1894 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
599 
THE LARGEST SILO IN THE WORLD. 
AN ADJUNCT TO A CANNING FACTORY. 
In the little town of Greenwood, Ind., 10 miles south 
of Indianapolis, is located the canning factory of Mr. 
J. T. Polk. Peas, sweet corn and potatoes are the 
specialties, and it is claimed that this is the largest 
canning factory of its class in the world. At the time 
of my visit, over 800 persons were employed therein. 
The corn is drawn to the cannery in deep-box wagons, 
each ear being in the husk, and the peas are brought 
on the green vine, from which they are thrashed. 
These husks and vines make the very best of green 
feed, so as a matter of economy it became important 
to make use of them. As might be expected, this 
material was placed in a silo. Mr. Polk, though not a 
farmer, purchased some dairy cattle to which to feed 
the ensilage, and established a working dairy. That 
was several years ago. Now the business is greatly 
enlarged, both in cannery and in dairy, so that to con¬ 
sume the by-products, a herd of 90 milking Jerseys is 
kept on the place. It is proposed materially to increase 
this herd. 
The stables are located about 125 rods from the 
canning factory and silo. As the by-products are pro¬ 
duced at the factory, it is essential that they be dis¬ 
posed of quickly, and the silo is consequently located 
right at hand. As ensilage is required it is drawn 
from the silo. At the time of my visit, pea ensilage 
was being used from the south end, while at least the 
north half of the silo was being filled with corn husks. 
The capacity of the silo is 3,000 tons (6,000,000 pounds). 
It is 143 feet long, 43 feet wide and 18 feet deep, and 
rests on sills of 2x8-inch stuff. The floor is of ordi¬ 
nary loam soil. The construction of the walls is rather 
at variance with common ideas on the subject, and is 
as follows: Planks 2x8 inch and 18 feet long, are 
placed vertically side by side, and fastened to the 2x8 
sill at the bottom, and plates of the same size at the 
top. This vertical arrangement forms the sides of the 
silo, while timbers of the same class, laid horizontally 
one on another, form the ends. The sides of these 
pieces of timber are well painted with gas tar, but not 
the edges. As one stands in the silo, he can easily see 
daylight between the timbers forming the side walls, 
some of the cracks being very noticeable. When filled 
with ensilage, I understand that these timbers swell 
and fit reasonably close together. 
Each end of the silo has a door in the center at the 
ground surface 10 feet high and wide, with 2x8-inch 
casings. Immediately above this door, separated by 
a layer of three wall pieces (six inches) is another 
door six feet square. When filling, the space occupied 
by the doors is closed by placing 2x4-inch pine planks 
12 feet long horizontally on each other. The silo 
has an overhead floor, which is supported every 14 
feet by standards having a six-inch face. The entire 
building, for such it is, is covered by a roof, raised 
about 10 feet above the sides and top of the silo, thus 
forming a good storage room with open sides. A 
carrier extends along beneath the floor, and distributes 
the green stuff to the point desired. In the north end 
of the second story, right above the carrier, is placed 
a machine for paring or cutting up the green sweet 
corn cobs, which fall below upon it, and are thus dis¬ 
tributed with the husks. These cobs are reduced to a 
fine, succulent mass, and certainly must be pretty 
well digested. During the filling, one or two men 
work about in the silo attending to the proper distri¬ 
bution of the material. As the factory often runs at 
night, the silo is provided with electric lights, so that 
the process of filling may go on at any time. 
The ensilage spoils but very little—practically none 
at all on the sides—and only to a depth of six inches 
or less on the top when not covered; usually no cover¬ 
ing is used. I tasted the pea-vine ensilage, and found 
it comparatively sweet and palatable and in splendid 
condition. I certainly have never seen better ensi¬ 
lage. While the silo has a partition, it is only tem¬ 
porary, to separate the peas from the corn, and is sim¬ 
ply a layer of boards. The filling process depends 
upon the duration of the canning season with either 
peas or corn. If there is a shortage of corn husks, Mr. 
Polk buys green corn fodder, paying from $1.75 to 
$2 per ton for it delivered. 
The cows eat about 65 pounds of ensilage a day, and 
they are each given besides this, five pounds of bran 
and two pounds of hominy feed. This is an average 
ration the year ’round, summer and winter. The cows 
get no summer green food or hay, and have no pastur¬ 
age. They simply have the run of a most excellent, 
extensive covered yard,’in^which racks are placed from 
which the ensilage is fed. The cows, as I saw them, 
were in the best of health and condition. 
