346 CATTLE. ' 



proximated, and the only" successful approximation to June food is the 

 ensilage. Ensilage is a cheaper product than grass, and any animal that 

 will eat grass will eat ensilage and thrive on it. 



The question is often asked, what sized silo should be built for a cer- 

 tain number of cows ? A general rule can be laid down which will 

 answer with unerring certainty this question. Allow one cubic foot 

 space inside the silo as a ration for one cow per day. A cubic foot will 

 weigh about forty pounds, which will be an average ration for a one 

 thousand pound cow. So, taking into consideration the number of cows 

 and the time the animals are to be fed, one can readily find out the size 

 of the silo to build, but bear in mind a silo filled full will settle from one- 

 fifth to one-fourth, and so make calculations accordingly. So for ten 

 cows to be fed six months it would would want a silo 12x12 and 20 feet 

 high, filled 16 feet, and for twenty cows we would need one 12x15, ^^^ 

 25 feet high, filled 20 feet. For thirty cows a silo 12x21, and 28 feet 

 high, filled 22 feet is needed, and for forty cows it would be necessary 

 to build one 12x28, and fill 22 feet. In a silo of this length it would be 

 better to put a partition through the middle of it. These dimensions 

 are best adapted to the construction of a silo inside the barn in the bay. 

 The bottom of a silo should be grouted like the bottom of a cistern 

 covered with small stones put in mortar, two parts sand and one pait 

 cement. This will make it air-tight and keep out the rats. 



If the barn has an under-pinning of mason work, have the inside of 

 the wall flush with the inside edge of the silo; furrow out with two-inch 

 plauk from the posts of the barn to within one inch of the edge of the 

 wall; nail these planks together at the corners, and have the first one at 

 the bottom, the next a foot higher, and the rest four to six inches apart 

 to the top of the silo. These girders are put closer together at thg bot- 

 tom, on account of the strain being greater at the bottom than at the 

 top. Nail the boards to the edges of these planks. Use rough hemlock 

 inch boards for the siding. Put on two courses, use building paper be- 

 tween the courses, and pay particular attention to break joints. This 

 will make a better and cheaper silo than matched and planed boards, 

 because, unless Georgia pine is used, the matched lumber will pull out 

 of the inatching from the shrinking and swelling of the boards. 



I have used a silo made like this for six years and it works admirably, 

 and I can suggest only one improvement, and that is to cut the corners 

 off, and this could be done very nicely by putting in a piece of plank, 

 cutting off throe ftet of the square corner, and then boarding right 



