70 



SILOS, ENSILAGE AND SILAGE. 



both sides and ends of each piece, before it is put in 

 place. 



It will be well, however, to remember that timber 

 absorbs moisture, and rots more readily at the ends than 

 the sides, and care should be taken to cover the ends, 

 and also where the timbers are joined, with the preserv- 

 ative. To persons not familiar with work of this kind, 

 it may appear to be an expensive job to treat all of the. 

 lumber of a silo with preservatives in this thorough 

 manner, but an extended experience in the use of coal 

 tar and pitch in the construction of barns and other 

 buildings has satisfied me that it pays to make thor- 

 ough work in their application as preservatives of wood- 

 work when it is exposed to conditions that are favorable 

 to decay. The materials are not expensive, and the 

 extra labor involved is not considerable when compared 

 with the advantages of a structure that is not liable to 

 require expensive repairs in the course of a few years. 



As a further precaution to secure durability a founda- 

 tion of masonry or concrete should be laid below frost, and 

 carried above the surface high enough to prevent water 



Fig. 5, Section of bottom of silo. E. E, earth; F, F, foundation walls; S, S. 

 sills; H, H, studs; X, X, anchors for sills; C, C, concrete floor. 



from settling against the wood work. Two or three 

 pieces of 2x4 inch scantling one foot long (well coated 

 with pitch) may be laid edgewise, at intervals, along the 

 middle third of the long side, and also near the middle 

 of the end walls, as shown at X, Fig. 5, to serve as 

 anchors to the sills to prevent them from spreading. 