In response to the question put to Mr. Polk, “Do you 
feel perfectly satisfied with the construction and walls 
of your silo ?’’ihe^replied, “ Yes, sir. Ido not know 
how I can’make. it'any^better.” 
An impression >has got about -that this immense silo 
was a dumping place for refuse material from^^a can¬ 
nery. This idea in itself may convey an erroneous 
impression of the quality of the ensilage. It is well 
to remember that only peas and corn are used, so that 
it is made of the very best material. 
Mr. Polk sells bottled milk and cream in Indianapo¬ 
lis, getting eight cents per quart for his milk, and 25 
cents for the cream. A separator is used, the milk 
and cream are aSrated, the bottles are washed and 
filled by means of mechanical appliances, and a model 
private dairy is maintained. Mr. May Harmon, who 
has the superintendeney of the dairy and live stock, 
has shown himself to be a most capable manager of 
this part of Mr. Polk’s business. It will profit any¬ 
body interested in this subject to visit this silo and 
dairy._c. s. plumb. 
TILE DRAINAGE. 
A REVIEW OF PROF. ROBERTS’S ARTICLE. 
In The K. N.-Y , page 553, are the map of a drained 
field, and the instructions of Prof. Roberts in regard 
to drainage. After 12 years’ experience, I can hardly 
agree with him in much that he says ; neither do I be¬ 
lieve that practical men, as a rule, will. The outlet is 
the main point to a system of successful drainage, and 
must be kept open if the drains are expected to do 
their best work. In practice, on a stock and grain 
farm, there is a good deal of care connected with the 
keeping open of the outlets, hence it is advisable that 
they be as few in number as possible. They must not 
only be kept open, but must be protected from the 
entrance of vermin. 
Between this and plowing time, I wish to tile drain 
a plat of ground containing about one acre, probably 
using about 40 rods of tile. This plat of land lies 
along a branch about four feet deep, is 20 rods wide 
and extends back towards an elevation of some four 
feet to the hundred. For three rods back from the 
branch, there is no need of tile, but at the foot of the 
elevation and up its side the tile is needed. Accord- 
This is what you need now 1 
What crop is it fastened to ? 
ing to the instructions given by Prof. Roberts, I would 
start each drain at this branch and extend it up the 
slope as far as necessary, which would give four out¬ 
lets, more than we care to wall up and keep protected. 
I shall start a four-inch main in the back of the branch 
15 rods or thereabouts from the upper side of the plat 
as fronting the branch ; this I shall run out into the 
field with a slight curve and then run nearly parallel 
with the branch to the upper side of the plat, and 
about four rods from the branch, and not quite so far 
from the foot of the elevation. To this main, I shall 
join the drain extending up the elevation. It takes 
but little if any more tile than to extend each one out 
to the branch, and gives but one outlet to care for. 
These drains will run water but a short time each 
year—during the winter months and rainy spells. 
The outlet to the main is at the lowest point along the 
branch. This branch is alongside of a permanent 
pasture, and the one outlet is far preferable to five to 
keep in shape against the tramping of all kinds of 
stock. I have never had any difficulty in making the 
connections between laterals and main drains. In 
my hard clay soil I would rather, every time, join a 
main than to make a deep cutting to secure an inde¬ 
pendent outlet. 
The tone of the professor’s article leads the reader 
to believe that mains are altogether objectionable. 
They are certainly not so regarded by a vast majority 
of farmers that tile drain. A farmer acquaintance 
owning less than 100 acres of land, proposes to get rid 
of a wet-weather ditch or gully through his farm, into 
which empty numerous drains, by putting in a 12-inch 
main of sewer pipe, 175 rods long, costing $500. This 
can be avoided by caring for the open ditch as he has 
heretofore done, but he wishes to improve the shape 
of his fields, save time in cultivation by avoiding the 
turning of teams, and also improve the appearance of 
his land. If in my work of laying tiles, I must follow 
the professor’s advice in regard to using tarred build¬ 
ing paper three-fourths of the way around the uppsr 
side of the tile, I fear I would be sadly tempted to let 
part of the work go undone. It would be a good thing 
for the manufacturers of that article if his advice were 
followed by all who put down tile. Bat think of the 
time consumed in cutting these strips, one for every 
foot of drain, and then the extra time consumed in 
placing them about the tile ! And how much it adds 
to the expense of the work ! It may be necessary, 
sometimes in quick sands, so to protect the joints, but 
never in clay or black lands that need drainage. When 
the tiles are laid to a perfect grade, and the outlet 
kept open, the flow of the water will keep them clean. 
