Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-03-04
The .S'tyawpile
tn. Cheapest silo 70 Build.

. 81 ii & 3 + - q. 3
The chsapsst siIo TO Build.
Farmers often ask: what Is the
cheapest silo to build?"
That all depends upon local condi-
tions, and cheapness Of construction
does not always mean cheapness Of
storing and keeping silage. The cheap
est silo is the one that Is reasonable in
first cost, and at the same time will
preserve silage well under ordinary
conditions. Other things considered,
the air-tight silo is the cheapest in the
end, as 1t will save enough more
silage in few years to more than pay
its tirst cost Of construction. A leaky
silo that has a lot of spoiled silage
around the edges every year Is very
expensive building, a real money loser.
No silo can be called good unless it
preserves silage almost perfectly under
normal conditions when it has been
filled properly.
Thousands of wooden or stave silos
are in use all over this country. They
are giving good satisfaction, and
farmers are making money with them.
In many cases, they are the cheapest
and best kinds that can be erected and
used. Concrete, vitrifed tile and other
imperishable materials are coming into
general use in silo construction. These
kinds of silos are usually much more
expensive to construct than wooden
silos, altho they are cheap in the end,
since they last much longer
The cheapest silo farmer can build
will depend upon local conditions
mainly. The monolithic concrete silo
shown here was constructed very
cheaply, and it Is constructed well and
is highly serviceable. 1t keeps silage
perfectly, which is supreme test or
usefulness. This monolithic, or solid,
concrete silo, which is sixteen feet In
diameter by forty feet high, was con-
structed last summer at total cost
of $235, including the rent or forms,
$25. On farm ten miles away q
wooden silo twelve feet in diameter
and thirty-six feet high, was con-
structed at about the same time at
total cost of $500. The concrete siio
holds practically twice as much as the
wooden silo, and costs only one-half
las much, which, figuring its carrying
capacity, makes it about four times as
cheap as the wooden silo. And, be-
sides this, the concrete keeps sllage
perfectly while some Silage around the
edges spoiled in the wooden s1lo
spoken of. Hence, the concrete slio
is more than four times as cheap as
the wooden one, all points considered.
Now, the reason that the solid con-
crete silo was constructed 50 cheaply
Is because the farmer had abundance
of sand and gravel on his farm. He
paid nothing for these materials. and
the haul was very short, both reduc-
ing cost. The farmer who erected the
wooden silo at the same time could
not have built concrete silo cheaply
because he had no sand and gravel on
his farm, and he would have been
obliged to purchase these materials
and haul them a long distance. To him,
then, the stave silo was the cheapest
kind he could build, at least for first
cost on construction. His local con-
ditions were different from the farmer
who built the solid concrete silo.
For the farmers who have sand and
gravel on their farms or who can Sc
cure these materials close at hand at
reasonable prices, solid or block con-
crete silo is by far the cheapest and
best kind that can be built and used.
This kind Of silo Is not only durable
erations, but it requires no painting
and repairing. It will be as strong and
tight at the end Of twenty years as 1t
was the day 1t was completed, perhaps
stronger and tighter. 1t hardens ana
toughens with age It Is resistent to
strong winds, never falling down even
under the pressure of a cyclone when
empty, another good point in its IA
vor. But perhaps the greatest point In
its economical excellence Is that II
contains no cracks to let in air to spoil
silage, q big objection to all wooden
structures unless they are carefully
constructed, painted and delicatly ad-
iusted. The silo that saves a Few tons
of silage more each year than ordln-
airy ones will soon pay for itself.
Special expensive forms are used in
a solid concrete silo.
set of forms for this purpose costs all
the way from 5000 to $500, as much as
an ordinary completed silo. The forms
are too expensive for single farmer
TO own for the erection Of his own
silos. unless he is able to rent them
out to neighbors, as some do who own
them.
In neighborhoods where gravel and
sand are cheap and plentiful and solid
concrete silos are popular, either a
group of farmers own a set of forms In
or contractors own the
forms and build the silos for farmers
by contract. The price for this con-
tract work is usually about $40 foot
for a silo IL feet in diameter. Thus.
silo by contract complete, 40 feet high
would cost $500. Where the farmer is
handy with tools and can do his own
hauling and part or all Of the actual
work of construction, he can cheaper
the cost of construction considerably
after paying rent for forms, as did the
farmer whose concrete silo Is shown IN
the picture here.
In sections where forms cannot be
purchased comparatively nor rented, It
will be cheaper to make concrete
blocks and build block. silos. where
sand and gravel are handy with short
hauls.-P. p. L,
Rural Items.
For pasture, Nebraska farmer
commends rye AS safe and
efficient II it is to be followed by
corn in the spring, he suggests the kind
of blowing which covers well, else the
rye plant will become a weed. Keep
dairy cows Off it.
About 60 per cent Of the sheep raised
in the west are brought up on the ma
tional forests.