44: HOW TO BUILD A SILO. 



so as to convert the hollow wall into a real dead-air space. There 

 is no need of building the wall air-tight outside, as shown in Fig. 

 3, with two thickness of sheeting with paper between, unless there 

 is provision for closing the ventilators in winter. 



"The writer has seen a number of these silos in which the 

 silage froze severely. In most instances no attempt was made 

 to close the ventilators, and the few instances when it was at- 

 tempted only the lower ventilators on the outside were closed. 

 This is not enough for if the upper ventilators at W, Fig. 4, are 

 left open the hollow wall will cool off rapidly and the air space 

 serve no purpose as protection against frost. 



"The invention of the King silo came in response to an urgent 

 demand for a type of construction that would avoid the corners 

 and other serious and aggravating defects of silos, as previously 

 constructed. It marked an epoch in silo building. Hundreds of 

 silos of this type have been constructed. They have not been 

 confined to Wisconsin, but have been widely distributed. They 

 have been in use the past ten years, and have demonstrated 

 their success. They are no longer an experiment. However, the 

 very wide and general use of this type of silo under a great 

 variety of conditions of climate and local environment has brought 

 out some of the demerits of this type of construction which at 

 the outset could not have been foreseen. For instance, the wood 

 lining has been found less satisfactory than cement, and hence 

 it is recommended that these silos be cement lined. Many of the 

 King silos are lathed and plastered and have proven very satis- 

 factory, having done service for ten years. 



"Clap boards have been found unsatisfactory for the outer 

 siding and it is recommended that steel siding or some of the 

 roofing paper, ruberoid, or lath and plaster be used in their stead 

 as will be described later." 



Painting 1 the Silo Lining. 



It is impossible to so paint a wood lining that it will not become 

 wholly or partly saturated with the silage juices. This being true, 

 when the lining is again exposed when feeding the silage out. 

 the paint greatly retards the drying of the wood work and the 

 result is decay sets in, favored by prolonged dampness. For this 

 reason it is best to leave a wood lining naked or to use some anti- 

 septic which does not form a water-proof coat. 



