Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-10-04
In Corn Belt
Many Ripe F1clds To Be Gath
cred; Husking Is a
Big job. M
BY j. G. >Haney, Agri. .Exten.- Dept.
International Harvester Co.

The northwest, and the Red River
Valley particularly, Is in the corn
belt this ear Many fields have full
ly matured large yields, and are
ready for husking. The busking or
gathering Of corn from the stalks in
the field is work that few men in this
section know much about. In the
corn states lei have grown up ac-
customed to going into the fields at
this time of the year, and gathering
the corn.
The usual method is one man to a
team and wagon, with side boards
and a high blunt board" The blunt
board Is on the right hand side Of the
wagon, unless the man Is left handed,
in which cas- 1t should be on the left
side. With a. husking peg or hook on
his throwhand. he drives into the
feld and usually husks two rows at a
time. throwing the ears against the
hunt board 80 they drop into the
move along as rapidly as the husker
proceeds.
A bushel Of ear corn occupies
nearly as much space a. a bushel of
shelled corn or grain, so a 30-inch
high wagon box would hold only 80
bushels Of a corn; 50 to IS bushels
Of shelled corn; 100 to $50 bushel
baskets Of ears, Is a good days husk-
ing. Expert huskers will do much
more, depending on the yield of corn
and. the condition it is in at husking
time.
Tho husking wagons are usually
provided with an end gate that can
be let down SO hat the corr can be
easily shoveled out Of the wagon in
to a crib. The corn may be dumped
from the wagons, into elevators, SIM
liar to grain.
Hand husking Of the billions OF
bushels of corn is an immense job
The 1922. corn crop of the United
States is f~orecasted to be 2.S75.0e@--
600. bushels; IT. waso yer three billion
bushels last year. The Minnesota
crop this year is 100, 900. 900 bushels.
South Dakota 112, 600. 900. and North
Dakota 100000 bushels.
During the past few years machin-
cry for taking the ears from the
standing stalks has been developed.
These are called huskers or pickers,
and operate similar to a corn harves-
ter, but take only the ears from the
stalks. The machine is pulled by
team or. tractor. The gatherers
straddle the row and the ears are re-
moved from the stalk by the swapping
rolls. The ears then pass over husk-
Auk 1oilS WHICH .IeNlOSe the HusHs
and are then passed into an elevator
which delivers them into a wagon
driven alongside the husker.
One to l 1-2 acres is a good days
work husking by hand. Three men
two teams and wagons, and q. small
tractor, OF two more good teams. car
husk and crib eight acres a day
Thousands of. these machines are ir
use in the older corn states. and are
saving a large amount of hard work
j. The first of such machines to be
be brought into this neighhorhood il
to be operated on the LII. c.. Farm
Twenty acres Of Minnesota No. /:
corn was. left to be husked out an6
cribbed. 1t is estimated that THU
corn will yield 40 to so bushel:
(shelled) to the acre. and is full.
matured and Of as good quality a.
any corn that ever grew. This corr
has been grown on this farm for ter
wears; and had been grown in NORTH
Dakota for five years previous. Ac.
climated seed, planted on good, soil
manured and properly cultivated. in
sures success with corn.