GRAIN STORAGE 



studs prevent spreading of the walls. If only a very tempor- 

 ary structure is desired, the roof may consist of boards and 

 battens, but if the building is to serve for several years it 

 should have a shingle roof. The floor may be made of 

 plain square-edged boards I inch thick. 



Sometimes the walls of a crib of this kind are made 

 slanting so that the width at the bottom is 2 feet or more 

 less than the width at the top. The purpose in thus slanting 

 the walls is to protect the enclosed grain from water drip- 

 ping off the eaves, but it is doubtful whether the advantage 

 gained is worth while. The width of the crib will vary 

 according to the locality from 6 to 10 feet. In eastern states 

 it has been found impractical to have a greater width than 

 6 feet. In Indiana and Illinois, 8 feet is the common width, 

 while in Nebraska at the end oi the corn belt in a region 

 where the general humidity is less, a width of 10 feet has 

 been found to work satisfactorily. 



A LARGE GRAIN STORAGE BUILDING. 



In the heart of the corn belt some excellent corn cribs 

 are being constructed. A particularly good one embodying 

 a number of up-to-date features is shown in Figs. 7, 8 and 9. 



The crib is double, each side being 9 feet by 48 feet, 

 with a 14-foot driveway between. The walls are 16 feet 

 high to the eaves, and a half-pitch roof is used. The steep- 

 pitched roofs are desirable, since with a given wall height, 

 the steeper the roof the greater the crib capacity. The high 

 walls, too are an excellent feature; one can readily see the 

 advisability of them when the only additional expense of 

 the high wall is the additional studding and siding required, 

 for the same roof and floor will serve for a deep as well as 

 for a shallow bin. 



The floor is laid on a concrete foundation, heavy foun- 

 dation walls extending the full length of the building under 

 each row of posts. On these piers is laid a 2x6 sill and on 

 the sill 2x10 joists are laid 18 inches apart, to act as a direct 

 support to the floors, which are of i inch stuff. 



The framing of the superstructure is especially inter- 

 esting. By referring to the floor plan in Fig. 9, it is seen 

 that instead of the usual line of 2x6 studs, 2,y 2 or 3 feet part, 

 every fourth stud is replaced with a solid 6x6. These large 

 timbers are 8 feet apart, and in between each pair are located 

 three 2x6 studs, thus reducing the center to center distance 



Fourteen 



