IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO SILOS to be as follows:
Year: 1884

page_text: We JAMES HOWARD and EDWARD TENNEY BOUSFIELD, both of Bedford in the
County of Bedford, Engineers do hereby declare the nature of our invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO SILOS to be as follows:-
"
:-
Our invention relates to silos or receptacles for preserving grasses and other
succulent products in the green state for food. Hitherto it has been customary to
construct silos so that when filled with the produce to be preserved they can be
covered with boards, earth, or other more or less porous materials in such a manner
that the gases formed during the process of fermentation will rise through the said
covering.
Our improvements consist chiefly in providing a silo with an air-tight and readily
removable roof or cover.
This object we effect by forming a water trough, channel .or groove around the
top of the silo and constructing the roof or cover to dip into the liquid in this
groove; an air tight joint is thus secured between the roof or cover and the walls
of the silo.
Our improved silos may be made circular, square or of any other convenient
shape in plan, and our said improvements may be adapted to existing silos or
receptacles for ensilage.
The water groove we form in different ways according to the construction of the
silo. If the latter has brick walls we make special bricks which are trough-shaped
in transverse section; and which may be perforated to receive bolts to bind the
whole firmly together. The water groove or channel we sometimes form in cement
or concrete, and in other cases of metal plates; the inside edge should in all cases
be higher than the outside edge of the trough in order that the water may not
overflow into the silo.
The said roof or cover we propose to suspend from a crane or other device for
lowering or-raising the roof, or arrangements may be made for sliding the roof
horizontally on the walls of the silo.
The silo being filled in the usual way with the produce to be preserved, the cover
is lowered into the water groove or channel; the access of the external atmosphere
to the contents of the silo being then effectually prevented.

page_text: The gases resulting from the fermentation, instead of rising and escaping at the
top of the silo will pass downwards through the contents. thereof to an outlet
aperture which is at the bottom of the silo. Therefore the grass or material in the
silo is enclosed in a gaseous atmosphere, the product of fermentation, which is very
favourable to its preservation.
In some cases we propose to provide our improved silos with elevators for filling
them.

page_text: We, JAMES HOWARD, and EDWARD TENNEY BOUSFIELD, both of Bedford, in the
County of Bedford, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of our invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO SILOS" and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
Our invention relates to silos or receptacles for grasses and other succulent
products to be preserved in the green state, for food. Hitherto it has been
customary in the preparation of ensilage, to cover the green produce with boards or
other material (having weights upon the top of the same) to exclude the air, but
such coverings are inadequate for this purpose, and moreover the gases formed
during the process of fermentation escape through the same.
Our improvements consist chiefly in providing a silo with an air-tight and readily
removable roof or cover, our purpose being to dispense with the boards or other
materials heretofore used, and to obviate the necessity for weighting the substance
to be preserved in the silo, thus saving much labour and preventing injury to the
upper portion of the ensilage.
According to our invention we form a trough, channel, or groove around and at,
or below, the top of the silo, and construct the roof or cover of metal or other
impermeable material with edges that dip into liquid or other substance in this
groove.
Our silos may be made circular, square, or of any other convenient shape, and
we may adapt our said improvements to existing silos or receptacles for ensilage.
In the accompanying drawing we have illustrated the application of our improve-
ments to the roofs or covers of two differently constructed silos.
Figure 1 is a vertical section of a silo the walls of which are of masonry.
Figure 2 is a transverse section of a peculiarly formed brick used in the con-
struction of the said silo.
Figure 3 is a vertical section of a silo built of iron.
Figure 4 is a transverse section of a portion of a silo shewing a modification of
our invention.
a, a are the walls or sides of the silo, b is the roof or cover formed of iron or
other suitable material, and c is the aforesaid groove or channel.
When the silo has walls of masonry, as shewn in Figure 1, we use for the forma-
tion of the groove or channel specially formed bricks & which are trough-shaped in
transverse section, as shewn in Figure 2, and we usually form holes through them
as shewn at d for the reception of bolts to bind the whole of the bricks forming
the trough firmly together. In some cases we form the said groove, channel, or
trough of cement or concrete, and in other cases of metal as shewn in Figure 3, but
in all instances the inside edge d' should be higher than the outside edge d³ of the
trough, as shewn in Figure 3, so that no water can flow over the said inner edge
into the silo.
The roof or cover b may be constructed in any suitable manner; its construction
as shewn in the drawing is very convenient for our purpose. We propose to

page_text: suspend it from a crane or other apparatus which will afford the means for con-
veniently lowering and raising it when required. In some instances, we make
provision for removing and replacing the roof by sliding it horizontally on the
walls of the silo.
The silo being filled in any convenient manner with the substance to be pre-
served, the cover b is lowered into its place so that its edges rest in the groove or
channel c, as shewn in Figures 1 and 3. The water in the said channel forms a seal
which prevents the access of the external atmosphere to the contents of the silo.
The gases resulting from the fermentation, instead of rising and escaping at the
top of the silo, pass downwards through the contents thereof to an outlet aperture
which is at the bottom of the silo. Therefore the grass or material in the silo is
enclosed in a gaseous atmosphere, the product of fermentation, which is very favor-
able to its preservation.
As an alternative method of making an air-tight joint between the cover and the
trough or channel, for instance in places where the high temperature of the atmo-
sphere would cause a rapid evaporation of the water in the said trough, we use sand
or other finely powdered or similar material instead of water.
In adapting our invention to an existing building, such as a barn, to convert the
same into a silo, we sometimes find. it desirable to have the trough or channel,
which receives the edges of the roof or cover, fixed to the inner surface of the walls
or sides of such building below the top of the walls.
Figure 4 is an illustration of this application of our invention.
In some cases we provide our improved silos with elevators for filling them.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
First. A silo provided with an air-tight cover for the purposes specified.
Second. The construction of silos, with a groove or trough to contain water or
other suitable substance, for the purpose of making an air-tight joint with the roof
of the silo, substantially as set forth.
Third. A trough-shaped brick, substantially as described for the purpose specified.