The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-10-20
ENSIL3GE.
freserving Green Food for Feeding Stock
In the Winter In a Silo.

| ~ ehO WiHtcr III u S1lOs
Editor hteliigencer: This method Of
preserving green corn stalks. grass, pea
vines, clover, the ;n;!!o;s, or any green
forage, for an indefinite length of time,
for feeding, is recent discovery by Mon
sleur Goford, Frenchman, living in the
county of Silone, France. NJ. GoGord's
method of preserving green forage differs
from the method Of preserving green
iruit in one main particular, viz: NJ.
Hofford's excludes the air by compression
in preserving green forage, while the air
IN canning fruits, &C., is excludes ~
heat. Of course, we cannot afford 10
apply heat on SO large scale for pre-
serving food for stock. The cheaper
methods of applying weights will ex.
clude most of the air at once, and, after
slight fermentation takes place in the
mass of green food, carbonic acid gas
takes the place of all the air remaining
in the mass, which causes fermentation
to cease, and the food is preserved in its
green state for an indefinite length of
time.
"Silo' is the French name for a pit,
and "ensilage" is the name for the con-
tents of the pit. To further describe the
Sllo, the manner of growing the crop for
filling it, and the process in general. 1
cannot do better than to give my expert
ence in building and filling my Slo,
which is probably the first built in this
State.
My Silo is located in hillside conve-
nlent to the barn it was dug out about
l73 feet long, III feet wide and III feet
deep; at the lower end door way was
dug out to level within five feet of the
bottom of the pit for convenience TO
enter the pit through the door that is to
be made in this end of the Sio. A tenn
porary box-work or wooden wall was
then built of Pinch plank and stout
studding all around the four sides, with
the studs and braces inside the pit, 80 as
to leave the outside of the temporary
wall smooth. and 10 feet wide by 16 feet
long. This .Tall stood out from the earth
wall alb ut inches all around and per-
pendicular. Then we put in stout door
frame at the door way to hold the con.
crete mortar back and leave the door.
After this was done all was ready to fill
in the space between the temporary
wooden wall and the earth wall of the
pit 18th loose concrete mortar and cob
ble-slone. The proportions for n good
concrete mortar that will suit this work
is made of water Stacked lime parts.
hydraulic cement . parts, sharp sand or
finely broken stone 8 parts. by measure.
The mortar was made very thin, and
poured IN TO the depth Of about six
shape or size, from six inches in diameter
down, was poured or dropped in the NOR
tar Us long rs it would take them and
then more mortar and more stone in like
manner was used until the concrete wall
was as tall and level as we wished it.
The planks on the wooden wall were put
up as the work progressed, the framing
or studding all being arranged in position
before the work commences. The TEN
porary wooden wall was allowed to stand
few days to allow the concrete wall to
harden. Then the temporary wooden
wall was removed, and concrete floor
about six inches thick was laid on the
bottom or floor of the pit, making the
Silo complete, except q covering to keep
the rain from filling in it. Cost of the
Silo: