156 SILOS 



There are other features of silo building which deserve 

 consideration in order to prevent early damage. In brick 

 construction there is danger of rushing the work too fast 

 to allow for settling. A small affair like a silo goes up 

 quickly with two or three skillful men on the job, and the 

 walls will settle perceptibly for days after the job is com- 

 pleted. This rapid construction should not be allowed. 

 There is little of this kind of danger in building walls for 

 a large house or store. 



The quality of the brick is worth mentioning also. A 

 number of cases are known where brick plants were 

 started up in a convenient place to supply the commodity 

 in a hurry to a few transient customers. When it was too 

 late, it was found that there was considerable lime in the 

 clay, as a result of which the wall cracked in a short time, 

 and much loss followed. It is economy to use brick of a 

 high grade. 



Those building wooden silos need to look well to the 

 foundations also. Where it can be done without incon- 

 venience, the silo should be placed south or east of the 

 barn, to lessen the danger from wind. It is possible to 

 anchor one of these lighter structures with three or four 

 iron rods. Such an addition to the expense of construc- 

 tion is not more than $10 or $15, and it may save the silo 

 from destruction in case of a heavy storm. No invest- 

 ment on the farm makes bigger returns than that em- 

 ployed in providing a good silo, but without proper 

 construction money is wasted instead of being gained. 



For the past fifteen years, practically all silos built have 

 been round in shape, and this is the only style to be rec- 

 ommended at present. The essential things in silo con- 

 struction are to have an air-tight wall, smooth on the 

 inside so the silage can settle properly, and a structure 

 sufficiently strong to hold the enormous pressure of the 

 silage, and durable enough so that it will not be necessary 

 to replace it for some time. Successful silos have been 



