se;kd improvement meeting. 237 



Directions for the erection of patented stave silos are usually 

 sent with these silos. Each piece of lumber is usually num- 

 bered so that the farmer should have no great difficulty in put- 

 ting the silo together. 



THE HOME MADE SILO. 



In conclusion, I am going to tell you about building a home- 

 made silo — a silo for the small dairyman who is trying to get 

 on his feet. It is true that this silo may cost more in the end 

 than a permanent structure of concrete might cost. It may 

 represent as many dollars invested as would a patented stave 

 silo, but it does not call for the actual cash outlay. 



My attention was called to this home-made stave silo several 

 years ago by a dairyman in Penobscot county. While the silo 

 may not be very long lived, especially if placed outdoors, it 

 has given sufficient satisfaction so others have been built in 

 the same neighborhood. 



A silo 12 feet in diameter and 20 feet high needs 10 hoops of 

 5-8-inch round iron. This means 10 holes in each side of the 

 aoor frame and 20 holes in the post at the back. The hoops are 

 made in two sections each, threaded for 6 inches on each end. 

 The door frame and middle post are stood in place on the 

 foundation and held by braces. Two or three hoops are put in 

 place, the staves stood up inside, and fastened by cleats of laths 

 or barrel staves. The other hoops are put in and all tightened. 



For lumber, this 12 x 20 ft. silo requires 105 staves 4 inches 

 wide and 20 feet high, three 6 x 6 in. x 20 ft. posts, two 6x6 

 in. X 22 ft., and about 75 feet of i-in. boards. The door is 

 made of pieces of i-in. board, which are 4 inches longer than 

 the width of the doorway, this latter being usually 18 inches. 

 Two thicknesses of i-in. board are used with a laver of build- 

 ing paper between, taking care these pieces of board break 

 joints. 



The objection to this type of silo is lack of permanence and 

 the amount of care it requires. As the staves are square, they 

 touch only on the inner corners. This leaves cracks outside 

 where decay starts. The silo dries during the summer, and the 

 hoops must be tightened to keep it from falling down. In spite 

 of these two objections, this type of silo will serve to help the 



