ENSILAGE. 493 



latter a decided preference. He states that that portion of the ensilage contained in the part 

 of the silo above ground was found spoiled on several occasions, while he has experienced no 

 such difficulty with the silos constructed entirely under ground. 



Mr. Stewart s Method of Constructing Concrete Silos. Mr. E. W. Stewart, 

 of Lake View, N. Y., gives his method of builing a concrete silo as follows: 



&quot; For a silo twelve feet by twenty feet (or longer) and fourteen feet deep, which would 

 hold seventy-two tons, or sufficient for ten cows six months with full rations, the concrete 

 wall should be fourteen inches thick at the bottom and ten inches thick at the top of the side 

 walls, with the bevel on the outside of the wall, and the end walls twelve inches thick top 

 and bottom, the inside being perpendicular and smooth, so that the plank covering may settle 

 with the ensilage. The concrete wall is stronger than ordinary stone wall, and for this short 

 silo fourteen inches at bottom is thick enough. It is not best to go any deeper in the earth 

 than can be well drained, and a trench should be cut on the outside of the wall, six to ten 

 inches deep all around, to carry off all water that may reach this depth. If the land around 

 the silo is nearly level, it is best to go only so deep that the bottom of the wall will be below 

 the frost. 



Having excavated the earth as deep as the wall is to go, fifteen feet wide and twenty- 

 three feet long, then set the standards for the boxes to form the concrete walls in. It will 

 require twenty standards three by six inches, fifteen feet long (if the walls are to be fourteen 

 feet high), of straight-grained timber. Those standards intended for the inside of the wall 

 should be joined straight on one edge, so that the wall may be made very straight and plumb 

 on the inside. There will be three standards upon each long side one at each corner and 

 one in the middle. 



The outer edges of these inside standards will be 1 1 feet 9 inches apart, and as the box 

 ing plank are 1 inches thick, this will bring the walls just 12 feet apart. The outside stand 

 ards will be opposite the inside, ones, and just three inches farther apart than the wall is thick, 

 so that when the planks are placed inside, it forms a box 14 inches wide at the bottom, and 

 the bevel, or slant, on the outside of the wall is made by bringing the outside standard 4 

 inches nearer the inside standard at the top. 



The end standards will be parallel with each other and 15 inches apart. These stand 

 ards are held together by nailing a lath under the bottom end, and a bracket across the top 

 end, holding the side standards 17 inches apart at the bottom, and 13 inches at the top. Then 

 when the standards are set up, and the inside standard plumbed very carefully, and both 

 stay-lathed to hold them firmly in position, and the standards placed all around the proposed 

 silo, it is all ready for fitting in the boxing-planks. 



These boxing-planks should be straight-grained hemlock or pine, 14 inches wide, l 

 inches thick, and may be the whole length of each side and end, or, if more convenient, the 

 sides may be two planks long, and the outside end plank will require to be 14 feet long, but 

 they may run by the ends of the side planks. 



The outside of the ends must be plumb, so that the outside plank of the long sides can 

 be raised, but for the end walls, being shorter, 1 2 inches thick is enough for strength, and 

 has the same material per foot of surface. When these boxing-planks are placed, there will 

 be a continuous box, 14 inches on the sides and 12 inches on the ends, around the silo. 



Water-lime concrete is the only concrete suitable for silos, as it requires a strong, air 

 tight, smooth wall, and one that can stand moisture to some extent. This kind of wall is 

 easily made air-tight, and is built cheaper than an ordinary stone- wall. It is only necessary 

 to use water-lime or cement enough to completely coat the particles of sand, so as to cement 

 them together, and this becomes a cement to fill in spaces among large gravel or between 

 stones. The cement is made by mixing one part of water-lime with four of fine sand, while 

 dry, so that the lime and sand can be evenly mixed. Then work it into mortar, and if you 



