The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1908-04-03
Farm Facts
Building a Cement silo.

our barn stands on a hill sloping to
the south, and has Il basement eight
feet III the clear u1ude it. and in this
is stable room for 40 COWS n eight
horses. The silo stands on the north
side of the barn, three feet back from
the wall and is connected with the feed
alley which runs between the two rows
of cows by an entrance cut through the
rear wall of the basement. When we
built the silo we first dug a circular
hole for 1T l6i. feet in diameter and 10
fee, deep. This made the bottom of
the silo two feet lower than the floor
-! the feed alley. In this hole or pit
we set up eight studding to hold up
the bands which sustain the inner
shell or form.
These bands We're made of thin pieces
of Eastwood, hent to a circle of tho
proper size and nailed together, until
when finished the bands We're about
tour inches wide and one and one-half
inches thick. We used two bands for
the inside shell and the same for the
outside shell. The shell was made of
slaves by $ Inches and &c inches long.
We obtained the SAND and gravel at a
pit about a mile from the farm at q
rcst of 3 cents per load. 1t was mixed
about the proper proportion of each in
the pit. about two parts of sand and
three OF gravel and this we mixed with
the Portland cement at the rate of five
parts sand and gravel to one part of
cement. Ii was thoroughly mixed dry
and then Wet down until it would pour
easily.
In the part of the silo wall below the
surface of the ground we used a good
many loads of stones, some hard heads.
some broken limestone. being careful
I" keep the stone back at least AN inch
from the shell so that the cement
would MI in nicely between the stone
and the shell and leave a smooth wall.
AS the lengt of our slaves was ONLY
three feet we could buiid a section of
the wall three feet high Zach day and
allow the cement to set over night, and
the next day raise the shell up for an
other section. Thus the wall grew at
the rate of three feet per day. When
we reached the surface of the ground
we put on the outer she'll. fastening il
TO the inner she'll with three-eighths-
men bolts through the bands. These
bolts We're removed each evening be-
fore the cement set too hard and the
holes filled up the next morning. In
the part of the wall above the ground
we used about 100 pounds of No. 3
Wire, twisted into u cable
OF three strands and bedded in the
wall to reinforce it.
We put our doors in the wall next
to the barn. The frames We're made of
t"o-lnch stuff and We're built into the
wall as 1T went up and placed one
above the other equal distances apart.
~ N'O'AS LIZ tldpe vi iNp-DIN one
men stuff and are 20 by 80 inches. The
walls OF the silo are nine inches thick
at the bottom and seven inches at the
top, the taper being made on the out
SIDE. We used IS barrels of Portland
cement, costing $l.60 each, a total of
s6o.SO: so loads sand and gravel. So:
100 pounds wire. So; lumber for shells
and doors, SO: or Il total of $3.50.
When completed the silo stands 2Sl.
feet nigh and 10 feet in diameter in the
though [ think it would look better
with a roof. Yet it keeps the silage
perfectly and there is no loss from
spelling. The COWS eat the silage all
up clean except the hard joints of the
stalks. This is the third time we have
filled it and the walls of the silo are as
nard as stone and have not 81 crack or
flaW anywhere and | see no reason
why they should. not last Indefinitely.
~ Is a very satisfactory thing, especi-
so much soft corn. All the corn we
used to fiji it with would have been
soft If 1t had been left in the field to
be husked out.
III We're to build another silo.
would leave out the wire reinforcing as
l do not think it is necessary and would
use q shell or form made of galvanized
iron instead of wood. | think it would
be easier to handle While the silo
dld not cost much in money to build.
1t took lots of hard work and caused
many a backache before we got all the
mixing done and the last of it elevated
to the top, but ] think the result has
repaid all the effort put forth, for we
nave a silo that won't blow down, burn
up or the tooth of time destroy and one
that keeps silage perfectly.
do not know as l have made nlain
how we built the silo, but | think any
farmer with a little 'knack at doing
things" could easily build one as good
or better than mine.-F. G. Shepherd
in Wallaces' Farmer.