The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1914-08-28
Interest In Pit
Slo Construction
Relative Merits of Various Types
Of Silos Are Being Studied
BY All Farmers

in evidence among farmers
through out the various coun-
ties in this section, in the con-
struction Of silos, as a means of
preserving feed to make live
stock production more profitable.
County Agents have been gath
ering first hand experience
from large number Of silo
owners and county wide interest
in number of counties has been
created in silo construction
through automobile silo excur-
sions in which large numbers Of
farmers visited various types OF
silos to study their relative merit
Many types Of silos have been
found in each county. Among
the would silos are the wood
stave, wood panel, King or Wis
consin silo, the crib silo, wood
with cement plaster on the in
side; many clay tile or hollow
clay block have been construct
ed; and among the cement typ
es are numerous cement block,
cement stave and occasionally
the solid wall concrete or mono
lithic silo. Practically all types
Of these silos when properly con-
:structed are giving good service.
S 1t has remained, however, for
Stevenson County to produce a
type Of silo different from any
mentioned above which, so far
as the writer has learned, is the
only one Of its kind in Mime
sofa. This is the p'4 or under
ground silo, which was COM
structed, or put down in the
summer Of 1913, by Mr.. G. F.
Kirk, living about four miles
north Of Morris. Other types Of
silos are me;nly above the
ground but this is almost if not
entirely below the surface.
A merit Of this silo is the simp-
licity of construction. The cir
cumference of the inner wall Of
the silo is laid out, and as mar
row a trench as can he dug, say
six to eight inches wide, is put
down three feet just outside the
circumference. The inner wall
of the trench should be made
perpendicular and as smooth as
possible. The walls serve. as
''Nforms' to receive the concrete,
which is pu- into the trench
with good tamping. By the fol-
lowing day when the concrete is
we'll "set'' the earth inside the
trench, or wall Of concrete, is
removed to depth Of three feet
and from this point the excava'
ton is continued in line with
the inside Of the concrete wall
or curb. The excavations
below the curb are .susqlales:
ly made three to five feet at a
time and the walls plastered in
courses Of two coats every adj
ditional excavation. As is evil
dent the walls are completely
plastered when the depth OF
silo that is desired is reached.
The floor is then cemented. This
type of silo can be improved by
extending few feet above the
ground, or in fact to any height
desired. Cement blocks or hol-
low clay blocks, for example, can
be used adyantageously for this,
and an ordinary silo roof con-
structed.
It is generally believed that
the use of the pit silo is limited
to certain dry regions or to- con-
struction under quite favorable
conditions. In order that a pat
silo be a success, the soil where
it is located must be firm, dry
and we'll drained. Success with
~ pit silo in humid region or
dinarily would be likely to be
quite indifferent.
Nevertheless, Mr.. Kirk is hav-
ing splendid success with his silo
1lue eNdentally to the fact that
he took advantage Of a favorable
1..o4:o,, o. - yuh;nL 80 moor a