56 HOW TO BUILD A SILO. 



trouble, whether built square, rectangular or round. The cheap 

 silos described in other places of this book have not been given 

 for the purpose of encouraging the building of such silos, but 

 rather to show that if a farmer cannot afford tp build a perma- ' 

 nent good silo, he is not necessarily barred from the advantages 

 of having silage for his stock, since a temporary silo may be built 

 at a small cash outlay. 



We can therefore consistently recommend that parties intend- 

 ing to build stave silos patronize the manufacturers who have 

 made silo construction a special business. These firms furnish 

 all necessary silo fittings, with complete directions for putting 

 up the silos, and, if desired, also skilled help to superintend their 

 building. Perhaps a large majority of the farmers of the country 

 cannot, however, patronize manufacturers of stave silos because 

 the expense of shipping the lumber and fixtures would be pro- 

 hibitory. For the convenience of such parties and others who 

 may prefer to build their own stave silos, directions for their 

 construction are given in the following: The specifications for a 

 100-ton stave silo, printed below, which are taken, from WoU's 

 Book on Silage, were furnished by Claude & Starck, Architects, 

 Madison, Wisconsin. 



Specifications for 100-ton Stave Silo. 



MASONRY. 



Excavate the entire area to be occupied by the silo to a. depth 

 of 6 inche^ excavate for foundation wall to a depth of 16 inches; 

 in this trench build a wall 18 inches wide and 20 inches high, of 

 field stone laid in rich lime rnortar. Level off top and plaster in- 

 side, outside and on top witBi cement mortar, 1 part cement to I 

 part sand. Fill inside area with four inches of good gravel, thor- 

 oughly tamped down; after the wood work is in place coat this 

 with one inch of cement mortar, 1 part cement to 1 part clean 

 sand. Cement shall be smoothly finished, dished well to the 

 center and brought up at least 2 Inches all around inside and 

 outside walls. 



CARPENTRY. 



All staves shall be 26 feet long in two pieces, breaking joints, 

 and made from clear, straight-grained cypress, 2x6 inches, bev- 

 eled on edges to an outside radius of 8 feet, mill-sized to .the 



