IRON HOOPS FOR SILOS. 61 



will need to be in four sections each, the ends being passed 

 through the upright 6x6 posts, and secured by heavy washers and 

 nuts. The bottom hoop should be about six inches from the base 

 of the silo; the second hoop should be not more than two feet 

 from the first; the third hoop two and one-half feet from the 

 second, the distance between hoops being increased by one-half 

 foot until they are three and one-half feet apart, which distance 

 should be maintained except for the hoops at the top of the silo 

 which may be four feet apart. The hoops should be drawn fairly 

 tight before the silo is filled, but not perfectly tight. They must 

 be tight enough to close up the space between the staves, thus 

 preventing any foreign matter from getting into the cracks which 

 would prevent the staves from closing up as they swell, and allow 

 air to enter. To hold hoops and staves in place during the sum- 

 mer when the silo is empty, staples should be driven over the 

 hoops into the staves. If a sufficient number of staples are used 

 they will prevent the sagging or dropping down of the hoops, and 

 they will hold the staves securely in place. 



The hoops should be watched very closely for a few days 

 after the silo is filled. If the strain becomes quite intense the 

 nuts should be slightly loosened. If during the summer when 

 the silo is empty and the staves thoroughly dry the hoops are 

 tightened so that the staves are drawn closely together when 

 the silo is filled and the wood absorbs moisture and begins to 

 swell, the hoops must be eased somewhat to allow for the ex- 

 pansion. 



The doors, 2 feet wide by 2% feet high, should be located 

 where convenience in feeding dictates. The lower door should 

 be between the second and third hoops at the bottom, and 

 other doors will usually be needed in every second space be- 

 tween there and the top, except that no door will be needed 

 in the top space, as the silage when settled will be sufficiently 

 low to enable it to be taken out at the door in the space below. 

 Plans should be made for the doors at the time the staves are set. 

 When the place is reached where it is desired to have the doors, 

 a saw should be started in the edge of the stave at the points 

 where the top and bottom of the doors are to come. The saw 

 should be inserted so that the door can be sawed out on a 

 bevel, making the opening larger on the inside of the silo. (See 

 Pig. 15.) This will enable the door to be removed and put in 



