THIRTY-FIFTH ANNUAL CONVENTION. 270 



very good silo at a reasonable price. It shrinks a little more 

 than the woods previously mentioned, but the hoops of any 

 stave silo should be tightened when the silo is empty. 



The Homemade Stave Silo. 



Directions have been given in bulletins and in the agricul- 

 tural press for making silos from plain dimension stuff which 

 is neither beveled or tongued and grooved. Many of these 

 silos have been built, but the investigation of the writers was 

 convincing that construction of this nature is not advisable 

 from any standpoint. Although the first cost is much less 

 than the mill-made silo, in the end it is not as economical. If 

 well constructed of good lumber, the plain stave silo does quite 

 well the first year, but the staves not being beveled or grooved 

 slip past each other to the inside, and have a good opportunity 

 to follow any warping tendencies which may develop within 

 the stave. When the hoops are not tight, there is little or 

 nothing but the plate at the top and the foundation below to 

 hold the long staves in place. 



The Buff Jersey Silo. 



The Buff Jersey silo was designed by E. W. Cobb and in 

 several respects is superior to the home-made silo just de- 

 scribed. It is advised that this silo be made of plain 2 by 4 

 material 14 and 16 feet long, thus making by splicing a silo 30 

 feet deep. This lumber should be dressed on both edges and 

 carefully selected as previously described. Also any pieces 

 which are not of uniform width throughout their length should 

 be discarded. Such pieces are unfit for use in the silo, unless 

 the smaller end be placed at the top of the silo, where if not 

 making a perfectly tight fit it will be of little consequence. The 

 stave splices are made by making a saw cut with a common 

 hand saw and inserting a piece of galvanized iron. Each 2 by 

 4 is thoroughly coated with coal tar before erecting. The staves 

 are spiked together every four feet with spikes long enough 

 to reach through the stave edgewise and at least one inch into 



