1005. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
583 
PLAIN TALK ABOUT SILOS. 
Material and Method of Construction. 
Will some one tell me in plain language just how to build 
a silo suitable for 20 cows? reader. 
New Jersey. 
That I may not be misunderstood, let me first say 
that a round silo 25 feet high by 15 feet across would 
accommodate 20 cows, and the material can be furnished 
so that any carpenter can put it up. although a man who 
has had no previous experience along this line may 
have some bother on the start. A good silo of this kind 
will cost about $200. This to many is a large price. Is 
it too high? In order have such a silo that will not • 
shrink and decay, only the very best lumber can be used, 
which means discarding a good deal of material, which 
somebody must pay for. Then it costs a lot of money to 
keep agents on the road to sell these silos, and the 
firms selling them are entitled to and must have a profit. 
I have three silos built as described below that have 
been in use 10, 14 and 16 years, and are giving to-day 
excellent satisfaction. They are in the barn or sheds, 
and so need no extra roof or siding. The deeper the 
silo the better. If it is outside I would build 25 feet 
high, 14 feet across. If inside not less than 20 feet high, 
and the other dimensions may suit the size of the place 
where it is to be set, not getting over 10 feet on a side. 
If the place is not high enough for 20 feet, if the soil 
is such that no water stands, dig a cellar six feet deep, 
and one foot wider on each side than the size of the 
silo. Build a box around this cellar of rough boards a 
foot from the outside. These may be held in place by 
posts set in the earth and braced. Be sure to have the 
ends of the boards square, make a mortar box 12 feet* 
long and six or seven wide; in it slake a barrel of 
good lime, mix through this lime 12 barrels of gravel, 
then add to it one barrel of common ce¬ 
ment. Make it just stiff enough so that it 
will not run; fill this in between the 
boards and the «trth, working it solid and 
close to the boards with a spade or trowel. 
In this may be placed as many rough 
stones of any kind as will lie without 
touching each other on the side of the 
box. For such a wall 16 feet eight inches 
on the four sides and four feet deep we 
used five barrels each of lime and cement ; 
inexpensive material and no skilled high- 
priced mechanic to do the work. Then 
for the bottom mix with one part of com¬ 
mon cement two parts of sand. Mix 
thoroughly before wetting. Level the 
earth at the bottom, and lay a two-inch 
plank a foot from the wall after it has 
set 24 hours and the boarding has been 
taken away. Put in the cement and level 
it even with the plank. The plank can 
then be shoved another foot and so be a 
guide for a level bottom. 
On top of this wall lay 2 x 8 pine or 
hemlock planks two inches from the face; 
these planks lapping on each corner the 
full width. Then spike together with 
20-penny nails. Two inches of cement 
will have to be laid under the planks on 
the two sides that come on top. Then set temporary 
“shores” or studs eight inches high on the upper 
planks, 10 inches on the lower; in these lay planks 
as above. This will make the girding eight inches apart. 
The next can be 12 and so jumping four inches each 
time until the top is reached, the pressure being less 
as one goes up. All that is necessary is to be care¬ 
ful to keep the structure plumb. Then spike a piece of 
2 x 3 inches across each corner long enough to cut 
off a foot. This does away with the square corner. 
Then board up and down with unplaned pine or hem¬ 
lock of even thickness. Cover this siding with heavy 
tar paper. Then side again with the same material, 
breaking joints. If six or eight-inch lumber is used 
this will make a three or four-inch lap. Wider lumber 
is apt to warp. To make a complete and durable job 
of this cover the inside over with a good tar paint put 
on hot. Outline of silo is shown in Fig. 247. 
On the side where the outlet is to be, notch into 
the girders an inch each side of a space wide enough 
to go in and out, using a two-inch plank for siding. 
Then set the next siding a couple of inches back from 
this, winch will make a good jamb for the door boards. 
After the siding is on all the rest of the space, enough 
of the center girders may be cut out of the doorway 
to allow easy going in or out. As the silo is filled 
boards cut the width of the door may be set across 
against these jambs, lapped half width. The silage 
will hold them in place, and if paper is put between the 
boards this door will be as tight as any part of the silo. 
If a wall is built as above the corners can be filled 
with grout to correspond with .the corner cut off the 
woodwork. If there is room to go 20 feet or higher, 
then a simple wall, on which to lay the first girders, 
is all that is necessary. This can be built of the same 
material as I have suggested for cellar wall. Such a 
silo built 14 years ago, with a four-foot grout wall, 16 
feet of timber on top of same, 16 feet eight inches 
square, and sheathed on the outside on two sides, cost 
for material and the labor of one handy man $64.75. 
The rest of the work we did ourselves. Of course such 
a silo can be built wholly outside, and if sheathed on 
the outside will make a neat building, although this 
extra sheathing is not necessary to keep the silage. 
EDWARD VAN ALSTYNE. 
HAY-MAKING IN FLORIDA. 
In answer to your remark that “many people in 
the North think hay cannot be grown in the South,” 
or in Florida, 1 would like to say that it certainly can, 
and at about one-half the expense that it costs in the 
North. Fig. 248 shows a one-acre plot in my orchard, 
which yielded two tons of as fine hay as I ever saw 
at the first cutting the season this picture was taken. 
