118 HOW TO BUILD A SILO. 



silos do not mention tongued and grooved staves, the 

 latest practice indicates that, if properly done, it is a 

 decided advantage to have the staves matched, also 

 slightly beveled. The silo made in this manner will not 

 be so liable to go to pieces when empty. This is the 

 chief objection to the stave silo, and numerous cases 

 are on record where stave silos standing in exposed places 

 have blown over when empty. It is recommended, there- 

 fore, that stave silos be attached to the barn by means 

 of a feeding chute, and in the case of high or exposed 

 silos it is well to make use of guy rods or wires in addi- 

 tion. Indeed, some manufacturers of stave silos now rec- 

 ommend these on some of their silos, and make provis- 

 ions for them. 



Preservation of Silo. 



A silo building will not remain sound for many years 

 unless special precautions are taken to preserve it. This 

 holds good of all kinds of silos, but more especially of 

 wooden ones, since cement coating in a stone silo, even 

 if only fairly well made, will better resist the action of 

 the silage juices than the wood-work will be able to keep 

 sound in the presence of moisture, high temperature, and 

 an abundance of bacterial life. 



In case of wooden silos it is necessary to apply some 

 material which will render the wood impervious to water, 

 and preserve it from decay. A great variety of prepara- 

 tions have been recommended and used for this purpose. 

 Coal tar has been applied by a large number of farmers, 

 and has been found effective and durable. It may be put 

 on either hot, alone or mixed with resin, or dissolved in 

 gasoline. If it is to be applied hot, some of the oil con- 

 tained in the tar must previously be burnt off. The tar 

 is poured into an iron kettle, a handful of straw is ignited 

 and then thrown into the kettle, which will cause the oil 

 to flash and burn off. The tar is sufficiently burnt when 

 it will string out in fine threads, a foot or more in length, 

 from a stick which has been thrust into the blazing kettle 



