ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 283 



round structure the contents settle more evenly than in any other 

 shaped building, and if the corn is properly put into the silo the 

 material is nearly as good next to the wall as it is in the center, 

 it is not always so with the square structure, the silage in the 

 corners of a square building is apt to be very poor in quality, and 

 often unfit for feed. Since the round building is the best form 

 to construct the next question to consider is what kind of a round 

 silo should be built ? The stave silo, which is manufactured by a 

 number of firms, makes a very satisfactory building, and one that 

 lasts for many years. Farmers who have built the stave silos are 

 well pleased with them. 



The Gurler silo, which is lined with cement, is giving excel- 

 lent satisfaction, as it can be built in Illinois quite as cheap as 

 the stave, and Mr. Gurler thinks that it will last for a much longer 

 time. He has filled his silos six times and the cement shows no 

 effect from wear. It is quite probable that in the near future an 

 all cement structure will take the place of the cement lined and 

 wooden silos. 



Size to Build. 



It should be borne in mind that a silo is nothing more nor 

 less than a large air tight vessel, in which feed is " canned " for 

 future use. The size of the silo depends upon the number of ani- 

 mals that are to be fed from it. In the main it should be tall 

 and slim. It is difficult to build a silo too high, but it is easy to 

 build it too large in diameter. The diameter should be of that 

 size to allow at least a two inch layer of silage to be fed each day 

 from the top surface. If the silage is exposed too long to the air 

 it will spoil the same as canned fruit or vegetables. The average 

 feed of silage is about forty pounds a day and the silo for winter 

 feeding should hold enough to feed the stock for 200 days. The 

 following table gives the dimensions the silo should be built for a 

 given number of animals, and the number of days that it will 

 feed them ; it also gives the approximate capacity of each size 

 and the average number of acres of corn it will take to fill the 

 silo: 



