184 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



a large amount of practical and experimental work has been conducted, 

 and onr knowledge of the subject of silos and silage has been greatly in- 

 creased. The early advocates mad e eaxggerated claims of the value of this 

 new food, the fallacy of which was easily shown in the subsequent exper- 

 ience of impartial observers. 



In 1884 the writer had his first practical experience with a silo, and 

 from that time to this, during 15 years, has had a silo of some type under 

 his direct charge. These represent years of progress and light. The first 

 silo bad brick walls, about 12 inches thick, was about 10 feet deep, and per- 

 haps 8x10 feet otherwise. After being filled two inch planks were care- 

 fully laid over the leveled silage, and on these planks were closely packed 

 square boxes, filled with broken stone and cement, that weighed several 

 hundred pounds each. These weighted the silage. Four years later I took 

 charge of two more silos, with brick Walls, perhaps 10 feet high, and here 

 again plank was laid on the silage and on these was heaped several 

 inchesi of dirt, to keep out the air and furnish weight. Three years later, 

 at another place, I took charge of a hollow walled, modern silo, 18 feel 

 deep, where for a time the leveled silage after filling was covered perhaps 

 with, a foot of cut straw. This, however, was changed, by leaving out the 

 SK»ar<flE, and placing the straw directly on the silage. In eight years was 

 a change from solid masonary walls and heavily weighted silage, to 

 'modern walls and no weight at all, excepting of the silage itself. 



The old form o,f silo was either square or rectangular, but experience 

 showed too much loss of food in the corners, through decay, while the 

 walls also were of ten-times of variable strength. It was simply a matter 

 of s»und reasoning then, that prompted the building of round silos such as 

 would have no corners for spoiled silage, and the walls of which Would re- 

 ceive an equal pressure from the center on all sides, with an equal amount 

 of resistance. 



The circular silo is therefore the most recent form used in our Ameri- 

 can farming, though of this there is more than one style or type. The first 

 form of round silo was built with studs and siding on a stone or brick 

 foundation, while a more recent form is the stave silo, which has been in 



