CHAPTER II 



WHAT A GOOD SILO SHOULD BE 



Before determining whether any particular type of 

 silo is good or bad, it is necessary first to decide what 

 are the requirements which make for efficiency in silo 

 construction. It is only by applying certain standards 

 to any article that we can decide on its fitness or un- 

 fitness for the purpose for which it was intended. It 

 is therefore essential that everyone who has to do with 

 silos, including the farmer, the builder, the agricul- 

 tural engineer and economist, and the promoter of 

 silo construction, should know how to value a silo to 

 determine whether it will do the work expected of it 

 and justify the expenditure of money which it requires. 



Let us then set down the principal requirements 

 for an efficient silo. It should be : 



1. Airtight, 



2. Moisture proof, 



3. Fire proof, 



4. Vermin proof, 



5. Frost proof, 



6. Strong, 



7. Durable, 



8. Cheap as to maintenance cost, 



9. Round in shape, 



10. Smooth as to interior walls. 



Having thus arbitrarily stated our standards, at 



least most of which will be recognized as correct by 



anyone who understands the purpose of the silo, it will 



nevertheless be worth while to take up each one of 



(25) 



