1892 
THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
89 
A  Tub  for  a  Silo 
./.  IT.,  Stone  Ridye,  N.  Y. — I  have  read  a  good  deal  in 
The  Rural  and  other  papers  about  silos,  and  have 
some  idea  of  building  one,  and  would  like  to  see  any 
objections  to  building  one,  like  a  tub,  of  staves  two  or 
three  inches  thick,  raised  on  a  bottom  of  the  same  ma¬ 
terial.  It  might  be  made  of  any  desired  diameter  or 
depth  and  banded  solidly  with  iron.  There  would  be 
no  trouble  in  making  it  water-tight.  If  tight,  why 
would  it  be  necessary  to  make  it  double  ?  I  have  made 
a  good  many  large  tubs  for  other  purposes,  and  know 
they  are  cheap.  A  silo  20  feet  in  diameter  and  25  feet 
deep,  built  on  this  plan  of  two-inch  hemlock  lumber, 
would  cost  about  $  125.  The  ensilage  could  be  taken 
out  at  the  top,  or  there  could  be  openings  for  the  pur¬ 
pose  between  the  hoops.  I  would  make  the  latter  of 
five-eighths  to  three-fourths-inch  round  iron  for  a 
silo  20  feet  in  diameter.  I  make  the  hoops  in  three  or 
four  lengths  and  connect  them  with  yokes  and  screws  ; 
then  they  can  be  drawn  up  perfectly  tight.  A  silo  of 
this  kind  built  in  a  barn  where  it  would  not  be  exposed 
to  the  weather  would  last  at  least  five  years  ;  then  it 
could  be  rebuilt  for  about  $80,  as  the  bands  would  re¬ 
main  serviceable  and  the  woodwork  alone  have  to 
be  replaced.  Then  there  would  be  considerable  lumber 
from  the  old  silo  for  use  for  some  other  purpose,  as 
only  about  one-third  of  it  would  be  rotten,  and  this 
would  come  very  handy  for  use  around  the  farm. 
The  Opinion  of  an  Expert. 
After  giving  this  type  of  construction  considerable 
study  here  at  the  Wisconsin  Experiment  Station  and 
elsewhere,  my  conviction  is  that  it  possesses  some 
serious  defects  which  cannot  be  readily  overcome  and 
which  must  exclude  it  from  general  use  where  silos 
greater  than  16  feet  in  diameter  are  contemplated, 
and  which,  in  my  judgment,  are  quite  likely  to  ex¬ 
clude  it  from  the  smaller  ones  as  well.  This  type  has 
been  tried  in  our  State  and  found  unsatisfactory.  I 
will  mention  some  of  the  difficulties  associated  with  it. 
1.  Shrinkage  of  the  Staves. — Where  such  large 
circles  as  J.  H.  contemplates,  are  made  with  staves, 
the  aggregate  shrinking  and  swelling  of  the  lumber 
become  very  serious  matters.  If  the  lumber  shrinks 
only  a  quarter  of  an  inch  to  the  foot  after  the  silage 
is  removed,  the  total  shortening  of  the  circumference 
of  a  silo  20  feet  in  diameter  amounts  to  nearly  16 
inches,  and  this  is  sufficient  to  allow  the  staves  to  fall 
in,  unless  they  are  prevented  from  doing  so  by  dowels. 
If  the  hoops  are  tightened  from  time  to  time  to  pre¬ 
vent  the  falling  in  referred  to,  then  when  the  silo  is 
refilled,  they  must  be  again  loosened  as  the  lumber 
swells,  or  the  great  pressure  of  the  lumber,  when 
coupled  with  that  of  the  silage,  will  burst  them.  The 
case  of  the  large  railroad  water  tanks  is  very  different, 
for  here  the  wood  is  not  allowed  to  dry  and  the  swell¬ 
ing  and  shrinking  do  not  occur  as  they  must  in  the  silo. 
