286 SOILING CROPS AND THE SILO. 



indications of crumbling, but the fact would no\v 

 seem to be assured that where a heavy coat of cement 

 of good quality is applied to the inner wall of a stone 

 silo, it will last many years without any renewal. 



Partitions in Silos. It may be regarded as an 

 open question whether partitions should be used at 

 all in silos. The more these are increased the more 

 will corners be multiplied, the greater will be the 

 resistance offered to the even settling of the silage. 

 They also add to the cost of the silo and unless 

 strongly built they must needs be braced on one side 

 while the silo is being filled, or filling must take 

 place in a sense simultaneously on both sides of the 

 partition. In round silos whatever may be the mode 

 of construction, partitions are objectionable since 

 they make corners where otherwise there would be 

 none, and in the stave silo they cannot be used. It 

 is further claimed that they are not necessary, since 

 after the silage has settled one section of it may be 

 fed at a time without great loss providing it is cut 

 down perpendicularly with a sharp hay knife, on the 

 other hand partitions may be so built as to become 

 an important source of strength to rectangular silos 

 as is shown in Chapter IV. It has been argued that 

 it would be better to build a second silo than to put 

 a partition in one, but this view is certainly not 

 correct except in the case of round silos, since one 

 large silo can be built with a partition more cheaply 

 than two small ones without one. 



When partitions are used they may be con- 

 structed variously, i, They may be built the same 

 as the walls of the silo, that is to say, with studding 

 lined with matched boards having tarred paper 



