Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1924-08-28
CORN HAS BEEN MADE
EDITORIAL FROM THE ALBANY HERALD
NOW LET'S PROTECT 1T

This year the farmers of SoutI
Georgia have made the finest crop
of corn in many seasons. 1t is a
bumper crop.
1t will soon be time to gather it
into barns, and on many farms
there will be embarrassment
to find room for corn storage.
Like the rich man of the parable,
many farmer will be moved to
say, q will tear down my barns
and build greater barns"
But it will avail nothing Il
after the corn crop is gathered no
steps are taken to protect it. For
it is a well-known fact that, par
ticularly in the South, corn which
is not protected from weevils rap
idly deteriorates, and viii be rem
dered practically worthless if the
neglect continues for any length
of time.
Care in harvesting corn and in
protecting it from the shuck
worm is effective precaution, but
in most cases it is necessary to
fumigate the corn after putting it
under cover. This can be done
either in properly constructed
buildings, or by treatment in
boxes.
The United States Department
of Agriculture has issued bulle-
tin mo. 1929 on the subject of
Conserving Corn from Weevils
in the Gulf States" 1t was first
printed in 1919, but copies are
still available, and can be obtained
from Washington. Many county
agents have them on hand.
The method of fumigating corn
corn is thus described in the bull
letin, and the extracts may supply
all the information required by
many farmers. Certain it is that
the large crop of corn made this
year and probability that it will
bring a good price, whether sold
as grain or con the hoof'' makes it
highly important that it be fully
protected. The bulletin says:
Many farmers will find at the
time Of this coming harvest that
they do not have storage facilities
large enough to hold their entire
crop and at the same time tight
enough for efficient fumigation
OF the corn. While the possession
of such cribs is economical in the
extreme South, there is little
doubt that many farmers father
north, where insect damage is less
can get along without them pro-
vided they build gas-tight rooms
or large boxes in which they can
tumigate thoroughly portions OF
their crops as these are harvested
and brought to the barns. Such
boxes or rooms can be made to
suit the individual requirements,
do not have to be expensive, can
be constructed quickly, and will
supply a great need.
When the farmer finds it de-
sirable to fall back upon such an
equipment, he should fumsgate
patches of corn as they come from
the field and then place the fumi-
gated portions of the crop
in his regular storage quarters.
In other words, these boxes or
bins or rooms whichever they
happen to be) serve as disinfect-
ing stations through which the
crop passes on its way from the
field to the winter storage.
"Althouh it is preferable to put
corn from the field directly into
a gas-tight crib, room, or bin
where t can be fumigated and
left indefinitely, the method just
mentioned not only is being used
by certain farmers but mas given
success in protecting corn from
weeyils. The farmer who adopts
it, however, must understand the
weevil problem thoroughly. He
must appreciate that no matter
how well he may fumigate corn
in a gas-tight room or bin, it is
subject to reinfestation the mo-
ment it is taken out and placed
in a loosely constructed or open
bin or crib. 1t is seldom that one
Immigration kills all weevils, so the
makeshift arrangement just de-
scribed can not be depended upon
for as satisfactory results as stor-
age in a tight container. Thus
is true for the reason that weevils
can fly and will enter, from with
out loosely constructed storage
places, and corn must be handled
over and over again as often as
1t is necessary to fumigate it.
Corn needs fumigation when-
ever weevils or moths begin to
appear in the crib or bin. If corn
is only slightly infested when It
is stored in a tight crib, one fumi-
cation will keep it free from in
jury throughout the fall and win
ter, as it has done in Florida. If
weevils are numerous and the first
fumigation does not kill them all,
a sacorI f,t,,,fc.o4;o,, at,o.1l