Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1916-05-01
THE STORY OF THE SILO
Farmers Are Taken Over County See Sos and Talk
Those Who Have Them. Owners Tell Experiences.

| and Glenwood Guernseys. Mr.. Powell
said that his material and hired labor
cost him 1887. He has no roof on the
silo at this price but the wall Is six
inches thick and perfectly sound. A
herd of 29 head of cattle is fed from
the silo during the winterS The sill is
empty now, but it is the plan to build
another silo u increase the capacity.
William G. Messersmith built his
concrete silo 1896 with 6-inch walls
at $3.50 and he furnished the gravel
and water on the ground. 1t was built
by contract by Rolley Howery, of
Meridian. The gravel was hauled
about three miles and would have cost
about s1.5l per ard If included in the
contract.
c. N. Dietz b lit a 5o-ton silo last
year, 10x31Aa with 5-inch walls at an
expense of s155 outside of his labor and
teams. At this point the question OF
the best dimensions of silo construc-
ton in relation the size of the herd
was brought up. State Leader Hoch-
baum said that for herd of 10 to 10
head of cattle, silo 10 feet across is
best because a email herd will not eat
off large enough layers from the top
each day to prevent the silage from
spelling. For a herd of 15 to 30 head
II to IA foot diameter is about right
]. M. Flack has a homemade silo OF
concrete and wood combined and says
that he finds that one gives as good
service as the other in keeping the ST.
lage. His silo is 1898 and cost 1910.
including all material and labor The
first six feet is OF concrete and the up
per 10 feet is OF 2x6 inch clear fir
slaves. The silage keeps as we'll in the
upper part O. the silo as in the lower
part. He feeds both beef and milk stock
with good results.
M. r. Pratt, just south of Boise, has
a Thermo or Van Hook silo. It is OF |
double wall construction, made by nail |
ing lath diagonaily to heavy studding
and another row of lath the opposite |
way over the first lath, then mailing |
heaYy wire over the lath. Cement is |
piastered over the outside. The inner |
wall Is made practically the same way |
with special coating added to the in
ner surface. The ladder is between the |
walls The sile is smooth and pretty /
out the outer wall shows slight tend /
ency to crack. "he silo has been built I
TWO years and has been filed three
times. Its capacity is $50 tons and it
cost S425 complete. including roof and
everything. 1t has given perfect salts
Iaction in Keeping the silage and the
walls will probably not crumble where
cracks have occurred The Idaho peni-
Tertiary has this kind of silo.
Representatives OF the Tung-I,ok
Slio company were with the excursion
ana demonstrated the form and con-
structton of their silo at Meridian
whe.e Agriculturist Williams served a
lunch to the farmers and the Co-opera-
tive Creamery company contributed |
cheese and crackers. The Tung-Lok
silo Is a wood silo that the farmer
builds himself, the manufacturer. selling
the timber specially grooved so that
one piece is laid upon another. The
construction II very simple.
There are two o.. three silos in the
county that have not given good salts
faction. but these were not visited.
Where poorly built, stave silos have
blown down. This is not an argument
against silos, but warning against
poor construction. Guy wires anchor
ed In a barn yard are liable to be used
as rubbing posts by the stock and are
ioosened or the silo Is twisted out of
shape. Poor concrete may erumhie or
crack. The state extension department
Is at the service of any farmer who in
tends t. build !. silo and will advise
and assist him as far as possible
There are very few silos in the state
that have not been FRO table invest
ments and stave siloa that have blown
down have been CONSTRUCTED n some |
cases and have been successfully OPP