Morris tribune., 1914-08-28
CHEAP PIT STLO
ON KIRK FARM
GOOD UNDER CERTAIN
CONDITIONS,
Great Interest in SiIo Construc-
ton all over This Section.
Advantages and Disadvant-
ages of Underground SiIo
Discussed.

Considerable interest has been In |
evidence among farmers through out |
the various counties in this section in
the construction of silos, as a means
of preserving feed to make live stock I
production more profitable. County
agents have been gathering first hand
experience from large number of
silo owners, and county wide interest
in a number of counties has been
created in silo construction through |
automobile silo excursions in which
large numbers of farmers visited vari-
Gus types of silos to study relative
merits.
Many types of silos have been
found in each county. Among the
woods silos are the wood stave,
wood panel. King of Wisconsin silo,
the crib silo, wood with cement plast
er on the inside; many clay tile or
hollow clay block have been con-
structed: and among the cement types
are numerous cement block, cement
stave, and occasionally the solid wall
concrete or monolithic silo. Practi-
cally all types of these silo5 when
properly constructed are giving good
service.
1t has remained, however, for Ste
vens county to produce a type of sllo
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 pit or underground
silu, which was constructed, or put
down in the summer of 1913, by Mr..
G. F. Kirk, living about four miles
north of Morris. Other types of silos1
'Fare mainly above ground but this is.
almost if not entirely below the SUR
face.
A merit of this silo is its simplicity
of construction. The circumference
of the inner wall of the silo is laid
out, and as narrow trench as can be
dug, say six to eight inches wide, is
put down three feet just outsids the
circumference The inner wall of the
trench should be made perpendicular
and as smooth as possible. The walls
serve as "forms" to receive the con-
crete which is put into the trench
with good tamping. BY the follow
ing day when the concrete is we'll
S1set'' the earth inside the trench, or
wall of concrete. IS removed to a
depth of three feet and from this
point the excavation is continued in
line with the inside of the concrete
wall or curb. The excavations below
the curb are usually made three to
five feet at time and the walls plast-
cred in courses of two coats every ad-
ditional excavation. AS is evident
the walls are completely plastered
when the depth of silo that is desired
is reached. The floor ia then cement
p ed. This type of silo can be improved
by extending few feet above the
ground or In fact to any height de-
sired. Cement blocks or hollow clay
blocks, for example, can be used ad-
vantageously for this, and an ordinary
silo roof constructed.
Il is generally believed that the
use of the pit silo is limited to GER
tain dry regions or to construction un-
der quite favorable conditions. In
order that pit silo be success, the
- soil where it is located must be firm.
dry and we'll drained. Success with
pit silo in humi1 region ordinarily
would be likely to be quite indiff-
r. erenJ.
Nevertheless, Mr.. Kirk is having
spendid success with his silo due evid-
emily to the fact that he took advant-
age of favorable location for it
which is near a 40 or so foot bank
that affords both good surface and
subsurface drainage.
This silo is IA by 20 feet though it
is intended to deep it later. 1t was
built at cost of less than 500 in
cluding labor furnished IN the farm.
MIR. Kirk believes there are other good
types of silos, though from expert
ence both ia Nebraska and Minnesota
be feels that there are certain adj
vantages of the underground type.
TO quote from his statements some Of
its advantages are:
/. Its cheapness Of construction
2. Possibility Of constructing with
farm labor.
8. It's durability
A. Never blows down nor burns
up.