The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-06-26
THE WAY TO MAKE A SIL0.
It's Immense Value TO StOcltraisers..-
Useful Hints I'm Reference to Build.
ing It. and EeedinE from It.

AS showing the latest plans for building
these constructions end the calculations o.
Michigan Experiment Station Bulletin:
TO determine the size Of the silo, estimate
as daily ration for each animal to be fed
about 6 per cent. of It's live weight. This
pounds Of wheat bran, oats, oil meal or clover
hay will keep animals In fine growing condi
ton, and also will be found good milk ra
tion. Taking this estimate to illustrate
Ten cows weighing 1000 lbs. each, will con.
sumo 600 pounds or ensllage daily, or $1,000
pounds per month, or 100000 pounds In six
We have found by actual weighing that q
face Of the silo, under moderate pressure
weighs SO pounds; eight feet below, 48 pounds
ten feet below, so pounds. 1t Is safe to est1.
mate about 40 pounds as the average weight
of n cubic foot. -,
We must also make Calculation for the
settling, in our estimates. If we'll packed
this will be found one-sixth to one-eighth o.
depth Of the ensllage; 10000 pounds, would
sixth for settling, and we have 8, $50 cubic feet
A silo % feet deep. 10 feet Wide and II feet
long give this capacity.
How can the same storage capacity be secur.
ed so cheaply rs In this small.sllo? Mna ;,dl1
are sufficient almost to keep, with gra In
ration the ten COWS six months, and may be
grown from three acres of good land, 1t open
sllo as one OF the main reliances of the stock
man in these times OF low prices
1t is better to build too large than too small
have good height, avoid the deep silos or cav;
erns from which the ensilage must be raised
by machinery.
with a large silo should prefer parti.
tion IL is often more convenient In filing
especially If different crops are to be grown
face Is not exposed, and consequently there Ia
less liability of injury and waste.
Our first siIo was built OF stone In tho base
ment floor Of barn; the new one, erected In
1887, Of lumber and tarred paper. The follow
Ing brief description Will, 1t is hoped, give q
clear idea of its plan and construction. The
cost Of n silo built In this way need not exceed
from S1.5O to $3.50 per- ton Of Its capacity. l,
is well to get MS much depth as we can con
sistently, as the roof is the most expensive
part of the building, and in feeding less sur
face is exposed.
While we have always cut off a section OF
the contents near the door Of the silo, as we
began feeding the ensilage, for convenience
(as one would cut out section or hay-mow)
and without loss, am Inclined to the opin
ion that it may be preferable to begin feeding
from the top and take from the entire sur
face II 1t can be done without too great an
outlay OF labor.
TIE COLLEGE sILo.
The dimentions of the last silo built at the
college are lSX3OX22, with a partition in the
center, making t&o sllos each lexis outside
measurement, and with total capacity o.
nearly 200 tons. The silO is located on the
north side OF our cattle barn, which has O
basement stable. We excavated some six feet
to have the slo floor on the same level as the
stable floor. The excavation Is walled up tC
the surface with laid stone In ordinary NOR
tara good lS-inch wall. Doors open from
each slo Into the feeding-room, adjacent to
the stables and on the same level. On This
wall, SIlls mado OF plank are bolted, and
IOiSts 2Xl2 and IL feet long were used for stud
ding and placed one foot apart. On the out
side, ordinary stock boards, battened and
painted with two coats, made the finish. On
the inside. tho studding was first covered
with shipping ulls, put on horizontally. On
these n layer of tarred paper, then second
covering of boards was put on perpendlcul-
arly. This was lathcd and plastered with
wnter-lime cement.
| The floor Is just rs left when the excavation
was finished. A good shingle roof. with a
window and outside door in each silo-the
latter for putting in and taking ont materials
| for weighting-cOmpletes the building.
| The ensiIage would have kept just as vel
without the cement coat. We put that on &c
preserve the boards; kept constantly wet
they will soon decay where the ensilage Is
placed next to them. As n hayharn, this slc
would hold twenty tons; but II has capaci
ty equivalent in feeding value to slxty-hvt
tons OF hay, estimating three tons OF ensl
lage equal to one ton OF good hay, which We
have found In actual feeding fair compari'
son.
The sides of the silo are we'll tied by strong
iron rods, that run from side to side. ! lay
much stress upon the use of 2X12 studdinl
placed one foot apart. They net only ado
strength and lessen the danger from the liter
al pressure, but also leave twelye-inch ali
space, which affords more protection from
the frost. The difference In the cost will no
warrant the risk Incurred by the use of ligh
lumber in construction Of the sllo.