PIT OR UNDERGROUND SILOS. 109 



chipped away with danger of injury to the walls; whereas the 

 sun beating against the metal walls for a few hours on the cold- 

 est winter day melts the silage loose; and that metal silos are 

 giving satisfaction in northern territories where the thermometer 

 hovers around 20 degrees below zero for weeks at a time. 



Detailed directions regarding the building of foundations 

 and thje erecting of metal silos, will, be found in the catalpgs 

 of metal silo manufacturers, wh^ich should be secured by anyone 

 interested in this type of silo. 



Pit or Underground Silos. 



Pit or underground silos date back to antiquity. For over fifty 

 years they have been demonstrating thear value in Europe, not 

 only in preserving silage, but in economy- of construction. The 

 pit method of storing green feeds had been followed for many 

 years before the advent of the modern silo or silo filler. The fact 

 that the above-ground silo ever since its introduction has made 

 such rapid strides in comparison, would indicate that this type is 

 far more satisfactory in actual use. 



In the United States the underground silo is distinctly a West- 

 ern type, having its highest degree of adaptability in those sec- 

 tions visited by sparse rain fall and where tlie water table is not 

 near the earth's surface. These silos are fhei:efore numerous in 

 Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Colorado and the Western parts 

 of Kansas and Nebraska. Norton County alone in Kansas has 

 over 100 pit silos. It is said that the pit silos in El Paso County, 

 Colorado, saved $50,000 worth of stock which would have perished 

 during a recent severe winter. That county now has over 200 pit 

 silos. Some are in use in the semi-arid parts of South Dakota as 

 well as in Illinois, Michigan and other states. They kre NOT 

 adapted to humid sections or to localities subject to regular and 

 heavy rain fall. 



The underground silo is generally considered a. temporary ex- 

 pedient or makeshift, and it seems to show up to best advantage 

 where but very few cattle are fed. That it is a makeshift, however, 

 should not deter farmers from building such silos in case they can 

 not see their way clear to erect a better silo. Even a cheap silo 

 properly built serves a good purpose in demonstrating the value 

 of the silo and in helping its owner to come into possession of 

 better equipment and a. silo more to his liking. 