2.  Greater  Liability  to  Rot. — The  facts  I  observed 
during  the  silo  investigation  described  in  Bulletin  28  of 
this  station,  lead  me  to  fear  that  the  “tub”  form  of 
silo  will  rot  quicker  than  the  ventilated  wood  silo  with 
lining  made  of  several  layers  separated  by  tarred 
paper.  Here,  again,  reasoning  from  the  life  of  rail¬ 
road  tanks,  the  first  impression  would  be  that  the  tub 
silo  is  not  likely  to  suffer  as  soon  in  this  way;  but  the 
two  cases  are  very  different,  for  the  railroad  tank  is 
kept  saturated  with  water,  while  there  might  be  just 
enough  supplied  to  the  silo  to  permit  the  rotting  to  go 
forward  rapidly.  In  the  form  of  lining  recommended 
in  Bulletin  28,  where  the  tarred  paper  separates  the 
inner  half-inch  layer  of  lumber  in  contact  with  the  wet 
ensilage  from  the  outer  layer  along  which  a  current  of 
air  is  moving,  the  moisture,  while  it  may  enter  the 
inner  layer,  is  not  as  rapidly  conveyed  to  the  outer 
layer,  and  the  result  is  the  inner  layer  tends  to  become 
saturated,  and  hence  not  as  likely  to  rot,  while  the 
outer  one  remains  dry  and  is  thus  protected  from 
decay.  It  is  for  the  above  reason,  quite  as  much  as  to 
prevent  leakage  of  air,  that  the  impervious  types  of 
paper  should  be  sought  for  the  silo. 
3.  Difficulty  with  Wood  Bottom. — If  a  “  tub  silo” 
were  “  raised  on  a  bottom  ”  of  wood,  as  J.  II.  suggests, 
it  would  be  necessary  either  to  bed  the  bottom  directly 
upon  the  ground  for  support  or  else  to  have  it  carried 
by  heavy  joists  resting  either  upon  the  ground  or  upon 
foundations  for  them,  and  in  either  case  rotting  would 
certainly  follow  in  a  short  time. 
4.  The  Cost  of  the  Two  Types  of  Round  Silos  Com¬ 
pared. — If  we  take,  for  comparison,  a  silo  24  feet  deep 
and  20  feet,  outside  diameter,  considering  simply  the 
sides  in  the  two  cases,  assuming  all  lumber  to  cost  the 
same,  we  shall  have  the  results  below  : 
For  the  Tub  Silo. 
Lumber  for  staves,  3,402  feet 
at  $15 .  $51.03 
Lumber  for  bottom,  700  feet 
at  $15 .  10.59 
25  hoops,  2,004  pounds  at 
two  cents  per  pound .  52.08 
Yokes  and  screws  for  hoops  25.00 
Total . $138.70 
For  Round  Silo  with  Studding. 
Studding,  2x4, 1,008  ft.  at  $15  $15.12 
Lining  and  sheeting,  fenc- 
ingjripped  in  two,  2,722  ft.  40.33 
Sills  and  plates,  100  feet _  1.59 
Tarred  paper,  592  pounds  at 
two  cents  per  pound .  11.84 
Total .  $09.38 
These  figures  are  intended  to  be  simply  compara¬ 
tive  and  not  exact,  and  to  apply  to  the  materials 
specified  only.  J.  II.  has  not  allowed  for  enough  hoops 
to  counteract  the  strain  from  swelling  and  the  great 
pressure  of  the  ensilage,  which  is  more  than  one-fifth 
of  what  it  would  be  were  the  receptacle  filled  with 
water.  In  the  other  form  of  silo  all  of  the  boards  in 
the  lining  and  sheeting  outside  act  as  hoops  to  with¬ 
stand  the  pressure  of  the  ensilage,  and,  as  the  boards 
run  the  other  way,  there  is  no  straining  from  swelling. 
F.  H.  KING. 
Better  a  Box  in  the  Barn. 
There  is  no  objection  to  a  tub  silo  if  a  man  thinks  it 
the  best,  but  as  it  costs  about  twice  as  much  as  a  square 
silo  lined  up  with  seven-eighth-inch  flooring,  and  is  no 
better,  economy  is  in  favor  of  the  box.  Inside  a  barn, 
a  silo  can  be  built  of  2x6-inch  stuff  for  studding,  and 
single  matched  lumber,  at  $20  per  M.  is  found  to  be 
a  practical  silo  wall,  and  so  the  cost  of  a  100-ton  silo 
should  not  exceed  $60,  if  built  in  the  barn.  The  round 
silo,  so  popular  in  Wisconsin,  is  an  improvement  on  the 
tub  silo.  The  thick  staves  were  supposed  to  make  it 
frost-proof,  but  were  no  better  than  the  seven-eighth- 
inch  board  in  that  respect.  As  a  tub  silo  shrinks,  the 
hoops  must  be  tightened,  and  then  when  it  is  again 
filled  with  silage  the  staves  swell  more  than  the  hoops 
are  disposed  to  allow,  and  toouble  ensues,  as  man-holes 
must  be  cut  between  the  hoops,  and  this  weakens 
that  side  by  so  much,  and  the  staves  “  kink.” 
