DAIRY MEETING. 149 



silos, whether of wood or stone. If the silo is to be outside, 

 I should recommend the type of foundation marked "A," as 

 there the wood material is well above the ground and flush 

 with the outside of the foundation, so that moisture will not 

 collect at the bottom of the woodwork on the outside and cause 

 early decay. The inside is well beveled off so that the silage is 

 permitted to settle quite uniformly. The type of foundation 

 marked "B" is a good one for inside silos, as it is more roomy 

 than type "A," there is less outside pressure on the walls, and 

 less seepage at the juncture of wood and foundation. 



In case the silo is to have sills see that there are bolts em- 

 bedded in the foundation, extending up so as to pass through 

 the sills and hold them firmly in place. In the construction of 

 the stave silo, this is not necessary, as hoops will maintain the 

 shape of the silo, while the foundation extending up beyond 

 the woodwork either on the inside or the outside will hold the 

 structure in place. 



The third point is to hair as fciv comers as possible. If it 

 is necessary to build a square silo in your barn, see to it that 

 there are no sharp corners. You can distribute your silage 

 much more evenly and have a much more uniform silage to 

 feed if this is done. 



Make the silo air-tight. This is one of the most important 

 points in the construction of the silo. Even a hole as large as 

 that made by an eight-penny nail will oftentimes cause the 

 decay of at least a bushel of silage around that hole, and will 

 give a disagreeable taste to a great many bushels more. 



If the silo is not an open-top structure, it should be well 

 ventilated. This one thing will oftentimes improve the con- 

 dition of the silage. 



The silo may be square, rectangular or round. It can be 

 built of stone or cement, brick or wood, but I shall discuss today 

 only the wooden stave silo. I take this type because it is a silo 

 which can be used at first to advantage by all men. It is the 

 silo that the beginner ought to put up. . The man who is un- 

 acquainted with silos and silage ought to build the round stave 

 silo, and in that way get acquainted with silo conditions. Then, 

 because of the small expense of construction, it can be dis- 

 carded and a more expensive structure put up in its place. The 

 outward pressure of the silage while settling is very great. It 

 is about eleven pounds to the square foot, per feet of depth. 



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