FILLING THE SILO. 107 



Packing the Silage. — As this corn is going in 

 it must he spread evenly and packed hy 

 tramping. Especially is this necessary against 

 the outside as there is the friction against the 

 walls to overcome. Do not neglect this part of 

 the work. In a silo twenty feet in diameter 

 where seventy-five to one hundred tons are 

 heing put in daily there should be three men 

 constantly at work spreading and packing. I 

 have used a movable chute for an aid in distrib- 

 uting, and also a cone suspended so as to 

 distribute the com in a circle around the centre. 

 These are an aid when they are properly 

 managed. 



Weighting the Top. — In weighting the top of 

 the silos use the most worthless material you 

 have in the sha^pe of hay, chaff, straw, weeds or 

 anything that you can cut fine and thoroughly 

 saturate with water before or after it is ele- 

 vated, as we need weight and water is the least 

 expensive weight which we can secure. There is 

 no danger of getting too much water on the top. 

 This covering on the top of the silo should be 

 eight to twelve inches thick which will prevent 

 any loss of silage. Decay takes place on top of 

 the silo as deep as the air penetrates or to the 

 depth at which the weight has not forced the air 

 out of the silage. 



