FACTS RELATING TO SILO CONSTRUCTION. 283 



to exclude frost. The surface of the boards should 

 be smooth to facilitate the settling of the silage. 



Cement lining has on the whole proved satis- 

 factory, more especially on silos built of stone and 

 lined, or not lined with bricks. More commonly it is 

 used to line stone, brick or grout silos. The acids 

 in the silage have in many instances softened the 

 cement on the surface next to the silage, so that 

 to a greater or a less extent, the cement particles 

 have crumbled. Because of this it has been recom- 

 mended to apply cement every alternate year, or as 

 often as necessary, as whitewash is applied. One 

 instance however is reported in which the cement 

 has not crumbled thus. W. C. Edwards, M. P., of 

 Rockland, Ont., built a stone silo in 1890. Inside 

 it was lined with bricks and the bricks were in turn 

 lined with Portland cement of a good quality. In 

 a recent letter to the Author, Mr. Edwards says : 

 "We have not applied whitewash or cement at any 

 time to our silo walls since the silo was first built. 

 There has been no cracking whatever or falling off 

 of the cement." This one fact coming as it does, 

 from a reliable source, would raise a doubt- as to 

 whether the scaling off reported in the experience 

 of many, has not been caused by using an inferior 

 quality of cement, or by not properly preparing it 

 for use. The question will stand further investiga - 

 tion. 



Water lime has not proved serviceable as a lin- 

 ing for silos. - It has been found that the acetic 

 and lactic acids in the silage dissolve out the lime 

 particles, thus leaving the lining a layer of crumbling 

 sand. In this condition it very readily absorbs silage 



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