318 The Farmstead 



built, too often the walls could not be or were 

 not fully ventilated. The thick walls remained 

 more or less damp throughout the entire year or, 

 if dried out when empty, lack of ventilation 

 superinduced dry rot. Cases were not infrequent 

 where silos were found to be practically useless 

 without rebuilding in four or five years. Where 

 everything was at its best, the frequent shrink- 

 ing and swelling of the wood resulted finally in 

 so destroying its elasticity that it did not return 

 to its normal size when the silo was refilled. 

 Since there was no means of tightening these 

 silos the air soon entered them freely, which 

 resulted in serious loss of fodder. By reason of 

 the costliness and defects of stone and grout 

 silos, and the failure in many cases of square- 

 cornered wooden ones to preserve the material 

 satisfactorily, and because of their perishable 

 nature, much attention has been given to the 

 shape and material of silos. 



From all the evidence attainable, the conclu- 

 sion is reached that the round, tall, stave silo is 

 best. It is simple in construction, inexpensive 

 as compared with most other kinds, and rea- 

 sonably durable. The fact that it dries out fully 

 during the summer, thereby destroying all germs 

 of decay, coupled with the other fact that at any 

 time it can be made tight by means of the 

 hoops which serve to hold the staves in place, 



