The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1886-02-24
Agritulturat.
THE SILO.
DR.. Benbow Tells the Small Farmer
How to Save Money.

In my article Of last week upon
ensilage / 'roti ,ed to tell the plan
and cost of the S 10. So viii talk
talk to tho man with a one acre Ot
and one cow, with the usual old log
stable of this country | said that
one acre of good land will produce
enough of corn for one cow for 800
days-that 365 cubit feet of space is
ample for its storage. One cubit
foot per day is a good forage ration
for cow, and it will weigh 40 to 80
pounds per cubit foot, so that stall
should be 10 feet long, 5 feet wide and
Steet high, ceiled up on the four sides
with inch flooring tongued and
grooved, nailed to strong uprights
which are we'll supported, no floor
needed as tie clean ground is just as
good as anything to put ensllage
upon. "
Now, the cost of such plank here,
is s175 per hundred feet, and the
size of the silo here spoken of will
require about 800 feet of flooring
plank or 1925. The studs | will
suppose are on hand or builder can
calculate for himself, and any farmer
can put it up himself-or hire car
penter, who will do it all in one day.
Now the silo for one cow with ca
pacity to hold the product of one
acre of rich land is constructed,
at total cost of less than
$1,000. This estimate is based
upon the idea of owner having an
old barn or stable, if the whole
is to be built new the roof and
Notwithstanding must be added in
to the account. Now, with the silO
built and corn raised, when it tassels
out it is in it's best state for making
the best ensilage use old broken
scythe-blades about Is inches long
to cut the corn down, lay it in piles
straight and convenient for the wag-
on to come along to haul to the silo,
where it is cut up into lengths about
t .ree-fourths inch and allowed to
fall into silo, when it is spread or
leveled every day. 1t need not be
hastily piled, would prefer to only
cut every other day; and if other
business interferes no harm is done
if only two days work week is
done in filling, Or if the man wants
to do all the work himself let him
cut and haula good pile of corn to silo,
then cut it into the silo, then repeat
until the silo has been filled, then
saw one inch plank to fit over the
top of the cut up corn, making as
tight a covering of it as you can,
first laying two plank the other way
to act as batting on door which in
sures the covering plank to sink
down regularly and without open
spaces between the planks. After
all your corn is in and covering
planks carefully placed, haul on
stone, or wood or any other
weight that is most convenient, of
sufficient weight, to say 100 pounds
per square foot of the surface.
Now, if less than $1,000 will con-
struct in an old stable silo of ca
pacity to feed one cow twelve months,
for two cows twenty-five per cent.
more cost will double it for four
four cows still less additional! co t
will be required. Now, in conclus-
ion, ] have made an error in the cal
culation, which any good man can
correct. [ have lied. or, people who
want the best of feed at minimum
cost are-(not up to the times.)
| have silo in one corner of my
stable 33 feet long, % feet wide and
Is feet deep. The studs are of 2x12
and Is feet long, and are placed q
feet apart, ceiled with inch flooring
The studs are twice as large as would
be used for general purposes; the
ceiling cost less than $500, and I
have over two hundred and twenty
five tons Of ensilage in it, without
one particle Of damaged corn except
near the top where the planks did
not fit well, though there is not over
three inches of damage even on top.
| have nO floor nature HAVING firm