68 SILOS, ENSILAGE AND SILAGE. 



should be taken in its construction, to insure the essen- 

 tial qualities of stability and durability. The least 

 expensive structure will not prove to be the cheapest, if 

 these indispensable qualities are not secured. 



The decay of a wooden silo does not, as a general rule, 

 arise from a necessary and inherent defect in the char- 

 acter of the material used, but from the neglect of cer- 

 tain principles in the details of construction, which in 

 themselves involve but a comparatively slight increase in 

 the original cost of the structure. Too often consider- 

 able expense is incurred in attempts to make the build- 

 ing more durable by devices that in effect are sources 

 of weakness, and tend to favor the processes of decay. 



For strength, economy of materials and labor, the 

 "balloon frame" has many advantages that recom- 

 mend it as the best, in the construction of the silo. 

 Persons who are not familiar with the "balloon sys- 

 tem" of building are liable to err on the side of excess, 

 in the size and number of timbers, and unnecessary 

 details are often planned which add to the cost of 

 construction, without any compensating advantages. 

 Sills of timber are frequently framed together for the 

 foundation of the balloon frame, and in many respects 

 they are a source of weakness instead of strength. In 

 the balloon frame proper, scantling from 2x4 to 2x12 

 are all that are needed, and the larger sizes (2x10 and 

 2x12) are seldom required. The scantling should all 

 have the ends cut square, without any pretence of fram- 

 ing, and the junctions should be toe-nailed, or secured 

 with spikes. Eound steel nails of all sizes can now be 

 bought at nearly the same price per pound as cut nails 

 and spikes, and as the steel nails are lighter, the greater 

 number in a pound makes them, on the whole, the 

 cheapest, and they are also much better for all purposes 

 in building a silo. The scantling and boards for the 

 walls of the silo should be sound, well seasoned and free 



