Concrete Silos 161 



between the doors should be equivalent in amount to 

 that placed in 5 l /2 feet of the wall where there are no 

 doors. 



The doors may best be made of two thicknesses of 

 Ix6-inch matched flooring with a layer of tar paper 

 between. The Ix6-inch boards are held together by 

 two Ix4-inch cleats across the top and bottom, and one 

 2x4-inch cleat across the center. The middle cleat is 

 made larger than the others in order to take care of the 

 strain caused by the large bolt in the center. A 2x4, 

 40 inches long, or a similar piece of material, is placed 

 on the bolt, making a large "button" by which the door 

 is held to the wall. 



The Roof. Perhaps the greatest advantage of a 

 roof is the lessened liability of the silage freezing. Not 

 only is it impossible to prevent freezing in severe 

 weather unless the silo is provided with a roof, but 

 during snowy or rainy weather the silage is mixed 

 with snow or wet down with rain. Furthermore, a silo 

 without a roof becomes a catching place for husks, dust 

 or anything carried in the wind and a favorite feeding 

 ground for the neighborhood pigeons and birds. 

 Although many silos are not provided with roofs and 

 the live stock eagerly eat the silage from them, it is 

 evident that a roof would not only reduce the amount 

 of frozen silage, actually save silage and preserve its 

 quality, but be worth its cost in making a more pleasant 

 place to feed from in bad weather. The roof is also 

 valuable in protecting and strengthening the silo and in 

 adding to its appearance. 



A door for filling, large enough to admit the carrier 

 or elevator from the ensilage cutter, should be placed in 

 the roof. A simple trap door may be used for this pur- 



