The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-08-22
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BUILDING A sILo.
The Most Approved Plan, According to n
Successful Ohio Farmer.

The Most Approved Plan, According to n
Successful Ohio Farmer.
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
and free Of knotholes and cracks, may
be used. Many silos are built in some
part of the barn, to cheaper cost, be-
cause then the barn walls become 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 10 inch square sill,
and bed 1t in mortar underneath and on
the sides to firm it. Set up the by
inch studding 18 inches apart from CEN
ter 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 we'll with tenpenny wire nails. To
make sure that the corners are tight,
have a by 3 inch scantling sawed
through cornerwise and nail these halves
into the corners, with a backing Of pa
per well painted in with gas tar.
In place Of two thicknesses Of boards
single surfaced No. 1 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 man
builds single ceiled silo six cornered
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-unhinged--se 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 walls Of the silo are finish
ed and painted with a paint made Of
threa quarts of gas tar and two quarts
of gasoline well mixed, taking care that
no fire comes near it in mixing or ap.
plying, the floor may be made by draw
ing 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 kettle. If well pounded down and
dampened in the operation, it 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. They hold almost 200 tons of
silage and did not cost 500. They fill
all the requirements of 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. The foregoing is from the pen Of
an Ohio correspondent of The American
Agriculturist He states, in conclusion,
that in the last six years he has not lost
by mold or decay 900 pounds of silage
along walls or in the corners, and since
he stopped covering and weighting the
top and simply wet the surface when
the heat begins to show itself with 10
or 10 pals of water, evenly distributed
over the top surface, the spoiled silage
on top has shrunk to less than wagon
box full