The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1895-07-30
THE MOST APPROVED WAY OF
BUILDING A SILO.

Silos are usually built in one of two
ways, either by what is known as the
double boarded, or the single ceiled
way, and 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 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 bt come the
outside protection and roof, which re-
duces the silo to big box in the barn,
| this being about as handy place from
which to feed the stock as can be found,
In the barn the silo needs no stone
foundation. All that is required is to
dig trench the size of the silo, large
enough to receive a 10 il cI so lare sill,
and bed it in mortar underneath and On
the SIDES to firm it. Set up the 2x6
studding Is inches apart from center
to center, and line up on the inside with
inch lumber, 10 inches wide, cross
locked at the corner, and so securely
that it will be impossible to pull apart
Cover on the inside of this first lining
with cheap tarred paper, then run on
another layer of the same kind of lum
Der; put it on with half lap, so as to
break the joints in the first layer, and
nail well with 1Od wire nails To make
sure that the corners are tight, have a
3x3 inch scantling sawed through cor
nerwise and nail these halves into the
corners, with backing of paper we'll
painted in with gas tar.
In place of two thicknesses of boards,
single surfaced No. 1 fl Joring boards
may be used, and the grooves filled
with paint, but in this case there must
be more stud ling used so as to make
the walls extra firm. Now and then a
man builds single ceilCd silo six cor
nered, and puts the scantling round
the pit like hoops, locking them we'll at
the corners. In this case the lining
boards must go on up and down, and
be jointed with extreme care. The
silage is taken out by having manholes
in the sides. with small doors-un
hinged-set in from the inside. The
pressure of the silage holds them
securely In place, and these are taken
out one by one as the feeding of the
silage progresses.
When the wallis of the clio are fin
ished and painted with paint made of
three quarts of gas tar and two quarts
of gasolene we'll mixed-taking care
that no fire comes near it in mixing or
applying f0or may be made by
drawing the soil from the center of the
of the sllo up 20, and pounding down
against, the SIDE walls until the floor is
in the form of kettle. If well pounded
down and dampened in the operation,
it makes one of the best of floors. Toe
double-boarded sllo, with 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. They hold almost
200 tons of silage and did not cas- $1OO
They fill all the requirements of cheap
and yet durable silo. By double board
ing the walls with tar-red paper be
tween-and by having a clay floor
much lower in the center, the walls are
absolutely air proof. In the last six
years have not lost by mold or decay
1000 pounds of silage along walls, or
in the corners; and since stopped Gov
ering and weighting 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 on top has
shrunken to less than wagon box full
John Gould, Ohio, in American Ag-
ricuEtLrist.