Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1883-05-30
REPLIES TO Mr.. Barnard.

And therefore little o's,
And when he hoes his soil by spells
He also soils his hose. Selected.
-
Replies to Mr.. Barnard.
We are extremely grateful to the friends
who at this busy season Of the year have
kindly taken the time to reply to the ques-
tions Of MIR. Barnard of Montreal in regard
TO wooden silos. The kindness and courtesy
always shown to visiting Vermont farmers
by our Canadian brethren merits this cour-
tesy in return, and we know IL will be ap-
preciated.
FROM L. W. rITKIN, MARsHFIELD, VT.
ain response to your questions as regards
wooden silos, with so little experience we
do not feel competent to advise as to the best
method for building silos; but as you say,
we can tell as far as we have gone. In
building wooden slo like Mr.. Barnards,
we should put up common eight-inch
barn frame with post in the center grooved
on four sides to receive the partition plank,
and posts to correspond in the sides Of the
barn; the partition plank two inches, plank
tongued and grooved for girts, two by eight,
once in three feet at the bottom and once in
four at the top. If studded instead of girted,
once in three feet; the walls double boarded
outside and in, with paper between the foun-
dation Of stone or brick extending below frost
and laid flush with inside boarding, the silo to
go as low as foundation wall and be cemented
water tight to the stills; as his stables are
lean-tos around his silo, and if built as
warm as should be, think there is no need
of filling space between the boarding dead
air is sufficient. l fiad in pressing ensilage
that considerable juice leaks out 1t is
desirable to save this juice, is the reason
why the bottom and sides should be water
tight. Our own silo is built of stone, walls
eighteen inches thick aud ten feet high,
three sides unsupported, with seven feet
of boarding on top, making seventeen feet
high. 1t has been filled twice and pressed
down, and l find they have not pressed
apart as yet, showing that the lateral
pressure is not great. 1t is not like apple
pomice, forced down in few hours, but a
gradual settling as the air works out of 1t.
If the silo extends much below the top of
the ground, blind ditch under the silo to
carry off the excess of water in wet time
would be needed. In some localities, as ours,
this year it has given trouble. The pressure
Of water underneath has broken through
the bottom in several places. l.. W. p"
FROM w. II. b., HAMPTON FALLS, N. II.
al would say to Mr. Barnard, according
to my two years experience in wooden silos,
would have the sills eight by eight inches /;
the cross sills the same directly under the
| partitions; the plates and beams the same
size as the sills. These timbers should be
framed and pinned solid together. The up
right timber should be hemlock or oak, four
by eight inches two feet apart from center,
except at the opening, which should be two
and one-half feet. The timbsrs at the open
ing must be six by eight inches. The in
side boarding should be horizontal in order
to strengthen the frame. Our silos have
nothing but gravel bottoms, filled level with
the top Of the sills there is no decay and
but little waste. Timbers and under.hoor
would not be as good as the ground. Moth.
ing should be put in between the walls ex-
cepting at the openings, which we close up
with unmatched plank fitted level with the
inside work. The proper time to fill silo
is when the corn begins to shed its tassels.
The first year we filled a silo we were fifteen
days filling during very hot weather one
day the glass went up to one hundred in the
shade. There were three days that We put
no corn in, and it came out sound and in
good condition. The silos should be weighted
one hundred and fifty pounds to the square
foot. He can weigh his barrels of dirt and
find out himself. w.H.B."
FROM z. f. JAMESON, IRAsBURGH, VT.
ain the paper of May 2i, some questions
are asked about silos, but | feel sure you
are not speaking to me, as | wrote you
about mine several weeks ago. Yet will
mention, at the risk of repetition, that my
silo is twelve by twelve, and a good frame
of spruce timber is set into a pit about
eight feet deep. When we dug eight feet
of tolerably mellow earth out we came tc
the top of bed of clay perfectly level, and
this is the floor of the silo. No cement nc
planks, no boards, but the corn fodder fell
from the cutter upon the naked clay floor
and when, in feeding, we came to the floor
the ensilage had kept equally well down tC
the bottom leaf ON the under side of the
bottom leaf little earthly brownness ad
hered. Compact earth or clay floor is good
enough, but do not know that sand bot
tom would be as good. The sides of my
silo between the studs filled with dry saw
dust, between the saw-dust and ensilage Il
only one thickness of matched boards (tha
is tongued aud grooved). As pressure,
had twenty-five barrels of earth on the cover
twelve by twelve feet square part of it wa
in heap on the planks it was easily clssne'
out think the circular silo you sugges
would cost much more than square one.
will mention that the pressure Of the eartl
on the outside bulged in the sides of M
silo about threefourths OF an inch. A sill
with earth outside will not spread whe
, full OF corn fodder. II Mr.. Barnard will us
cedar lumber in making his silo its durabil
ity will be assured, but can give no infor
nation in regard to the strength necessar
in his partitions. The only time the strengt
will be tested is when the weights are pu
on to press it down, aud if all were full tn
strain or pressure would be equal on bot
+. sides. If all were full and one was emptie
do not believe the ensilage in the adjoiI
ing pits would push the silos in. d
not like to discuss this matter mucl
} as a good many men who have no silo al
:. choke full OF arguments against 1t. / kno
l my cattle like ensilage, And have wintere
! large stock aud have hay to sell. The ID
= psrtment of Agriculture has printed pan
/ phlet giving the experience Of about on
q hundred and twenty-five men with all sor
:, Of sios. 1t would be great help to mo-
. men to read that book before building.