This  led  to  building  the  round  silo  balloon-framed 
style.  The  frame  is  made  by  first  setting  up  a  circle  of 
2x4  studs  16  inches  apart  on  a  suitable  foundation,  and 
lining  up  inside  with  boards  half  an  inch  thick  and  six 
inches  wide.  These  readily  spring  to  the  studding. 
The  wall  is  then  papered,  and  another  lining  of  half¬ 
inch  boards  is  put  on  with  a  half  lap  to  break  joints. 
Neither  course  of  boards  is  matched,  but  surfaced.  If 
the  silo  is  in  a  barn,  no  outside  cover  is  used.  If  out- 
of-doors  then  it  is  covered  with  half-inch  lumber  which 
again  “  hoops  it,”  and  when  surmounted  with  a  cheap 
roof,  it  has  proved  far  superior  to  the  tub  silo,  which 
in  the  West  has  had  but  a  brief  existence.  The  lumber 
of  this  silo  is  put  on  horizontally,  and  the  ends  of  the 
boards  run  by  each  other,  so  that  two  boards  side  by 
side  do  not  “  end  ”  on  one  stud,  and  in  this  way  the 
silo  is  stout  beyond  need,  and  requires  no  hoops.  An 
inch  of  lumber  is  as  good  as  a  three-inch  stave,  and  is 
not — if  painted  with  a  liberal  coat  of  crude  petroleum 
— liable  to  swell  or  “  kink.”  I  think  from  the  condi¬ 
tion  of  the  inside  wood-work  of  my  silo,  built  in  188(5, 
that  J.  H.  puts  far  too  low  an  estimate  on  the  lasting 
quality  of  his  silo.  If  the  wood  was  saturated  with 
gas  tar  and  gasoline,  or  with  crude  petroleum,  I  think 
10  years  would  be  nearer  the  period  of  its  serviceable 
duration.  JOHN  GOULD. 
A  Mail  Delivery  Association. 
don’t  WAIT  FOR  UNCLE  SAM  TO  HELP. 
As  a  regular  reader  of  The  Rural,  I  have  been  greatly 
interested  in  the  discussion  concerning  the  government 
delivery  of  the  mails  in  rural  districts.  That  a  daily 
regular  receipt  of  mail  matter  by  farmers  and  others 
situated  more  or  less  remotely  from  post-offices  would 
be  convenient,  beneficial  and  acceptable  goes  without 
saying.  But  in  this,  as  in  all  other  proposed  innova¬ 
tions,  there  are  two  sides.  Are  the  benefits  from  it 
commensurate  with  the  outlay  for  it  ?  Is  the  scheme 
the  best  or  the  only  one  by  which  the  desired  result  can 
be  attained  ?  It  seems  to  me  that  while  some  of  The 
Rural  readers  are  exceedingly  sanguine  of  the  success 
of  the  measure,  others  are  equally  ready  to  denounce 
it  without  a  fair  consideration  of  the  merits  or  demerits 
of  the  case.  I  understand  by  the  term  “rural  districts” 
all  sections  not  now  included  in  the  free  delivery  area; 
any  meaning  less  broad  would  be  manifestly  unjust. 
