Silos: Construction and Service 



CHAPTER I 

 EARLY DEVELOPMENT 



Origin. The silo probably originated in the southern 

 part of Europe somewhat previous to 1845. 



Subsequent Development. The first silos used were 

 simply pits in which green fodders were packed and covered 

 with earth. Later these pits were made more permanent 

 by lining with masonry. To keep the upper layer of this 

 fodder moist and the whole more compact, the top was gen- 

 erally covered with earth or other heavy material. When 

 the fodder was used it was found that the silage at the bottom 

 was better preserved than that at the top, and that the 

 amount of inferior silage at the top was practically the same, 

 regardless of the depth of the silo. Thus the deeper pits had 

 a smaller percentage of inferior silage than the shallow ones. 

 The logical development, therefore, was to increase the depth 

 of the silo pit. However, soil waters often limited the depth, 

 so that it became necessary in many cases to build a super- 

 structure, or what we now consider a silo. 



Under modern conditions we find that in most cases it is 

 cheaper to build above ground than below, so that today the 

 silo generally goes into the ground only deep enough to secure 

 a firm foundation; or in the case of a bank barn, it extends 

 down to a level with the barn floor. For Northern or North 

 Central states, the pit extends in the ground 3 or 4 feet, while 

 the superstructure, or silo proper, in case of wood, is gener- 

 ally built 30 feet high. Wood sflos should not be built much 



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