VERMONT AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 



Ill 



tarred paper placed over it on the inside, when the silo is 

 filled. 



The great value of the wire hooping- consists of the adap- 

 tation of the wire to the different silo needs. Pulled as close 

 as may be, these coiled wires will still give slightly as the 

 silo staves swell from contact with the silage. When the silo 

 is empty, and rod and band hoops are allowing the silo to ac- 

 tually fall down because the hoops cannot conform to circum- 

 stances, the fence hoops with their preat torsion keep the 

 staves closely together all through the dry months. The 

 strength of one of these hoops is enormous, 28 tons on one 

 wire alone, so that no fear need be held as to any weakness 

 of these hoops, if good hard wood clamps are used, and ends 

 made secure. 



Fig. 9 is an illustration of 

 how a silo can be pretty well 

 covered when built outside 

 of the barn, and at the same 

 time " stay it " so that there 

 will be no danger of being 

 blown over, which last isjthe 

 weak point of outside tub si- 

 los. The silo is placed 

 against the barn so that the 

 silage is thrown on to the 

 barn floor, practically. 2x4 

 stuff is fastened to silo side 

 and to the barn, and then 

 covered as shown, and so 

 makes about all the double 

 walling a silo needs, as the 

 danger and damage to silo 

 and silage by frost is greatly 

 overestimated. 



For a cover to protect the silage until wanted, nothing 

 has yet been devised that excels a cover made a few days after 

 the silo has been filled, by thorough tramping of the surface, 

 then putting on 100 gallons of water evenly over the surface, 

 and sowing on, and raking in, a bushel of oats, and growing 

 a cover. They will make rapid growth, soon die, fall down, 

 and together with the roots make an air-tight cover. 



