ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 95 



if the inside walls were to be thoroughly whitewashed with 

 water-lime paste, they would be very durable. 



In covers for the silo, a radical change has been made, in the 

 west, though it is noticed that the eastern farmers who have 

 silos are still talking about heavy covers and great weights to 

 keep the ensilage down. In the west the silo is usually covered 

 by putting strips of tarred paper on the surface, then one thick- 

 ness of inch boards, over which is then thrown four inches of 

 sawdust, muck or greenish hay. In one instance, a silo was 

 covered with a load of dampened straw, and over this a load of 

 partially cured hay, and the ensilage came out " smiling " — the 

 wet straw proving as perfect a conductor of as paper and boards. 



The necessity for the great weight on a silo is not borne out 

 by the facts. The slow filling and heating of the ensilage, now 

 generally followed, expels the air, and its place is taken by a 

 dilute form of gas, heavier than air. As the air cannot force out 

 the heavier gas, all the need there is for a cover is to seal the 

 ensilage until it is wanted. It is then safe to take the cover all 

 off from the silo, and by feeding it uniformly from the top, keep- 

 ing it level, the ensilage will be kept sound all the way to the 

 bottom, even though its feeding occupies several weeks. The 

 exposure to the air twice per day between feeds gives the 

 ensilage a chance to free itself from those " noxious vapors that 

 have prostrated strong men," rendering it a harmless ration, free 

 from objection and a delight to the stock. 



DISCUSSION. 



Mr. Potter: "I would like to ask the gentleman's opinion of 

 silos above ground?" 



Mr. Periam: " Of course it is a question of convenience as to 

 whether the silos shall be built above or below ground. Above 

 ground we have got to provide against frost, and we can build 

 them as we build our ice houses, filled in with any non-conducting 

 substance. If such wall is impervious to air it makes no differ- 

 ence and it is only a question as between lumber and stone 

 whether you build your silos above ground or under ground." 



