146 rennie's agriculture. 



get the silage. These openings, eighteen inches 

 wide, are closed when the silo is being filled be- 

 setting in inch boards, ten or twelve inches wide, 

 with an overlap to break the joints. Set them 

 against cleats nailed to the frame of opening, two 

 inches back from the inside face of the wall, so that, 

 when set in place, the boards are even with the wall. 

 These boards are set in as the silo is filled, and taken 

 out and tacked about four feet above as the silage 

 is taken out from the top. This is a very convenient 

 way of getting the silage out. There is an advantage 

 ina long silo, so that a partition can be built across 

 in order to make two compartments, one of which is 

 about double the size of the other. The silage of 

 the large compartment can be for winter feeding, 

 and the smaller for summer use. It does not require 

 a mechanic to build a cement silo. It is scarcely 

 necessary to give details in this work, as the manu- 

 facturers of cement supply full instructions to their 

 customers how to construct silos and other farm 

 buildings. The cost of building a cement silo is 

 from one dollar and a quarter to one and a half per 

 ton capacity. 



When building a cement silo the walls may be 

 filled with field stones, which will lessen the cost 

 very materially, but the stones must be kept two 

 inches from the sides of the silo, otherwise the silage 

 next the stone is liable to be injured and the wall is 

 weakened. 



In estimating the capacity of a silo, allow forty 

 pounds per cubic foot for a silo twenty-five feet 

 deep, and forty-live pounds for a silo thirty feet 

 deep. 



In taking out silage, commence at the top and 

 keep the surface level. A heavy rake is the most 

 suitable tool for the purpose. 



