302 SOILING CROPS AND THE SILO. 



silo and in the next at the bottom of the same. The 

 short staves should be about one-half the length of 

 the longer ones. The staves thus alternate all the 

 way around the circle. The alternate joints thus 

 describe two circles around the silo as shown in Fig. 

 30. This form of joint should be covered with flat 

 hoops of band iron to aid in excluding the air. 

 When the staves have been carefully sized, this form 

 of splice may possibly be found to answer, but this 

 does not yet appear to have been conclusively proved 

 by experience. Whatever may be the form of the splice 

 adopted, provision must be made for having it come 

 where it will not interfere with doors and where 

 the joints may be thus covered with hoops of band 

 iron. 



A second form of splice is made similarly, but 

 with the following addition: Saw about three- 

 fourths of an inch into the end of each stave the 

 wide way. A piece of sheet iron of the same width 

 as the stave is placed into the incision thus made as 

 the ends of the two staves are being brought together 

 (see Fig. 31). It may yet be found that sheet iron 

 thus used may corrode too quickly. 



Hoops. — At least three kinds of hoops have 

 been used in stave silos. These are the round, the 

 flat and the woven wire. All three of course are 

 iron. Round hoops are usually from five-eighths 

 to three-fourths inches in diameter, and are held in 

 place by lugs or castings, as shown in Fig 32. 

 These have eyes through which the ends of the rods 

 come. When it is desired to tighten the hoops, the 

 burrs are tightened with a wrench. It is claimed that 

 round hoops are more easily tightened than flat ones, 

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