Concrete Silos 65 



writer firmly believes that every silo should be erected 

 by 'a contractor who is familiar with this class of work. 

 There have been failures of concrete silos in the past 

 and the opponents of this form of construction have not 

 hesitated to use these instances to the best advantage 

 in inviting public condemnation of concrete. 



It is absolutely necessary for the benefit of the 

 industry that no more such failures should occur; and 

 one of the best expedients for preventing their recur- 

 rence is to allow only an honest and experienced con- 

 tractor to put up a concrete silo. Such a contractor 

 will scarcely care to bother with making his own forms, 

 which at best will be awkward and inefficient, 

 especially in view of the fact that there are on the 

 market a constantly increasing numbjer of commercial 

 forms, and that the manufacturers of these forms are 

 continually improving them and adding to their 

 efficiency for construction. 



A home-made form will perhaps build a dozen silos 

 at best, when it has to be discarded and replaced. It is 

 a makeshift proposition, cumbersome and inefficient, 

 difficult to handle" and inexact in its alignments. A 

 properly built commercial system, on the other hand, 

 will last at least for several seasons of work, is con- 

 ducive to rapidity and economy of construction, and 

 shows a finished structure which is exact in every 

 detail. 



In employing a contractor to build a silo, the farmer 

 can, of course, have it understood that he is to supply 

 the materials if he has them on his farm, or that he is 

 to do the hauling, furnish some of the unskilled labor, 

 or assist in any other way of which he is capable. 



Another advantage in having this kind of work 

 done by a contractor is that the contractor will have a 



