SILOS AND SILAGE 



153 



is on account of this fact and because of the economy of construc- 

 tion that only round silos are now built. 



After the silage has settled there is no lateral pressure in the 

 silo ; cases are on record where a filled silo has burned down to the 

 ground with the silage remaining practically intact as a tall stack. 



Silo Structures. — It does not lie within the scope of this book 

 to discuss different methods of silo construction ; suffice it to say that 

 there are four or five different kinds of materials now used in the 

 building of silos: Wooden silos (either stave, so-called re-saw, or 

 plastered), cement (solid or block), brick, stone, glazed tile, and 

 steel. A satisfactory and more or less permanent silo can be built 

 of any one of these materials, provided due care is taken in the 

 construction. The cost of different kinds of silos will vary greatly 



Fig. 29. — A California dairy barn, with concrete silos, each 15 ft. diameter by 30 ft. high ; 



capacity, 100 tons. 



in different sections, according to the relative price of lumber, 

 cement, brick, etc. Pit or bank silos are satisfactory and cheap 

 structures sometimes met with in the dry regions of Western and 

 Southwestern States. They are rarely over 12 to 18 feet deep or 

 over 50 tons capacity. 



A number of different experiment stations have published bulle- 

 tins on silo construction which describe the silo materials best 

 adapted to the conditions in the respective States, and these may 

 profitably be consulted before a silo is built. Silos built by farmers 

 living in the same localities may also be examined, and advantage 

 thus taken of the experience of others (Fig. 29). 



Advantages of Silos. — There are several reasons for the rapid 

 increase of silos on American farms during the past few decades; 

 the most important ones are given below. 



1. Generally speaking, the silo enables the farmer to secure the 

 largest possible amount of feed materials in the corn crop for feed- 

 ing farm animals in the most convenient and cheapest manner. 



2. Corn silage furnishes a uniform succulent feed during the 

 winter and spring, which is greatly relished by all classes of 



