FOURTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART V. . 267. 



are about the lasting of your silo, I don't know how long }-our 

 binder and other machinery would last. The hrst question asked 

 is, How long is it going to last? When a man builds a corncrib 

 he never talks about it. Up in Henry county, Illinois, there is 

 a silo built of three quarters inch flooring and has its flfteenth 

 crop of ensilage in it. If three quarters inch flooring will last 

 flfteen years in a silu, how long will 2 by 4 last? And as 

 far as the inside of the barn is concerned, it is as this preceding- 

 gentleman has stated — after the silo is emptied the staves spring 

 apart and the sunlight and air pass through, and that 2 by 4 is 

 just as free from decay as though piled up in your barn. It is 

 practically dry; no moisture can stay on these 2 by 4s. 



Question : Do you paint them ? 



Answer: Paint them with cold tar. Xo other paint will with- 

 stand the acid produced in the silage. No paint will withstand 

 it. Just ordinarv gas tar will cost you three or four dollars 

 a barrel. It is the best preservative for the silo that we know of. 



Question : What size posts do you use ? 



Answer : Four by 6. You may call that a corner post, if you 

 please, that is a cornier post of the silo. You put this up before 

 you start your silo, just the same as you would your barn, and 

 spike it. I tell you when your silo is done you can certainly see 

 there is no flat surface that the wind is going to get hold of, and 

 the consequence is it is one of the strongest buildings on the 

 farm, and the most profitable. 



Question: Do you have your joints beveled? 



Answer : No, sir ; take the lumber as it comes from the yard ; 

 the only precaution is, see that the stick holds its width through ; 

 do not have one end wide and the other narrow. 



]f you desire any further information I shall be \ery glad to 

 gi\e it to you here in the hall, after the meeting, or down at my 

 hotel. 



The President : We have a session of the National Dairy 

 Union this evening and I want to offer as an attraction that Mr. 

 Jules Lombard will be in attendance and will sing for you. I 

 believe you realize that the work of the National Dairy Union is 

 something in which you should all be interested, and I hope we 

 will have a good attendance at the meeting. 



