The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1888-11-22
Building aSilo.
[Prof. II. E. Aivord, il: Farm and
Home.

The s.io may be an old building an
annex, an Old cellar, or a hay Gay"
reftted. The location should oe such
as - prevent unnecessary expense IN
constructing and economic labor in
filing itand in removing the contents.
AS rule, these conditions are: ucst
secured by placing the si!o within, or
adjacent to hillside barn. Thorough
drainage is essential and the general
requirement for a good icc-house apply
ve.y well TO siio. 1t may therefore,
be. wholly underground, or wholly
above the ground level. It is prefer
able TO have the silo, partly under
ground to secure and maintain fairly
an even temperature lat all seasons
For materials, stone, brick, concrete.
wood and paper may be used: and a
simple trench or hole in the ground
will serve the same purpose.
Excavations in an iinpervious soil,
or a well-draiued gravel bed, which
may or may not be lined with boards,
to prevent caving or insure cleanliness
make good silos. Such We're the first
made in This country by Mr.. Morriss
the fiTst, IF I am not mistaken, in
this s..a,e and this VALLEY. [ know
such trenches il Illinois, simply dugin
the open field, through tenacious
soil and a haGd-pan sub soil, to sta
tum of gravel below-filied with uncut
corn, grown in the field and covered
with the earth thrown out of the pit,
which have made good ensilage and
proved unquestionally profitable, for
several years. Yet I believe substa1-
tial masonry silo is the true economy
in the end. It should be water tight
and preferably, but not necessarily air
light and frost-pToof. Oval or rectan-
guiar is the best shape; rounded or con-
cave. The walls should oe smooth and
vertical, although some prefer them to
fare or slope little from the bottom
toward the top. Make the siIo small
and deep, rather than large aid the
depth considerably greater than the
length, width or diameter.
Several small silos are greatly to be
preferred to one large one. They may:
of course, be built adjoining, and i:
desired, communicating by dcols at
the bottom Of the partitions. But ,:e
silo should not be too small in suE-afe.
While I have preserved ensiiage pretty
we'll in boxes and barrels, with and
without pressure, well housed, and en-
posed to all temperatures Of the year, i
am convinced that. for best results, a
silo should not be less than ten feet in
it's least Dimensions, and l prefer
twelve feet or even fifteen feet; still a.
GOOD rule is to have the silo so suited in
size to the quantity of ;ensilage to be
used from it, that at least three inches
in depth over its entire surface shall be
removed daily, or every other Gay at
any rate, while the pitts open.
Although more labor is involved in
the method, unless hosting apparatus
is provided, the best plan seems TO be 70
have no opening in the >tton or walls,
and to remove all the cnsilage by lifting
it out. Side doors will often be found
convenient, however, and may be used,
although a certain cause Of more Or
less loss of material; if used make the
doors as small as possible and take
every precaution for their beng made
air-tight.
IF circumstances make the use Of Il
door advisable, and thus empty the
silo from The bottom, let the silo lie
built deep and narrow, but long, wi b
the door at the end, instead Of deep,
narrow and short, where the ensilage
is removed from the top. The idea is
to have the least possible surface Of the
packed ensilage exposed to the air.
while the silo is open and its contents
being daily removed. A curb, apron
or upward turning extension of the
walls should be made equal, to one
third OF the depth of the permanent
structure to allow for the settling, and
this may be of wood in all cases.