EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 251 



THE MARTIN GOULD SILO. 



Tn the vicinity of Brown City there are six solid wall cement silos 

 owned by as many different farmers but all built by Jacob Witmer of 

 r>rown City. In their construction steel forms were used. A brief 

 description will be of interest. 



Fig. 14 offers a view of one of these silos which is owned by Martin 

 Gould, who resides three miles northwest of Brown City. It was built 

 in the summer of 1908, has an inside diameter of 12 feet 2 inches and 

 the wall stands 35 feet high, 5 feet of it below the ground. The wall 

 is 12 inches thick at the base and 5 inches thick at the top. The inner 

 surface of the wall is kept perpendicular, the outer surface tapers in- 

 ward toward the top because of the gradual contracting of the outer 

 form. The floor and wall rest upon the hard clay bottom of the 5 feet 

 8 inch excavation. 



The doorways, of Avhich there are six, are 20 inches x 28 inches. There 

 are no door frames. The doors, made of two thicknesses of matched 

 pine, are carried in shoulders moulded in the doorways at the time of 

 building and just deep enough to receive the doors. To exclude the air 

 an inch piece of felt is placed between the edge of the door and the 

 shoulder in the doorway. 



The proportion of cement to sandy gravel in the wall is 1 to 7. The 

 wall was reinforced by laying in No. 9 wire every 12 inches. 



The floor is 8 inches thick, was laid very wet and without tamping. 

 The proportion of cement to sandy gravel being 1 to 8. 



The inner surface of the wall was not plastered but instead was 

 thoroughly washed with a good cement wash, as was also the floor. 



The plate, built of 2 x 8 material and held in place by i/o inch x S 

 inch bolts imbedded in the Avail, carries the roof. The rafters, eight in 

 number, are constructed upon the self supporting plan. The lower sec- 

 tion of the rafter is 5 feet 5 inches long. 'The upper section is 5 feet 

 4 inches long. The rafters in place meet at the center and are covered 

 with % inch sheeting, which in turn is covered with rubberoid. 



In the lower section of the roof (see Fig. 14) is seen a door, 18 inches 

 X 20 inches, through which silage material is introduced. 



The materials used in the construction of this silo are as follows: 

 37 barrels of cement, 

 52 cubic yards (35 loads) of sand, 

 100 pounds of No. 9 Avire, 

 3 pieces 2x8x14 feet, for plates, 

 8 pieces 2x4x12 feet, for rafters, 

 280 feet sheeting for roof, 

 2 rolls rubberoid. 

 The labor expended in the work is estimated as follows : 



36 days (4 men, 9 days) excavating and cement work. 

 7 days (2 men, 31/2 days) building roof and doors. 

 3 days, horse to operate mixing machine. 

 This does not include hauling of sand and other material. 

 Total estimated cost of this silo, $202.00. 



Fig. 15 shows the outfit used in the construction of this silo. It is 

 owned by the Concrete Building and (construction Company of Brown 

 City. A similar outfit is owned by M. G. Burbank of Eau Claire, Mich. 