At  the  outset,  then,  we  are  confronted  by  a  great 
addition  to  the  expenses  of  a  system  that  is  already  far 
from  being  self-sustaining.  Some  readers  have  asked 
why  the  benefits  of  free  delivery  should  not  accrue  to 
the  farmer  as  well  as  to  the  artisan  or  merchant  who 
by  reason  of  a  more  fortunate  situation  already  enjoys 
them  ?  In  those  centers  where  the  volume  of  business 
is  vaster  and  more  concentrated,  it  early  became  a 
matter  of  expediency  to  divide  the  work  by  furnishing- 
a  force  of  carriers,  in  order  that  the  service  should 
bear  a  more  equable  relation  to  the  patronage,  and 
afford  relief  to  hard-worked  office  clerks.  In  “rural 
districts,”  no  such  state  of  affairs  obtains,  and  a  force 
adequate  to  furnish  a  fairly  impartial  delivery  must  be 
vastly  disproportionate  to  the  volume  of  business,  as 
required  elsewhere.  Unless  I  am  greatly  misinformed, 
the  cost  of  a  general  free  delivery  would  in  itself  ex¬ 
ceed  the  present  cost  of  post-office  maintenance.  I  am 
a  farmer  and  live  in  a  farming  community,  but  I  do 
not  believe  in  so  much  paternalism  on  the  part  of  the 
government.  While  I  do  not  anticipate  an  immediate 
or  radical  change  in  this  matter,  it  is  a  good  thing  to 
discuss  it ;  for  in  agitation  lies  the  germ  of  many 
blessed  and  enduring  achievements  for  human  welfare. 
In  the  community  in  which  I  live  (Suffolk  County, 
N.  Y.,)  we  have  not  waited  for  the  authorities  to  aid 
us.  These  blessings,  commonly  supposed  to  be  en¬ 
joyed  by  the  dwellers  in  cities  alone  were  obtained 
here,  in  this  wise.  A  few  interested  people  met  and 
expressed  themselves  as  follows: 
“  Whereas:  we  are  frequently  deprived  of  what  we 
heartily  enjoy,  t.e.,  a  regular  receipt  of  news  from  the 
outside  world,  we  purpose  to  form  an  association  for 
mutual  benefit,  to  be  known  as  the  F -  Mail  De¬ 
livery  Association.” 
In  one  year  from  the  date  of  organization  the  list  of 
members  had  increased  from  6  to  20.  All  have  re¬ 
mained  for  three  years,  with  every  prospect  of  “hang¬ 
ing-  on”  till  Uncle  Sam  shall  assume  the  business. 
Isn’t  this  a  proof  of  practical  success  ?  Each  member 
furnishes  a  mail  box  at  his  gate,  and  each  is  pledged 
to  support  the  association  for  one  year.  The  duties  of 
the  members  are  to  furnish  in  turn  for  one  week  a  mail 
carrier,  who  takes  from  the  boxes  all  matter  for  the 
post  office  and  returns  to  them  such  as  is  received  at 
the  office  for  the  members’  families.  The  distance  from 
the  office  is  from  three-quarters  to  two  and  a  half  miles. 
The  carrier  works  an  hour  each  day.  Each  member 
must  therefore  pay  for  15  hours’  work  every  year.  To 
obtain  the  same  advantages,  were  each  member  acting 
alone,  he  would  have  to  expend  300  hours — a  very 
substantial  proof  that  it  doesn’t  pay  to  be  selfish. 
There  is  no  sentiment  here  for  a  better  plan,  and  that 
the  government  should  take  the  place  of  this  associa¬ 
tion  is  not  considered  desirable.  subscriber. 
Some  Milk  Matters. 
The  “  Producers’  Dispatch”  is  the  name  of  a  com¬ 
pany  doing  business  over  the  Delaware,  Lackawanna 
&  Western  Railway.  It  is  said,  with  how  much  truth 
we  do  not  know,  that  by  the  terms  of  its  contract  with 
the  railway,  milk  is  carried  for  the  Producers’  Dispatch 
from  all  points  on  its  line  to  New  York  city,  for  15  cents 
per  can.  The  dealers,  it  is  understood,  pay  the  same 
freight  as  on  other  roads — 32  cents  per  can.  This 
accounts  (if  it  be  true)  for  the  liberality  of  the  Dis¬ 
patch  folks,  in  offering  to  build  creameries  anywhere 
on  this  road,  if  farmers  will  rent  them  at  nominal  rates, 
and  engage  in  the  milk  shipping  business.  A  creamery 
which  shipped  100  cans  daily,  if  the  above  figures  be 
correct,  would  pay  to  the  Producers’  Dispatch  .$17  per 
day,  or  $6,205  per  annum — enough  to  build  three  or 
four  creameries  outright.  It  would  be  interesting  to 
know,  if  the  situation  is  as  described,  who  the  stock¬ 
holders  are  in  the  Producers’  Dispatch,  and  what  the 
stockholders  of  the  railway  think  of  the  scheme. 
