224 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



Methods of Determining the Capacities of Silos 



To determine the capacity of a silo, compute the inside vol- 

 ume, multiply this by the weight per cubic foot for that depth 

 (obtained from table i, or diagram i), and divide by 2,000. To 

 do this, obtain the average inside diameter, if the silo is of tl.e 

 circular type. Then take one-half of this and multiply it by 

 itself, then by 3.1416, then by the depth of the silo, then by the 

 weight per cubic foot at this depth (obtained from the Ne- 

 braska table), and divide the whole by 2,000. The answer is 

 tons of silage. The tonnage in a silo 10 feet in diameter and 24 

 feet deep would be determined as follows: One-half of 10 is 5 ; 

 then 5 times 5 times 3.1416 times 24 times 31.29 equals 58,980; 

 58,980 divided by 2,000 equals 29.5 tons. If King's weights per 

 cubic foot are used, about 10 per cent should be added to the 

 height of the silo to permit settling. 



If a silo is square, rectangular, hexagonal, octagonal, or 

 oval, the cross-sectional area must be obtained. This multiplied 

 by the depth gives the volume, which, when multiplied by the 

 weight per cubic foot for that depth and divided by 2,000, gives 

 the tonnage. 



When the silo has integral dimensions, its capacity can be 

 determined from table 2 by reading directly. Should it be 12 

 feet in diameter and 18 feet deep and filled full, it would have a 

 capacity of 28.28 tons. (Follow out the 18 feet in depth line, 

 tabic 2, until the 12 feet in diameter column is reached. The 

 figures at this point are the tons capacity.) 



To Determine the Tons of Silage in Silos 



The tons of silage in a silo can be obtained in the same man- 

 ner by using the depth of silage when filling ceased instead of 

 the depth of the silo. 



