SILOS AND SILAGE 



153 



is on account of this fact and because of the economy of construc- 

 tion that only round silos are now buil-t. 



After the silage has once settled there is no lateral pressure in 

 the silo ; cases are on record where a filled silo has burned down to 

 the ground with the silage remaining practically intact as a tall 

 stack. 



Silo Structures. It does not lie within the scope of this book 

 to discuss different methods of silo construction ; suffice it to say 

 that there are four or five different kinds of materials now used in 

 the building of silos: Wooden silos (either stave, so-called re-saw, 

 plastered), cement (solid or block), brick, stone, glazed tile, and 

 steel. A satisfactory and more or less permanent silo can be built 

 of any one of these materials, provided due care is taken in the 

 construction. The cost of different kinds of silos will vary greatly 



FIG. 29. A California dairy barn, with concrete silos, accommodating four rows of cows, 

 with a driveway in the middle. 



in different sections, according to the relative prices of lumber, 

 cement, brick, etc. A number of different experiment stations have 

 published bulletins on silo construction which describe the silo 

 materials best adapted to the conditions in the respective States, 

 and these may profitably be consulted before a silo is built. Silos 

 built by farmers living in the same localities may also be examined, 

 and advantage thus taken of the experience of others (Fig. 29). 



Advantages of Silos. There are several reasons for the rapid 

 increase of silos on American farms during the past few decades; 

 the most important ones are given below. 



1. Generally speaking, the silo enables the farmer to secure 

 the largest possible amounts of feed materials in the corn crop for 

 feeding farm animals in the most convenient and cheapest manner. 



2. Corn silage furnishes a uniform succulent feed during the 

 winter and spring, which is greatly relished by all classes of farm 



