SILOS IN STONE AND BEICK 215 



A very convenient and labour-saving arrangement is to have the 

 silo built close against the wall of the food preparation room, with the 

 chute passing through the roof of the latter. The silage is then discharged 

 direct into the feed-room. 



For this arrangement the chute would require to be modified, as 

 shown in Fig. 163, and openings, bridged by 9-inch concrete lintels, 

 would be formed in the wall of the feed-room opposite the two lower 

 silo emptying doors, or the wall of the silo could replace part of that of the 

 feed-room. A ladder should be fixed up one side of the chute so that 

 access to the silo can be gained through the emptying doors (see Fig. 163). 



Floor. — If the site of the silo is dry throughout the year, a floor 

 of beaten ant-heap laid on a 6-inch layer of hard-core (broken stone 

 or bricks) will suffice. 



Under other circumstances, the floor may consist of a 4-inch layer 

 of concrete carried on a 6-inch layer of hard-core. If the foundation 

 is waterlogged, the waterproof composition already mentioned may be 

 applied hot below the floor by first tamping in the hard-core with sand 

 and applying the waterproofing to the smooth surface so formed. 



Plastering. — The inside of the silo is plastered with a layer of 

 cement plaster consisting of one part cement to one and a half or 

 two parts clean sand trowelled as smooth as possible. The plaster 

 is made rich and of the best quality in order to enable it to resist the 

 destructive action of the silage juices. The smoother the surface of 

 the plaster the better is this destructive action resisted, and also the 

 less is the settlement and close packing of the silage retarded. 



Before applying the plaster, the joints should be raked out to a 

 depth of | inch to form a key for the plaster, and the walls should be 

 thoroughly wetted. 



If inferior brick has been used for the walls, the outside of the silo 

 may be plastered with lime or cement plaster. In the case of good bricks, 

 it will be sufficient to rake out the joints and point with lime or cement 

 mortar. 



If the walls are of stone they should be pointed with cement mortar. 



It will probably be found advisable to cement-wash the inside lining 

 of the silo, especially the lower portion, every two or three years, in 

 order to help to prevent softening of the plaster by the silage juices. 



