An Abandoned Corn Crib

Today's picture features an old abandoned corn crib, a small wooden structure that stands as a reminder of a time when many families had to grow their own food - for both themselves and their animals. I can remember how most of the homesteads in the area where I grew up had at least one well-used corn crib somewhere on the property.

In days of old, corn was harvested and stored in the crib for use over the long winter. Unlike most other buildings on the farm, corn cribs were constructed with rather wide gaps left between the boards to allow for the free flow of air into the crib and through the large pile of corn. This free-flow of air facilitated a fast drying process and prevented rot and disease from ruining the crop.

Today, gardeners rarely use anything other than the kernels themselves - the stalks, leaves, shucks and ultimately the cobs are discarded. But in the old days nothing was wasted. Everything, including the cobs was used for something! Various parts of the corn plant were used for fodder, chair seats, mattresses, brooms - even pipes (as in the "corn cob" variety)!

Modern versions of these products can now be purchased at relatively low prices, eliminating the need to make them out of corn plants, and today's generally higher standard of living for most Americans makes growing corn in a garden more of a hobby than a necessity...making the corn crib more or less obsolete. But there are still quite a few old corn cribs around including this one in Emory, Virginia.

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