THIRTY-SEVENTH ANNUAL CONVENTION. 239 



Erecting the Walls. 



As soon as the foundation is finished the forms should be 

 set in place and the construction of the walls begun. The thick- 

 ness of the wall should be at least six inches and the forms de- 

 scribed have been made for this thickness. In setting up forms 

 no specific directions can be given for the erection of staging. 

 If the builder is uncertain as to how best to keep the forms sus- 

 pended he should employ a carpenter for a day until the staging 

 is erected. It is safer to use scaffolding both on the inside and 

 outside to support the form. When in place the sections are 

 bolted together. This holds them rigid. The first section of 

 the wall will of course be built with the forms resting on the 

 foundation, the inner one being barely on the inner edge of the 

 foundation so that the inside wall of the silo will be perpen- 

 dicular from the bottom up. As soon as the forms are in place 

 and leveled, fill with concrete. Tamp the concrete well and work 

 with a flat spade, especially next to the sheet iron on both forms, 

 until the water rises on top. As soon as level full the concrete 

 must be left to set at least twenty-four hours. The forms may 

 then be unbolted and raised. In building up the wall continual 

 care must be exercised to keep it perpendicular. In order to ac- 

 complish this, do not raise the form to its full height but allow it 

 to lap back on the solid concrete at least six inches at the bottom. 

 Block and tackle of some description is used in raising the sec- 

 tions and in hoisting cement. Each time the form is raised grease 

 the sheet iron surfaces with axle grease or soap before filling to 

 prevent the concrete from sticking to the forms! 



The walls should also be reinforced at least every foot by 

 means of steel rods which are laid horizontally inside the form 

 or by twisted wire as previously described. This is a good place 

 for old barb wire. 



When the forms are removed each time the inner and outer 

 surfaces should be smoothed down with a board. This will be 

 sufficient for the outside, but when the silo is completed the inner 

 surface should be washed with a thin coat made by mixing one 



