeed4ug crop. Then. too, il the
grain IS wheat. birds take a very
heavy tool.
The weather risk is too great 10
justify leaving the grain a-field
unless the thresher can be procured
soon after cutting the grain. 1t
seems unfortunate for che to suffer
o OF crop or injury 10 grain at
ter 1t is grown. when the same
can be protected from all loss or
injury by Just a little work and
care. One yea in northern Colo
RADIO. the writer saw d full million
bushels of grain reduced in quail
ty below milling or seed standard
with many fields showing green cap
ped shocks from growing grain. Abb
normal rains had sprouted the kerr
nels in the shock with the above
result.
This past eason In some of the
plateau valleys and mesas Of the
West early SHOWS caught the crop
in the field I it was well into
Ltarch and April. 1912 before all
the 1911 crop was threshed. Wash
irgton, California, Oregon and parts
of Idaho have combines quite gen.
orally and shocked grain is there
fore. not the rule. where these COM
plete ~harvesters are found.
Many of our western farmers
have had so little experience stack
ing grain. when they do attempt to
thus save their grain from risk OF
loss by birds or weather. their
stacks are apt 10 slope 10 the cen
ter so that said stacks catch instead
OF shed water
The ~coucensIs of opinion Is that
stacking grain successfully depends
lynn . lew LGEAS- 1 lie
writer has hammered these out OF
the successes Of wheat earmers in
New York. Ohio, Wiseol sin. Min
nescta. Kansas and o.Aec leading
wheat sJares.
ist Prevent absorption Of soil
moisture from the ground. BY
blowing the ground OF he stack
yard. capillarity Is largely broken
up. reducing the amount Of alb
sorbed moisture the s-ask will ac-
quire. moldlug the lower bundles
Any other me'hod such as placing
rails or o-her forms OF wooden pro-
lection. on which 10 lay bundles
preventing their coming in contact
with the ground is good.
End Set the bundles as you
would in a large shock for the
very bottom 81 the stack. aud con
tinue the form OF stack from this
as I center, to The size desired
Make the shape Of the stack round
or eIipticaI. never rectangular
3rd Keep the middle talI ali
the time. giving the bundles 9 de-
cided pitch, shedding the water TO
the outside of the sta K and away
from the center.
4th Sta king wheat soon after
cutting gives clean. bright straw
for feeding purposes avoid dan
ger Of loss from wet weather and
birds and preserves the kerne's in
a way 10 make better milling
wheat than when left to variable
weather Conditions in the shock
afield.
5th Where possible cut some
slough ~rass and put on the stack
green from the cutting. When
this grass dies it " ri shed water
Ike q roof. thoroughly projecting
ali grain bundles from injury by
reason Of wet weather.
9Th Stalking grain il this way
enable the straw 10 absorb excess
moisture II grain so there IS no
later --oubie from heating in bin
or elevator. Thus it carries the
grain through the sweat in the
stack.
Following tie above suggestions
will obtain grain in that physical
condition which, If the quality Is
what it should be. commands q
2 niam upon the market where
as~ L IS thrssled
4 Buckeye grain grower from
Dgukirk. Ohio. reports in the July
lsr issue Of Missouri valley
Farmer" THAT he has known grain
buyers to make q marked dttfsr-
area n the pr.ee Of threshed grain
q the stack I'VE that
-rcn the shook. Lasr year grain
buyers in his district paid five
cents PER bushel premium for stack
threshed oa.s over shock rhreshed
OATS This vas caused by q wet
period ensuing Immediately after
grain cutting. and much grain
was seriously injured in shock.
The writer believes that the
West can and should produce the
finest quality OF milling seed ard
feed grains. and would urge We
preserve TO our own credit and
value this assest for good grain
culture. which Nature has given
these higher attitudes of the West
with such p-cdisaiity. Let US
n -efore run no risks and preserve
-A