PIT OR UNDERGROUND SILOS. 109 



where but very few cattle are fed. That it is a makeshift, however, 

 should not deter farmers from building such silos in case they can 

 not see their way clear to erect a better silo. Even a cheap silo 

 properly built serves a good purpose in demonstrating the value 

 of the silo and in helping its owner to come into possession of 

 better equipment and a silo more to his liking. 



Analysis of comments in the farm press for the past two years 

 reveals a number of advantages claimed for this type of silo. 

 Among these advantages may be mentioned the following: 



1. Little cash expenditure is required. Labor is the chief 

 item. Where labor is exchanged there remains only the cost of 

 cement and sand for plastering the walls and making the concrete 

 collar around top. 2. It is easily constructed, requiring very little 

 skilled or outside help. 3. The silage keeps perfectly if well 

 packed. The temperature remains even winter and summer no 

 freezing or thawing. 4. It will resist tornado and fire. It cannot 

 blow over or rot down. 5. Because inexpensive, two small deep 

 silos may be built, keeping one for summer feeding or for use 

 should crops fail entirely. 6. No expensive forms are required for 

 building. 7. No trouble with ill-fitting doors, or with loose hoops, 

 or cracks. 8. Anyone can make it who can dig a cistern. 9. A 

 more inexpensive silage cutting equipment may be used, enabling 

 each farmer to own his own machine so that it can stay on the 

 job and refill as silage settles, thus securing utmost capacity at 

 minimum cost. 10. The top surface is handy, where it can be 

 tramped regularly the first few days. 11. When built in the 

 right soil it will last just in proportion to how well it is con- 

 structed and cared for, bearing in mind the necessity of guarding 

 against caving in, seepage, etc. 



The most common objection to the pit silo is the inconvenience 

 in getting the silage out of the hole, which would have to be deep 

 enough to secure pressure for proper packing and keeping quali- 

 ties, and should therefore be at least twice as deep as the diameter 

 of the silo. Some kind of hoisting apparatus would be necessary. 

 This would be too laborious and inconvenient unless operated by 

 a gasoline engine or other power which would, of course, increase 

 the expense. 



The claim has been made that the extra cost of getting the 

 silage out of an underground silo would be more than offset by the 



