Concrete Silos 99 



from 4 to 12 feet, the roof placed above this, and the 

 silage removed through the side of the upper part; 

 silos built similar to either of the other two, but set in 

 the bank so that retaining wails which act as a chute 

 are placed up and down beside a line of doors. If there 

 is a bank barn and the retaining walls connect the silo 

 to the barn, the conditions are ideal. 



Of the three types of pit silos mentioned above, the 

 last is the most convenient, also the most expensive. 

 The first is the cheapest 

 and likewise the least con- 

 venient. 



Most silos are con- 

 structed by commencing 

 at the bottom and build- 

 ing up; but a pit silo can 

 be constructed by com- section Through Pit sno 

 mencing at the top and 



building down. By building a silo in this manner, the 

 ground a-cts as a staging and no lumber or labor is re- 

 quired for that purpose. 



The first step in the construction of a pit silo con- 

 sists in affording sufficient protection to the edge of the 

 excavation to prevent crumbling or caving. An exact 

 circle should be marked out on the ground of the size 

 of the proposed excavation. Immediately outside of 

 this circle a trench should be excavated not less than 

 18 inches deep and not less than 1 foot wide. This 

 trench should be filled with concrete properly made. 

 As soon as the concrete in the trench has set and suffi- 

 ciently hardened the excavation may be proceeded with. 



A hay carrier track should be arranged above the 

 proposed excavation at sufficient height so that the dirt 

 from the carrier may be dropped into a wagon placed 



