Silo Construction in Nebraska 



13 



crete, another is to build it of cement blocks, and the third is to 

 set up metal lath on the foundation and plaster concrete onto 

 the inside and outside of this. It is always well to have pit silos 

 about three feet above ground, as this obviates danger of stock 

 falling into them. 



The device used by most people for removing the earth is 

 either half barrels fixed up in the form of buckets, or boxes with 

 a trip in the bottom so that the bottom will drop down. These 

 boxes are suspended from a hay carrier car and track which in 

 turn is supported by pole tripods. 



If the ground is not of a uniform texture, it is generally better 

 to wall a pit silo with some heavier material than plaster. To 



Fig. 3. Illustrating the va- 

 rious stages of excavation 

 of semi-pit silo. 



do this, metal lath can be tacked onto the ground and concrete 

 plastered onto this, or a form can be built and a concrete wall 

 erected, or one can use brick. 



REMOVING THE SILAGE. 



There are three or four schemes in use for removing the silage 

 from pit silos. One is by hoisting it hand over hand in baskets 

 or buckets, another is by dropping a box into the silo thru an 

 opening in the roof and hoisting out by means of a hay fork car 

 and track, while a third method is to arrange a hoisting device 

 similar to the hoisting device used in the country store elevator. 



