8 



' SILOS: 'CONSTRUCTION AND SERVICE 



higher than this, unless extra precautions are taken in guying. 

 With the masonry silo, the practical height is not less than 

 40 feet. 



Development of the Round Silo. The original silos were 

 built square or rectangular, but upon developing the high 

 silos it was found that a large amount of silage spoiled in the 

 corners. This lead to the boarding up of the corners with 

 straight boards, making an octagonal silo; or bent lumber 

 was used, making it round. This was a great improvement, 

 but was only an intermediate step in the development of the 



round silo, which, during 

 the later part of the '80 's, 

 became quite common. 



Improvement of Door 

 and Door-Frames. At first 

 the round silo had only 

 one door at the bottom, or 

 none at all, all silage being 

 lifted over the top It was 

 gradually learned that 

 doors could be maae as 

 tight and smooth as the rest of the wall, and then silos be- 

 came common with doors placed at more or less conven- 

 ient intervals. In the square silos the doors were made 

 continuous, just as in a grain bin. Likewise, in the early 

 '90's, continuous doors became common in what is known 

 as the Wisconsin or sheeted silo. It was only necessary to 

 place rods across the doors to prevent the jambs from 

 spreading. It was not quite such a simple matter to build 

 continuous doors in the stave silos; therefore they were 

 seldom used prior to 1896. Later a patent was issued cover- 

 ing this feature, and the use of continuous doors in stave silos 

 has been more or less involved in litigation. 



Fig. 1. Construction 

 square silo. 



dutails oi 