At  the  meeting  of  the  New  Jersey  State  Board  of 
Agriculture,  at  Trenton,  January  20,  the  milk  business 
was  discussed.  Dr.  W.  C.  Parry  said  the  New  Jersey 
Milk  Px-oducers’  Union  now  numbered  400  members. 
They  insist  that  they  shall  name  the  minimum  price 
for  milk  and  that  soured  milk  should  not  be  i-eturned, 
as  was  now  largely  done.  He  claimed  that  the  Union 
could  shut  off  two-thirds  of  the  supply  from  Philadel¬ 
phia  at  short  notice.  Mr.  J.  A.  McBride  of  Sussex 
County,  said  that  those  shipping  to  Philadelphia  were 
getting  better  prices  (four  cents  net  per  dry  measure 
quart)  than  those  who  shipped  to  New  York,  who  were 
getting  three  cents  per  liquid  quart.  There  was  dan¬ 
ger,  unless  a  more  hearty  coiipex-ation  prevailed,  that 
the  New  York  shippers  would  turn  to  Philadelphia  and 
become  competitors.  Said  he  :  “  When  we  of  North 
Jersey  wanted  low  railroad  rates  the  farmers  of  South 
Jersey  combined  to  defeat  the  bill  in  the  legislature. 
That  is  not  fair  ;  it  is  not  cooperation  ;  it  is  not  fidel¬ 
ity,  and  if  it  is  necessary  to  return  the  compliment  we 
will  return  it.  If  the  same  power  defeats  that  bill  this 
winter  that  defeated  it  last  winter  then  I  say  that  self- 
preservation  is  the  first  law  of  Nature.” 
Business  Bits. 
It  Pays  to  Spray,  that  Is,  It  pays  when  you  have  a  good  outfit.  To 
try  to  do  this  work  with  tools  that  give  out  Just  when  you  want  them, 
Is  worse  than  folly.  P.  C.  Lewis,  of  Catsklll,  N.  Y.,  sells  an  outfit  that 
will  work.  It  Is  not  a  plaything,  hut  a  work  thing.  Mr.  Lewis  has  pre¬ 
pared  a  Ii4-page  pamphlet  on  Insect  Foes,  which  tolls  the  whole  story 
and  Is  a  complete  guide  in  fighting  these  foes.  Send  for  his  catalogue. 
Potato  Planter.— As  our  older  readers  know,  we  have  spoken  In 
past  years  of  the  great  merits  of  the  Asptnwall  Potato  Planter.  We 
have  never  said  too  much  In  Its  praise,  for  It  Is  one  of  the  greatest 
labor  savers  ever  driven  Into  a  Hold.  The  most  delicate  and  Im¬ 
portant  of  all  labor  Is  that  performed  by  the  human  Anger  and 
thumb  In  picking  things  fforn  the  ground  or  other  resting  place. 
In  this  potato  planter  we  have  a  machine  that  gives  about  the  best 
Imitation  of  this  work  that  Iron  or  steel  has  yet  been  made  to 
do.  It  singles  out  a  piece  of  potato,  carries  It  up  and  drops  It  just  where 
It  Is  wanted.  It  also  covers  the  seed  and  has  what  the  English  call 
“the  best  fertilizer  distributor  ever  devised.”  The  Aspinwall  Planter 
Is  the  right  bower  of  “  Chemicals  and  Clover,”  saving  labor  on  the  most 
Important  crop  of  the  rotation.  It  is  made  by  the  Aspinwall  Manufac¬ 
turing  Co.,  Three  Rivers,  Mich. 
Keystone  Tools. — These  tools  are  made  by  the  Keystone  Manu¬ 
facturing  Company  of  Sterling,  Illinois.  “  Keystone  ”  Is  a  good  name 
for  them,  for  they  are  firm  and  good  enough  to  sustain  the  arch  of  any 
farm’s  agriculture.  Disc  harrows,  corn  planters  and  drills,  check 
rowers,  cider  mills,  hay  loaders,  corn  buskers  and  fodder  cutters, 
shelters  and  power  mills  are  among  the  many  machines  made  by  this 
company.  The  hay  loader  is  the  tool  we  wish  to  particularly  commend 
to  our  readers.  It  ranks  with  the  potato  planter  and  the  manure 
spreader  as  a  back-saving  device.  It  saves  the  meanest  part  of  the 
work  In  the  hay  Held.  The  Keystone  loader  Is  “all  right.” 
