ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 2 OI 



the bevel must be on inside of silo, so that when doors are set in place the 

 ensilage will place them in place. No frames for doors are necessary 

 and no fastenings or hinges. In cutting out these places for doors they 

 should be numbered so they will be put in same places each time. A door 

 IS inches by 2 feet is large enough. To cut out these places it is best to 

 cut side bevel piece, while the 2x4's are on the ground. To do this, 

 bore a hole in center of the 2x4 on right bevel and cut with a tenant saw 

 far enough to allow larger saw to enter cut: when piece is cut out, tack 

 in place with some small nails. Now finish up silo walls and then the 

 man in silo will have to cut out lower door in order to get out; if on 

 outside, can cut his way in. Doors must be about 3 feet apart to be handy 

 in taking out ensilage. The hoops for this silo should be of 5-8 round 

 iron; each section of hoop should be long eno/gh to pass through 2 of 

 the 4x6 timbers and threads should be cut 6 or 8 inches on each end of 

 hoops, so as to take up any shrinkage of silo. Cast iron washers are nec- 

 essary to bear against the 4x6; light washers will sink into the wood 

 whei the siJo is full and pressure bears on hoops. Hoops should be plac- 

 ed as follows: first one near bottom of silo about six inches from sili; 

 the next two feet higher, and ea^h alternate hoop 6 inches higher than 

 the last one put on. This is for 18, 20 and 25 foot in diameter silos; 

 smaller ones may use less hoops and even one-half inch hoops will ans- 

 wer. We built our silo and put on the hoops when we had time and felt 

 like work. Our silo is now ready for the roof. I neglected to say that 

 the 4x6 pieces are flush with inside wall of silo and are a part of the 

 wall. The roof of the -silo can be built of boards put on hip roof style, or 

 a cone-shaped roof can be put on and shingled. Metal roofing is used 

 by many, while others have no roof at all. I have used silos without a 

 roof and saw no bad results. 



The crops we put in the silo and the method of cultivation and the 

 handling has a great deal to do with the cost of producing and filling 

 and the cost of labor, etc. 



We find that the corn that will produce 50 or 60 bushels to the acre 

 on an average is a first-rate corn for ensilage. We are using a corn 



