THE CONSTRUCTION OF SILOS. 



BY H. RIVE, B.S.A., PROVINCIAL DAIRY INSTRUCTOR. 



GENERAL REQUIREMENTS. 



(1.) The Silo must be Air-tight. The manufacture of silage is a series 

 of fermentation processes. The more air at the disposal of the bacteria the 

 further the fermentations will progress; and if their effects are too far- 

 reaching, putrefactive bacteria continue the work of the acid-producing ones, 

 and the result is rotten silage. 



(2.) The Silo must be Deep enough. Depth is essential in order to have 

 the corn under good pressure, causing it to pack well and leave little air in 

 the interstices between the cut fodder. The loss from spoiled silage in the 

 case of deep silos is smaller than in that of shallower ones, in proportion 

 to the amount stored, and as less surface is exposed the loss is also smaller 

 while the silage is being fed. 



(3.) The Silo should have smooth Perpendicular Walls. This allows the 

 mass to settle without forming cavities along the walls. 



(4.) The Silo must l)e built on Solid Ground. The weight of a silo and 

 its contents being great, it must be placed on solid ground to avoid settling. 



(5.) The Walls should be Rigid and Strong. The outward pressure of 

 cut corn when settling is considerable, and increases with the depth of the 

 silage. In wooden silos, as the silage settles in the lower part, the outward 

 pressure spreads the walls more than it does higher up, and may force them 

 away from the silage, allowing air to enter. 



LOCATION AND SIZE. 



The location of a silo must have reference to the greatest possible facility 

 in feeding. Where practicable, it should open into the feed-room, or at least 

 be placed close to the barn and connected with the feed-room by a covered 

 passage. Guard against odours in the barn from silage, or trouble will 

 ensue. Have the bottom of the silo as nearly on a level with the stable- 

 floor as possible, not more than a few feet below, for it is more economical 

 to elevate the silage when filling the silo than to do so later. 



The dimensions of the silo will depend on the number of cows requiring 

 to be fed, and the length of time for which silage is needed. Variations occur 

 in the requirements of cows, some having capacity for 40 tt>. of silage per 

 day, others for only 20 lb., making it difficult to state the exact size of silo 

 suited to a given number of animals, unless knowledge of their daily wants 

 is available. Ascertain the average amount to be fed each cow, whether 

 20, 30, or 40 lt>. per day. Then make the diameter of the silo such that, by 

 feeding the cows a full ration of so-much, the silage can be lowered at least 

 2 inches per day ; and if there is occasion to diminish the ration, 1^ inches 

 daily may still be taken! Forty pounds of silage daily would require about. 

 5 square feet of feeding surface in the silo. 



