The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1915-09-10

six inches thick, the adobe will lap
onto the ground on the outside. In
digging, we left an inch or two on
the outside to be cut down with the
trimming tool. This tool was made
by boiling an 81" shaped knife on
the end of a 2x4, then measuring
from the knife half the diameter of
| the silo, plus one-half inch, to allow
for plaster, on the 2x4 and bored
hole to fit the pipe in the center of
the silo. Then, by bracing, the 2x4
is held in a horizontal position and
by swinging it around the pipe the
walls will be trimmed perfectly
smooth and perpendicular. The edge
of the knife should be set to draw
into the wall slightly. If the ground
is very dry and hard, some difficulty
will be experienced in making the
knife cut, but in ordinary soil the
trimming is an easy job. If you
should find the ground too hard to
trim with the knife, then use it as a
guide to trim with the pick. We were
Obliged to do this the last four feet of
our last silos.
For hosting the dirt, we erected
crane and placed it so the arm would
swing over either of the two silos and
then swing outside to deposit the dirt.
We used tub made from a half of a
coal-oil barrel in which to hoist the
dirt. We had a blacksmith put a
heavy band Of iron under the tub ex-
tending up three-fifths the way on
each side. The ends of this hand were
formed into eyes for the bail. The bail
was made from A-inch round iron and
was made large enough to so that the
tub could turn bottom up inside Of the
bail. If the bail is properly attached,
the tub can be emptied with little eff
fort. We attached a hook to the back
OF road scraper so we could use the
same team to haul away the dirt that
we used to hoist dirt out of the silo.
| We would load the scraper, then at
tach the rope to the hook on the back
of the scraper, then drive the team I'D
until the tub was above the silo, then
swing the tub out and dump it, swing
it back over the silo, release the rope
from the scraper and let it down by
hand. The team will learn very quick
ly what is expected of them, so they
will not need a driver while hosting
the tub. The loaded scraper will re-
lieve the team of the necessity of hold
ing the tub while it is being emptied.
In this way one man and team can
keep two men busy digging even when
| the dirt spades easily If the digging
is hard, one man can haul the dirt
considerable distances and still keep
the two men busy. We used the dirt
to NIL in the low places in our barn
yard.
When we made our first silos we
completed the digging before we plas-
tered. This necessitated making
staging. This we did by making
round platform and hanging it from
the top. The last silos we plastered
as we went down. We would dig six
or seven feet and then plaster and
then work to the other silo while the
plaster was setting. We mixed the
plaster one of cement to three of
sand. We woud plaster three or
four yards then go over it with
second coat This is in effect two
coat work, but by putting both coats
on at once it makes better work,
When the plaster is hard enough so
it will not be marred by the brush
we gave it a coat of pure cement and
water mixed about as thick as paint,
This was applied with a white-wash
brush The brush voat should be ap-
piled before the plaster is too hard to
absorb the water from the cement.
The particles of cement are thus
drawn into the pores of the plaster
and makes much stronger plaster,
besides being much more impervious
to water or air. The plaster should
not be allowed to dry for several days.
1t 1t dries too soon it will not be so
hard and is liable to crack.
The adobe portion should be thor
oughly dried before the plaster is ap-
Piled, otherwise it will crack. If the
walls OF the silo are dry it is best
to sprinkle them before plastering.
In cold weather the silos should be
covered to prevent the fresh plaster
from freezing. A few very cold nights
we put on oil heater in our silos when
the plaster was green. We did not
plaster bottoms of silos.
Removing Ensilage.
For removing the ensilage from
siloS we attached MINDLESS to the
same crane we used for hosting dirt.
We have the crane so placed that the
arm will swing over any of the four
silos. We made an ensilage cart with
sheet-iron box in which to hoist the
ensilage, This cart will hold over
i've hundred pounds of ensilage or
sufficient to feed twelve or fourteen
cows a full days feed We lower this
cart into the silos, fill it, and then
draw it up by means of the windlass.
On the cement feedway, it is no
trouble to push this cart in front of
the cows. We enter the silos by
means OF an extension ladder The
COW barn has been extended over the
siloss SO they are all under the same
roof.
Cost.
Cost OF materials of two silos built
in 1912 as follows:
SO sacks cement .........S 10 ~
Crane and tub for hosting dirt 1000
Ensilage cart aforementioned. 500
WindlaSS attached To crane 2n1