30O SOILING CROPS AND THE SILO. 



such lumber is frequently relatively costly and diffi- 

 cult to get, it may frequently be necessary to pur- 

 chase staves of two different lengths and to splice 

 them. Where practicable, the staves should be 

 sized, and when they are to be spliced the necessity 

 for thus sizing them is increased. Where this can- 

 not be done, care must be taken to keep them even 

 inside when putting them in place. It is absolutely 

 necessary that they shall be planed on the inside and 

 also at the sides, but it will be advantageous also 

 to have them planed on the outside if they are to be 

 painted. It is not necessary to bevel them on the 

 sides unless the diameter of the silo should be quite 

 small. It is thought that even tighter joints are 

 secured in the absence of beveling, nor is it necessary 

 to tongue and groove the staves. 



Setting Up the Staves. In setting up the 

 staves, various methods have been adopted. That 

 now described is one of the simplest : Erect a scaf- 

 fold by setting up scantlings at the corners of a square 

 that will exactly enclose the silo. Then just outside 

 the outer circle of the silo and at the points where 

 it touches each side of the square, set up smaller 

 scantlings. Those at the corners may be 4x4 inches 

 and those intermediate 2x4 inches, but scantlings of 

 other dimensions may be used so long as they are 

 strong enough to answer the end sought. Whether 

 or not these scantlings splice by overlapping they 

 should go up about as far as the silo is to be high, 

 and they should be set exactly plumb. They are 

 held in position by boards nailed on the outside. 

 , Boards one-half inch thick are then nailed on the 

 ,inside of the four intermediate uprights. When in 



