Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1912-09-17
BUILDING A HOME.
MADE SILO.
BY M. L. King, Iowa Agricultural
Expert Station.

If an Iowa farmer cannot get ma
terial for either a masonry silo or
stave silo and he wants to erect
such structure at once, he may go
to the lumber yard and buy such ma
terials as is kept in stock and erect
homemade silo without waiting.
The Iowa Agriculture Experiment
Station has just completed the build
ing of such silo 12x32 feet on 3
foot foundation, at a cost OF all labor
and material, including chute and
roof, of $3.50.
The silo built is one known as a
wood hoop silo. 1t was originally
designed by J. F. Wells of Scottsville,
New York. That was eighteen years
ago. The scheme was not patented
and any farmer is at liberty to go to
his local lumber yard, buy the ma
terial and erect a structure.
The hoops constitute one of the
chief essentials in this silo. They
are made of three thicknesses of
four-inch siding nailed together with
overlapping joints and Bonded around
to make the required circle. First
class straight grained lumber should
De used. California red wood is often
the most endurable material
available. When the hoop is
finished it should be from three and
one-half to four inches wide and it
ought to be at least three inches
thick in order to resist the pressure
imposed upon it. The hoops are
placed three feet two and one-half
inches apart vertically with a few
braces between. The braces eliminate
the need of the scaffold, and hoops
make the silo much more rigid. They
are nailed in as shown in the illus
tration herewith. Each alternate pair
of braces is reversed so that the ends
will be nailed to the hoops directly
opposite each other and thus prevent
ing hoops from bending.
In erecting this silo it is simply
necessary to bolt one of the hoops to
the foundation flush with the inside,
set up the braces ready to receive
the next hoop, nail it so as to be di-
rectly over the lower one and pro-
coed in this way to the top of the
skeleton, placing the planks upon
each successive ring before taking up
the next. This should be guyed tenn
porarily and the flooring nailed on,
bracing all joints in good shape, an
choring securely by means of guy
wires or cables as is the case in any
other wood silo.
After the skeleton of hoops il
erected the flooring is nailed vertical
ly to these hoops on the inside. In
case better appearance and greater
warmth is required it may also be
sheathed outside with flooring. AS
seen in the illustration the door
jambs are simply constructed by plac-
ing two-inch material between the
hoops and sbraces on each side. The
doors may be made of any convenient
material, either of two-inch tongued
and grooved material placed horizon
tally or made up of any matched
lumber doubled with a wide beveled
cleat nailed vertical on the inside.
Another way of making the doors
would be to cross. the flooring with
tar paper between the two thickness
es. The doors may be either placed
directly against the door jamb set
flush with the inside of the door or
| rest against the inside of the sheath
ing at the door. A corner at the
edge of the door is avoided by plac
ing strip flush with inside Of tbs
door and 6eveled back to the wall.
When good roof is added the re-
suit is a very cheap and successful
home made silo, though not so per-
manent as a good masonry silo. This
silo is nailed together so that it does
not give trouble or loosen, ETC., as is
found in stave silos, and it is warmer
than stave silos, on account of the air
space.
The 12x32 foot silo at the Expert
ment Station was built on a three
foot foundation, making it 12xS5
foot silo. The best of lumber was
used in the hoops and inside sheath
ing and outside sheeting. The other
lumber was of medium grade. As
said before, the complete cost of all
labor and material, including the
chute and roof. did not exceed $3.50.
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