THE STAVE SILO. 55 



same capacity, which would not have the objectlonal features of 

 the former. 



In spite of these objections the stave silo has, however, grad- 

 ually gained ground, until of late years it has quite generally 

 been adopted in preference to other kinds of silos, particularly in 

 the Eastern and Central states. This being a fact, it follows that 

 the objections previously made to the stave silos cannot be valid, 

 that the staves do not swell so as to burst the hoops, or shrink 

 so as to cause the silo to fall to pieces, or become leaky. As re- 

 gards the danger from freezing of the silage, the criticisms of the 

 stave silo are in order, as silage in outdoor stave silos will oe 

 likely to freeze in cold weather, in any of the northern states or 

 Canada; but, according to the testimony of farmers who have 

 had experience with frozen silage, this is more an inconvenience 

 than a loss. The freezing does not injure the feeding value of 

 the silage, or its palatability. When the silage is thawed out it 

 is as good as ever, and eaten by cattle with a relish. 



Why Stave Silos Have Become Numerous. 



The main reason why stave silos have been preferred by the 

 majority of farmers during late years are that they can be put 

 up easily, quickly arid cheaply, and the expense for a. small silo 

 of this kind is comparatively small. Many a farmer has built a 

 stave silo who could not afford to build a high-priced silo, and 

 others have preferred to build two small silos for one large one, 

 or a small one in addition to an old, larger one that they may 

 already have. Manufacturing firms have, furthermore, made a 

 specialty of stave silo construction, and pushed the sale of such 

 silos through advertisements and neat circulars. Having made a 

 special business of the building of stave silos, and having had 

 several years' experience as to the requirements and precautions 

 to be observed in building such silos, these firms furnish silos 

 complete with all necessary fixtures, that are greatly superior to 

 any which a farmer would be apt to build according to more or 

 less Incomplete directions. 



It follows that the stave silos sent out by manufacturing firms 

 will generally be more expensive that such a farmer can build 

 himself, because they are built better. It does not pay to build 

 a poor silo, however, except to bridge over an emergency. Poor, 

 cheap silos are a constant source of annoyance, expense and 



