The Opelousas courier., 1895-09-28
CONSTRUCTING A sILo.
Job. Gould, an Ohio Authority. Submits
n Sensible Plan.

Job. Gould, an Ohio Authority. Submits
. Sensible Plan.
Silos are usually built in one or two
ways, either by what is known as the
double-boarded, or the single-ceiled
way, aud generally in either case out
of pine lumber, as that seems to be the
handiest and least expensive, although
oak, hemlock and other woods, if
sound and free of knotholes and cracks,
may be used. Many silos are built in
some part of the barn, to cheaper
cost, because then the barn walls be-
come the outside protection and roof,
which reduces the silo to a big box in
the barn, this being about as handy a
can be found. In the barn the silo
needs no stone foundation. All that
is required is to dig a trench the size
of the silo, large enough to receive a
1O-inch square sill, and bed it in NOR
tar underneath and OF the sides to
firm it. Set up the 2x6-inch %studding
1s inches apart from center to center,
and line up or the inside with inch
lumber, 10 inches wide, cross-locked
dU III CokuC1 duu oO oCCulClS Gllut ~
will be impossible to pull apart. Cover
on the inside of this first lining with
cheap tarred paper, then run on an
other layer of the same kind of lumber;
put it on with a half lap. SO as to break
the Joints in the first layer, and nail
with 1Od wire nails. To make sure
that the corners are tight have a 3x3-
inch scantling sawed through corner
wise and nail these halves into the
corners with a backing of paper well
painted in with gas tar.
In place of two thicknesses Of boards,
single-surfaced No. l flooring boards
may be used, and the grooves filled
with paint, but in this case there must
be more studding used so as to make
the walls extra firm. Now and then a
man builds a single-ceiled silo six cor.
nered, and puts the scantling round
the pit like hoops, locking them well
at the corners. In this case the lining
boards must go up and down, and be
jointed with extreme care. The silage
is taken out by having manholes in the
sides, with small doors-unhinged-
set in from the inside. The pressure
of the silage holds them securely in
place, and they are taken out as the
feeding of the silage progresses.
When the walls of the silo are finished
and painted with a paint made of three
quarts of gas tar and two quarts OF
gasoline well Undertaking care that
no fire comes near it in mixing or ap-
plying-the floor may be made by
drawing the soil from the center of the
silo up to, and pounding down against.
the side walls until the floor is in the
form of a kettle. If we'll pounded down
and dampened in the operation, il
makes one of the best of floors. The
double-boarded silo, with a clay floor.
is the equal of any silo made for the
proper keeping of silage. Two silos Of
this kind built eight years ago are still
in perfect condition. Ehey hold al.
most 200 tons of silage and did not cost
500. They fill all thff.9equirements OF
a cheap and yet durable silo. BY
double-boarding the walls with tar
red paper between-and by having a
clay floor much lower in the center, the
walls are absolutely air-proof. In the
last six years l have not lost by mold
or decay 1000 pounds of silage along
walls, or in the corners; and since |
stopped covering and weighing the
top, and simply wet the surface, when
the heat begins to show itself, with 10
or Is pals of water evenly distributed
over the top surface, the spoiled silage
OF top has shrunken to less than q
wagon boxful.-John Gould, IN Orange
Judd Farmer