^^^ Illinois State Dairymen s Association, 



THE CONSTRUCTION OF SILOS. 



By Wilber J. Fraser, Chief in Dairy Husbandry, University of Illinois. 



Introduction. 



There h^^ heen miirh cn-^i-. ; son thrnn^-h thj^ p^t*i cultural 



press and at farmers' institutes concerning the importance of the 

 silo and the advantages and disadvantages of the different styles 

 of construction. As yet, how^ever, comparatively few dairymen 

 and stock raisers of Illinois fully appreciate the value of silage, 

 and as there are not one-tenth as many silos in the state as the 

 economy of silage as a feed, especially for dairy cows, would war- 

 rant, the Experiment Station has deemed it wise to issue two 

 bulletins on this subject. 



Bulletin No. 101, recently published, discusses the subject 

 of crops for the silo and cost of filling. The aim of this bulletm 

 is to direct attention to some of the essential points in silo con- 

 struction and also to show the serious defects in some styles of 

 silos, both in the material used and in the manner of construction. 

 Cheap silos which are poorly built have done much to injure the 

 cause of silage, for since they do not preserve their contents per- 

 fectly there is necessarily great loss. The problem is, therefore, 

 to build an enduring, air-tight, rigid structure at least expense. 



Essentials of a Silo. 



There are several points that must be closely observed in 

 making silage if it is to be well preserved, and the neglect of any 

 one of these will make, in the final result, the difference between 

 success and failure. These essentials are close packing, when the 

 crop is at the proper stage of maturity, in an air-tight structure 

 having perfectly rigin walls. 



The stage of maturity and method of packing were treated 

 in Bulletin No. 101 (a copy of which can be obtained from the 

 Illinois Experiment Station, Urbana, Illinois.) Of equal if not 

 greater importance, is the proper construction of the silo. If the 

 sides of the silo are not air-tight, the air which passes through 

 will cause the silage to spoil, and if the walls are not perfectly 

 rigid, the pressure of the silage will cause them , to spring out, 

 allowing the air to enter between the silage and the wall. In 

 either case the result will be the same — decayed silage. 



