SILOS, ENSILAGE AND SILAGE. 73 



The inside sheathing, with its intermediate layer of 

 tarred roofing paper, may now be finished, and at the 

 top of the wall it should cover the edge of the plate as 

 shown in Fig. 7. If the silo is over sixteen feet long the 

 plate may be doubled by spiking on another two-inch 

 scantling that is two inches wider than the first, so that 

 it will cover the top edge of the inside sheathing. 



If the silo is in the barn the outside of the studs need 

 not be covered with sheathing; but if it is an indepen- 

 dent structure, the outside sheathing will form a desira- 

 ble protection from frost and driving storms. It may be 

 of vertical boards with the joints battened, by toeing 

 horizontal laps of 2x4 inch scantling at convenient dis- 

 tances between the studs, or, to secure greater strength, 

 the horizontal siding with rabbeted edges may be used. 

 The corners may be made secure by nailing the siding to 

 a 2x4 inch stud, as shown at C, Fig. 6. 



The air spaces between the studs should never be filled 

 with sawdust or other materials, but they should be 

 closed in so that they are at least vermin proof. This 

 can be done with a little care in construction, and a 

 serious annoyance from rats and mice may thus be 

 avoided. 



The plate for the roof to rest on should be at least 

 three feet above the top of the silo proper, to give head 

 room in the work of filling. This can readily be done 

 by extending the balloon frame by setting 2x4 or 2x6 

 inch studs three feet long (0, 0, Fig. 7) on the side 

 plates of the silo (P, P, Fig. 7), and spiking the roof 

 plates (S, S, ) on the top of them for the rafters to rest 

 upon. The end studs of this extension will be nailed at 

 the top to the rafters. These studs may be covered on 

 the outside with siding, but the inside sheathing may be 

 dispensed with. 



If the silo is considerably more than sixteen feet long, 

 a tie in the middle may be desirable to prevent any 