With regard to the size of the tiles, I would be glad 
if I could buy two-inch at the price he names, to use 
for short laterals ; but I cannot buy them here because 
they are thought to be too small, and are not made. 
Even if they were in general use, I would not think 
it practicable for a farmer to lay a two-inch pipe 120 
to 300 rods long, and expect it to do good work. Such 
work must be done by a civil engineer at too great a 
cost to the general farmer. j. m. jamison. 
Ross County, O. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
SEPTEMBER NOTES. 
“ In time of peace prepare for war.” The month of 
September usually brings the culmination and fruition 
of our floral plans for the year. It is true the delicate 
odors and fresh beauty of spring and early summer 
have been burned away by the fiery heats of August; 
but an exuberance of color and thrifty growth yet re¬ 
mains. Care and work on the growing plants are not 
yet over. Even now the weeds, though shorn of their 
midsummer vigor, need close attention, as the per¬ 
ennial species are establishing themselves and pre¬ 
paring, with quiet determination, manifold troubles 
for the gardener of the coming year. Our greatest 
labors, however, lie in keeping what may be called 
the toilet of the flower border, in removing withered 
blooms, branches and fallen leaves and the general 
untidiness of the closing season. But little cultivation 
is now needed, merely enough to keep the soil fresh 
and clean. The ripening seeds must be looked after 
and secured when at their best, in the manner peculiar 
to the different varieties. Cuttings of the various 
window plants—the geraniums, petunias, heliotropes 
and other favorites—should now be made and rooted 
in wet sand contained in any clean vessel. The aver¬ 
age temperature of the early weeks of September is 
favorable to the production of strong, sound roots on 
such soft wooded plants as can be propagated in this 
manner. In choosing the slips, the familiar rule of 
cutting only such strong young shoots as can be 
broken when bent at right angles, and avoiding hard 
and wiry “wood” which bends without fracture, is the 
best, as the latter seldom makes good and thrifty 
plants. Cuttings started in September naturally can 
not be expected to bloom as freely during winter as 
those rooted some weeks earlier ; but they may be 
depended on to make better plants for next season’s 
outdoor culture, if grown under fair conditions. 
Itisto be expected that the “forehanded” amateurs 
have already prepared their pot plants for winter 
bloom, choosing the smaller but sturdy specimens, 
potting in good soil, and keeping them rather back¬ 
ward until firmly established. It is truly unreasonable 
to expect plants that have grown and bloomed luxuri¬ 
antly in our stimulating, and almost tropical summer 
climate, to turn in and adapt themselves to the changed 
condition of sitting-room culture during the short and 
gloomy winter days, to say nothing of the violent 
shock of transplanting. Still the tyro in floriculture, 
who has been caught napping in this respect, can still 
secure a stock of winter bloomers by potting up any 
healthy plants that may have been prevented by 
accidental causes from over-blooming; first taking 
care to cut back the top growth in severe proportion 
to the shortened root system. 
Now is the acceptable time for potting bulbs of 
freesias, and such of the Bermuda Easter lilies and 
Roman hyacinths as may be wanted in \)loom about 
the holidays. When planted in good, mellow garden 
soil, in well drained pots, these bulbs may be placed 
in a cool cellar, watered very sparingly, and allowed 
to form roots and to start their tops in their own good 
time, their period of blooming being more affected by 
judicious after-treatment than by hurried starting. 
Freesias, in particular, should be planted as soon as 
they can be procured, as the corms ripen early and 
soon begin to deteriorate in blooming quality. Planted 
after October, even the strongest corms are uncertain 
in blooming, though they may grow readily and pro¬ 
duce luxuriant foliage. So many have failed from this 
cause, in the past, with this really splendid plant, 
which is becoming cheaper and better in quality every 
year, as the bulb growers gain experience, that any 
method of culture promising better results is of im¬ 
portance. I am confident that early potting, followed 
