18 SILOS: CONSTRUCTION AND SERVICE 



exposed to destruction itself, but it also increases the danger 

 of fire spreading from one building to another. Ordinarily, 

 silage is not materially damaged by fire, but it is exposed to 

 decay after the silo is burned. 



On the contrary, a masonry silo built of concrete or clay 

 blocks is not subject to serious danger of damage by a fire. 

 Moreover, it does to a certain extent serve as a fire wall be- 

 tween other buildings, actually interfering with the spread 

 of fire from one building to another. 



FROZEN SILAGE 



Extent of Loss. The problem of reducing the quantity 

 of frozen silage is very important with every silo user. Froz- 

 en silage is not necessarily a loss, but it is of ten a serious incon- 

 venience. When thawed and fed soon after, it is practically 

 as good a feed as before it was frozen. The loss comes from 

 allowing it to stand exposed to the air too long after it is 

 thawed, causing it to rot. Thus the danger of loss depends 

 upon the amount of frozen silage that is allowed to accumu- 

 late. In most cases if frozen silage is taken from the wall 

 each morning and piled in the center of the silo it will be 

 thawed out by night. This of course depends largely upon the 

 severity of the weather and whether or not the roof is tight 

 and the door is kept closed. There is always sufficient heat 

 in the main mass of silage to thaw the usual amount of silage 

 frozen over night, provided this heat is not allowed to escape 

 through a poor roof or open door. 



How Heat is Lost. Heat may be lost from a silo in two 

 ways. One is by conduction away from the silage through 

 the wall. Plainly the amount of this loss will depend largely 

 and directly upon the kind of material of which the silo is 

 built. 



