192 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



One of the types deserilK'd is .1 niiiial silo with wooden hoops which stands 

 ill the corner of a basement hnni mihI is s It. 4 in. in diameter and 30 ft. high. 

 The first ft. is of bricl<, and the iijtper ;]() ft. was constructed of 1 by 2i-in. 

 matched Norway pine flooring, held in place by 16 wooden lioops. The hoops 

 can be made of any wood that is toujrh and flexible enough to bend to the 

 required circle, but green elm is recommended for the purpose. The strips 

 should !)»> h in. in thickness and I in. wide. A special frame for building these 

 wooden hoops is described. 



In the erection of a concrete block silo the expense can be reduced by using 

 a homemade form for making the blocks. Both wooden and sheet iron forms 

 for building a solid concrete wall are considered in detail. The injurious action 

 of silage acids on the cement wall can be prevented by giving the inside wall a 

 thin coating of cement every year or two, which can be done at filling time with 

 very little trouble. A solid brick wall silo is expensive but the cost can be 

 materially reduced by using the double wall method reenforced by metal. 



Details are given for constructing foundations, doors, and roofs. Emphasis 

 is laid on the necessity of reenforcing the concrete and brick silos. The inner 

 surface of the superstructure should be placed flush with the inner edge of the 

 foundation to i)revent rotting of the silo at the joints. The cost of the roof 

 ranges from $2.^5 to .$50, but it is usually desirable in order to lessen the proba- 

 bility of freezing and also to keep out excessive rainfall. It is thought unwise 

 to build silos much larger than 22 ft. in diameter. A silo of only 8 or 10 ft. in 

 diameter should not be over 28 or 30 ft. in height. 



A list of publications on silos and silage published by this Department is 

 given. 



Combination laundry and dairy house, J. E. Bridgman {Texas Farm and 

 Ranch, 2S (1909), No. J/S, p. 15, fid. 1, dgm. /). — Plans are given and described 

 for a combination farm dairy and laundry. 



ETJRAL ECONOMICS. 



The relation of the farmer to the present high prices of cereals and bread, 

 R. J. Oswald (ll'/c/fjr Landw. Ztg., 59 (1909), No. 66, pp. 651, 6'5.?).— This 

 article gives statistics of the highest and lowest prices of wheat, rye, barley, 

 oats, and corn in Austria during each of the years 1869-1909, inclusive, and 

 discusses their bearing on the prices of bread. 



The farmer is shown to derive no benefit from the high prices of bread and 

 other products made from cereals, as, if any gi-eat profit is secured, it goes to 

 the middleman. The complexity of the social organization by means of which 

 the raw materials are passed through many hands before reaching the con- 

 sumer in the form of food supplies is held to be the cause of the high prices 

 of bread and other necessities to the consumer. To meet this difliculty, the 

 organization of cooperative mills and bakeries to bring producer and consumer 

 together is advocated, statistics being quoted to show that such cooperative 

 societies have been operated in cities with large profits. 



What we must do to be fed, J. J. Hill (WorUVs Work, 19 (1909), No. 1, pp. 

 12226 -1225.'t, fios. 22).— This is a popular article dealing with the problem of 

 our increasing population and lack of proportionate increase in our wheat 

 production. 



Among the remedies suggested are the establishment of a land system that 

 shall encourage bona fide settlers; the establishment of government model 

 farms; more intensive culture of farms; and the improvement of farm methods, 

 which means that a farmer must cultivate no more land than he can till thor- 

 oughly, and that there must be a rotation of crops, and soil renovation by 



