ON THE FORM OP SILOS. 29 



the cost and the danger from losses through spoiling are thereby 

 reduced. The round silos are superior to all other forms in 

 regard to this point, as will be readily seen from an example: A 

 rectangular silo, 16x32x24 feet, has the same number of square 

 feet of wall surface as a square silo, 24x24 feet, and of the same 

 depths, or as a circular silo 30 feet in diameter and of the same 

 depth; but these silos will hold about the following quantities of 

 silage: Rectangular silo, 246 tons; square silo, 276 tons; circular 

 silo, 338 tons. Less lumber will, therefore, be needed to hold 

 a certain quantity of silage in case of square silos than in case 

 of rectangular ones, and less for cylindrical silos than for square 

 ones, the cylindrical form being, therefore, the most economical 

 of the three types. 



3. Silage of all kinds will usually begin to spoil after a few 

 days, if left exposed to the air; hence the necessity of considering 

 the extent of surface exposure of silage in the silo while it Is 

 being fed out. In a deep silo there is less silage exposed to the 

 surface layer in proportion to the contents than in a shallow one. 

 Experience has taught us that if silage is fed down at a rate 

 slower than 1.2 inches daily, molding Is liable to set in. About 

 two inches of the top layer of the silage should be fed out daily 

 during cold weather in order to prevent the silage from spoiling; 

 in warm weather about three Inches must be taken off daily; 

 if a deeper layer of silage can be fed ofE daily, there will be less 

 waste of food materials; some farmers thus plan to feed off 5 or 6 

 Inches of silage daily. The form of the silo must therefore be 

 planned, according to the size of the herd, with special reference 

 to this point. Professor King estimates that there should be a 

 feeding surface in the silo of about five square feet per cow in 

 the herd; a herd of thirty cows will then require 150 square feet 

 of feeding surface, or the inside diameter of the silo should be 

 14 feet; for a herd of forty cows a silo With a diameter of 16 

 feet will be required; for fifty cows, a diameter of 18 feet; for one 

 hundred cows, a diameter of 25% feet, etc. 



In choosing diameters and depths for silos for particular herds, 

 Individual needs and conditions must decide which is best. It 

 may be said, in general, that for the smaller sizes of silos the 

 more shallow ones will be somewhat cheaper in construction and 

 be more easily filled with small powers. Foi; large herds the 

 deeper types are best and cheapest. 



