Concrete Silos 27 



figure. Assuming that one has a silo 16 feet in diame- 

 ter and 40 feet high, the contents of this silo when full 

 will weigh about 180 tons and will thus be worth about 

 $900. The situation is easily imaginable, however, 

 where the value of the contents of the silo could 

 scarcely be estimated in dollars and cents a situation 

 where, if it were to be destroyed, the feeding value of 

 its contents could be replaced only through much 

 trouble and financial distress. Add to this fact that 

 other consideration which is too lightly recognized, 

 namely, that a fire on a farm is one of the most hope- 

 less things in the world, placing everything in its wake 

 practically at its mercy until its ravages are exhausted, 

 and it is easy to understand why fireproofness is placed 

 as one of the essentials of the ideal silo. A report of 

 the fire marshal of Iowa shows that 480 barns were 

 destroyed by fire in that state in a single year. 



(4) Exclusion of Vermin. Not taking into consid- 

 eration the destruction of the silage which may be ac- 

 complished by rats and other pests, it is necessary, in 

 order to maintain the qualities enumerated under head- 

 ings 1 and 2 above, that the construction of a silo be 

 such as to exclude these animals. The silo cannot ex- 

 clude air and moisture if it is of such a construction 

 that rats or other animals can make holes through 

 which they can run in and out freely. 



(5) Exclusion of Frost. This is a consideration 

 which will be a vital one in some latitudes, while in 

 other parts of the country, where the winters are less 

 severe, it is not of such important consideration. It is 

 well recognized, of course, that frozen silage should not 

 be fed to animals. The type of construction, therefore, 

 which can completely exclude the frost, or at least re- 



