Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-10-16
nuILo1NG THE srLoA


these notes who are this year planning
to build a silo. While there are
number Of different designs for build
Ing them and many OF them have CIV
en- very satisfactory results, we de-
,, scribe here somewhat In detail the
plans Of 200 ton capacity silo which
has recently been built on a big dairy
farm within few miles of the writ
er's home. It furnishes most of the
winter ration for herd Of 100 pure
bred Jersey cows and was built ac-
cording to the best specifications that
could be secured. The foundation con-
sists Of circular stone wall two feet
thick and measuring twenty feet i'll
diameter from outside to outside. This
is set about three feet and half be-
low the surface Of the ground, the bot
tom of the silo proper consisting Of six
inches Of gravel, packed down and fin
ished with cement, much after the
manner Of the ordinary cement walk.
The top Of the wall is made perfectly
level, being finished in cement, as is
also the inside of the wall The tower
| which rests ON this wall sets in about
| six inches, which. gives it an outside
| diameter Of about nineteen feet. 1t is
thirty feet high and is made Of 6 by 6
timbers tongued, grooved and beveled,
bought finished aud ready to put to-
gether. Any good creamery supply
house can furnish them. In putting
together the slaves are made to vary
in length and lap SO as to stifren
and strengthen the structure. Section
al iron rod hoops are used to hold the
framework together. When this is in
i place the shoulder left on the inside
and on top Of the wall is covered with
| bevel Of cement extending up on to
the tlmbers about four inches, SO as to
make an air tight joint. The silo in
question Is finished with cone shaped,
water tight roof and is stayed with
guy wires to prevent overturning by
the wind. 70 counterfeit possible air
leaks the interior is lined with tar pa
per. The product from about thirty
acres Of corn is required to fill the silo,
on which cutting Is begun about d
week before the time OF harvesting fof
ordinary dry fodder The last corn put
In the silo may be little too ripe, but
this does not matter. Where help can
be had the most satisfactory way is
to have man inside to scatter and
tramp the silage down as it is deliv-
cred from the elevator. If help is
short oil hands may turn in after half
a days cutting and level and tramp
down. The way in which the silage
will keep depends much upon the man
ner in which this work is done There
are eleven openings three feet square,
one above another, on the side of. the
/ silo nearest the barn, the doors being
beveled and fitted to the opening SO
that the pressure from within will
make them fit the tighter. In case a
silo Of smaller capacity is desired these
plans could be easily reduced. The
silage is the best possible food for
the dairy ration, but the owner Of this
silo finds 1t excellent for the stock in
the field lot.
UNSATISFACTORY CREAM TESTS.
Experience Of individual sellers of
cream, together with the evidence Of
those who are at present looking into
the question with q definite object in
view, seems to go to prove that the
Babcock tests as used in many of the
creameries Of the country are very TAR
from satisfactory, and, while the diff
Guilty may not be due to a desire on
the part of buyers to be dishonest the
system of testing Is decidedly unrelia-
BILE and unsatisfactory. Samples of
the same batch Of cream sent to differ
ent factories will show wide varia-
ton in the amount of butter fat. In
almost every case the test mentioned
results in advantage to the buyer, many
Instances being noted where the buy
er's test showed from eight to ten
pounds less butter to 100 pounds OF
cream than shown by the churn
Where none of the patrons Of the COIN
pany are holders of Its stock, every
man Of them Is Systematically feeced
and with little opportunity for re-
dress. With cooperative creameries
the stakeholder patrons are themselves
the benehciaries, the profit made from
the low Babcock test In the case OF
those who are patrons and not stock.
holders often serving to cover the cost
Of making the whole output Of the
creamery. The only way out for the
sufferers from situation such as the
one described is to secure stock in 9
cooperative concern or make united
protest to the managers Of the com
| III TT y AZ. 80 rrS
abuse mentioned is simply graft that
is worked under the guise of what has
heretofore been supposed to be an au
thoritative and scientific method OF
testing, and evidence piling up woult
seem to indicate that before long there
will be radical change.
THE CRAZE FOR LAND.