54 HOW TO BUILD A SILO. 



the silage, or its palatability. When the silage is thawed out it 

 is as good as ever, and eaten by cattle with a relish. 



Why Stave Silos Have Become Numerous. 



The main reason why stave silos have been preferred by the 

 majority of farmers during late years are that they can be put 

 up easily, quickly and cheaply, and the expense for a small silo 

 of this kind is comparatively small. Many a farmer has built a 

 stave silo who could not afford to build a high-priced silo, and 

 others have preferred to build two small silos for one large one, 

 or a small one in addition to an old, larger one that they may 

 already have. Manufacturing firms have, furthermore, made a 

 specialty of stave silo construction, and pushed the sale of such 

 silos through advertisements and neat circulars. Having made a 

 special business of the building of stave silos, and having had 

 several years' experience as to the requirements and precautions 

 to be observed in building such silos, these firms furnish silos 

 complete with all necessary fixtures, that are greatly superior to 

 any which a farmer would be apt to build according to more or 

 less incomplete directions. 



It follows that the stave silos sent out by manufacturing firms 

 will generally be more expensive than such a farmer can build 

 himself, because they are built better. It does not pay to build 

 a poor silo, however, except to bridge over an emergency. Poor, 

 cheap silos are a constant source of annoyance, expense and 

 trouble, whether built square, rectangular or round. The cheap 

 silos described in other places of this book have not been given 

 for the purpose of encouraging the building of such silos, but 

 rather to show that if a farmer cannot afford to build a perma- 

 nent good silo, he is not necessarily barred from the advantages 

 of having silage for his stock, since a temporary silo may be built 

 at a small cash outlay. 



We can therefore consistently recommend that parties intend- 

 ing to build stave silos patronize the manufacturers who have 

 made silo construction a special business. These firms furnish 

 all necessary silo fittings, with complete directions for putting 

 up the silos, and, if desired, also skilled help to superintend their 

 building. Perhaps a large majority of the farmers of the country 

 cannot, however, patronize manufacturers of stave silos because 

 the expense of shipping the lumber and fixtures would be pro- 



