226 THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



methods similar to the silo for over a century, but the modern use orig- 

 inated about 1870 in Prance. It was introduced into this country about 

 1875 and has been in use in New York, Ohio, Michigan, Wiscorsin, 

 Northern Iowa and Illinois for several years. I am aware that it has its 

 opponents as well as its advocates, but practical experience has placed 

 me with the latter. I fully believe want of success with it means sloven- 

 ly construction and unintelligent use. By its aid the farmer in the semi 

 arid region may distribute the use of his crop so that his consumption 

 will be the same from year to year, though his production may be very 

 uneven. Ensilage may be made from grasses, clover, alfalfa, oats, rye 

 and even from some varieties of succulent weeds; but the best is made 

 from a growthy sweet corn. Let us take as an illustration a farmer who 

 has 160 acres in this semi-arid region. He builds silos with a capacity 

 of two thousand tons and plants eighty acres to ensilage corn. Starting 

 with a full crop year he is easily able to fill his silos at a cost of less than 

 one dollar per ton. Remembering that he has ten years feeding to 

 seven years production, he calculates that seven years crop of 2000 tons 

 each makes 14,000 tons of product and dividing by the ten years of use 

 he ascertain that he can safely feed out 1,400 tons each year and can 

 provide himself with stock accordingly. 



The cost of the silo is about $1.00 to 1 25 per ton of storage capaci- 

 ty. I believe it would pay the railroads to haul lumber for the construc- 

 tion of silos free. 



Having given the construction of silos and the making and use of ensi- 

 lage somewhat extended study, I may be pardoned for a few words on 

 these points, though fuller information can be obtained from the agricul- 

 tural departments of each stale, to whose bulletins I refer you. The two 

 all important and essential desiderata in construction is that the silo 

 shall be air tight and watertight. An ideal silo would be located on 

 high ground, circular in form, built of brick, with an interspace of one 

 inch or less between walls, filled in with a mixture of one part coal tar 

 and four parts cheapesc grade of rosin; the bottom of asphalt. Of course 

 the first cost of such a silo as this would be great and I am not expecting 

 any one to build such, though in the long run it would be cheap. I 

 merely use this as an illustration of what I would regard a perfect silo, 



Let me describe briefly a 600 ton silo, the latest of my own construc- 

 tion, cost 800, circular in form, height 38 feet, diameter 30 feet, height 

 of foundation wall 8 feet, of which 6 was below the surface on one side to 

 bring it on ?. level with basement of barn; superstructure of wood, 30 feet 

 height; frame 2x4 inches pine. Outside of framework tarred paper, one 

 thickness, then half inch boards, then tarred paper, then inch siding, 

 painted. Inside of framework tarred paper, then half inch boards, then 

 tarred paper, then half inch boards, then lath and cement plaster; grout- 

 ing and cement bottom. It is -well to paint all wood work with a carbo- 

 lized filler which can be obtained for about 30 cents a gallon. The dura- 

 bility of the wood work is much increased thereby. 



