Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1924-12-11

be made of scrap lumber. When plac-
ed in cribs they will keep the corn
from becoming massed in large piles
and the air that will pass through
them will serve to carry out much of
the water held by the ears.
Most of the soft corn that went into
farm cribs at shocking time is now
frozen, and on every hand there is
being heard the time-honored but err
roneous assertion that such corn will
freeze dry
Frozen Corn Not Dry
Freezing will not dry corn. While
frozen the grain appears dry, but int
vestigations prove that it is not. From.
the time when severe cold weather
first arrives until it begins to warm
up in the spring, soft corn will dry
but little, especially in large cribs.
The first effect of warmer weather
on soft corn will be to thaw it. There
after drying will progress rather rap
idly in well ventilated cribs.
In cribs not provided with ventilat-
ing will set in, molds and fungus
growths will develop, and further
damage will be done before sufficient
evaporation of moisture will have TAX
en- place to make the grain safe to
leave in storage.
Cribs that are not well ventilated.
should therefore be kept under care
full observation. Better still, the guam
tity of soft corn in excess of farm
and neighborhood feeding require
ments should be disposed Of
Corn that is frozen will shell quite
satisfactorily, and on this account the
temptation to shell it and place it in
granaries and elevators may be diff
cult to resist.
Would "Desire to Grow"
Shelled corn, however, is even more
likely to go out of condition than ear
corn because proper ventilation is less
easy to obtain. 1t requires only
very slight increase in the air tempera
ture to start what grain dealers refer
to as "the desire to grow" Soft corn
therefore, is safer before it is shelled
than afterward; and Smelling should
be done only when it is certain the
corn can be cared for afterward
Artificial drying will go a long way
toward putting corn within the mois-
ture danger line; but in years like the
present, when the quantity of soft
corn is very great the drying equip
ment of country and terminal elevat-
ors is not equal to the task Of caring
for all of it
If every owner of soft corn waits
until late in the winter, or even early
spring, to begin moving his grain the
result may be disastrous. The driers
will then be swamped with wet corn,
much of which will go out of condition
very quickly when enclosed in tight
bins and box cars. Heavy losses will
be unavoidable,
Move While Frozen
A much better plan would be to
move part of the corn while cold
weather continues.
The practice of sailing soft corn
in the ear undoubtedly is helpful, but
sailing is not cure-all. 1t retards the
formation of molds. 1t brings much of
the water from the interior of the ear
to the surface, where it may evaporate
more readily But salt does not dry
corn, and the mere fact that crib
has been sailed is not a sufficient rea
son to neglect it thereafter.
Sailing is of very doubtful value in
the case of shelled corn unless the
granary where it is stored is equipped
to give thorough ventilation through
out the mass of the grain.
The real time of danger for soft
corn will come with warm spring
days. Preparations should be made
now.-to cope with the situation that