The hay was native Crab grass and Mexican clover, 
both of which are spontaneous in this soil, and come on 
and make a crop of hay after corn is laid by, or oats 
harvested, or in the melon patch, potato field, etc., and 
this without any effort on the part of the farmer. The 
Giant beggarweed is also self-seeding, and makes a 
fine quality of hay', equal to the best clover. In Florida 
the hay crop is usually grown and harvested after the 
regular crops have been taken off the land, and is 
that much extra that northern farmers do not get ex¬ 
cept in weeds. By devoting the entire season to hay 
here, it is possible to grow three and even four crops 
on the same land in one year. By feeding green we can 
make six and seven cuttings from Pearl millet, the 
most productive forage I know, but it is not satisfactory 
for curing. Last year 1 took two tons of cured cow 
pea hay from an acre at one cutting, and my land is no 
IIAY IN A FLORIDA MAYFIELD. Fig. 248. 
better than the average. In fact, it is one of the first 
pieces in cultivation here, and when I bought it six 
years ago it would only make six or eight bushels of 
corn to the acre. 
I am a photographer by profession, and simply have 
my little four-acre farm for exercise and the pleasure 
it gives. Three and a half acres were set to apples of 
our own grafting, with peaches and plums between. We 
had the trees, so disregarded the advice of the older set¬ 
tlers, and planted northern-grown trees and varieties. 
Our experience has been worth a good deal to us. Many 
trees were killed by rabbits gnawing them, and while 
apples are not a success here I believe it worth while 
to have a few. They ripen when there are none on the 
market, and one tree has borne a peck of large fruit. 
Peaches and Japan plums are at home here if properly 
cared for. Our Abundance plums are simply breaking 
down with fruit this year. The Burbanks are loaded, 
but do not break so badly. We grow almost all the 
northern fruits and vegetables here, and much else, and 
from my experience a given quantity of good stable 
manure will yield greater returns in this soil than in 
the North. We have fewer insects, and, strange as it 
may seem, fewer snakes. Robins, doves, Meadow larks 
and Night hawks are shot for sport by many who do 
not know or care for consequences. c. e. p. 
Chipley, Florida. 
A RURAL MAIL CARRIER'S SIDE. 
On page 540 you discuss rural free delivery. I think 
you are right in saying that the way to make the rural 
delivery pay is to reduce the postage. I understand 
that Mr. Spellman of the Post Office Department is to 
spend July, August and September traveling about the 
country and riding with rural carriers, for the purpose 
of seeing what ought to be done to improve the service 
and make it pay. You say that we have more or less 
a fat job. Take nvy route for a month, and see how 
fat you get. I have a 25-mile route up and down hills, 
scarcely any level. 1 keep three horses. Each horse 
has one quart oats and one quart corn three times a 
day, and about 15 pounds per day of good hay. I feed 
at 6 A. M., 10 A. M., and 7 P. M.; get my dinner at 
10.30 A. M., hitch up at 11, and drive to the office, 
as 1 am obliged to be there at 11.30 or before if nec¬ 
essary. The stage is due at 11.30, and I leave at 12 or 
as soon after as possible, but never later than 1 P. M. 
I am due to return at 6 P. M. or before. Days when 
the stage is late I have to make a big hustle to get 
back in time for the 6 P. M. stage. 1 change horses 
on the route, so as to use two of them every day. 
Carrier No. 2 keeps two horses, and they make the full 
/ 
trip every other day. He is going to buy another horse, 
for he feeds his two more than I do my three, and 
mine are in the better condition. You can see that 
about all the spare time I have is from 8 to 10 A. M., 
and a good many days that time is put in at the black¬ 
smith shop. The expense for feed, shoeing, and repairs 
on harness, wagon and sleigh is $20 a month. Out of 
the $40 a month left, we have to live, and every year or 
two buy new horses, wagon, harness, etc. We have 
small farms, and can raise our hay, and do not have 
any rent to pay, and we cannot any more than make a 
fair thing out of it. The carriers on an adjacent route 
live in the village and have to buy everything and pay 
rent; they say they have to figure close to live, as the 
running expenses arc so much. I like the job very 
much, but do not think I ever should have gone into it 
only my hands and wrists would not stand milking so 
many cows, and I had to do other work. Now, do not 
think by this letter that I am a chronic kicker, for l 
not, and the postmaster will tell you if 
j r ou ask him that I always come in good- 
natured at night, no matter how deep the 
snow or mud. As a regular reader of 
The R. N.-Y. I have read with much in¬ 
terest your articles on parcels post, and 
think it is coming some time. I do not 
believe in putting the rate of postage clear 
down, and making every post office a 
freight house, and every rural route a 
common carrier. How would it do to put 
the postage on merchandise at four cents 
per pound and limit the package to 25 
pounds? E. S. CONANT. 
DO LIGHTNING RODS PROTECT 
BUILDINGS ? 
Your answer to a “Problem of a Light¬ 
ning Rod,” on page 545, leads me to say 
that in this State the idea is becoming 
quite general that properly constructed 
lightning rods do protect buildings from 
lightning. We have in this State 154 
county mutual co-operative insurance as¬ 
sociations, all working locally and inde¬ 
pendent, but joined together by a State 
association under the name of Iowa State 
Convention of Mutual Insurance Associa¬ 
tions. There is in round numbers $300,- 
uoo.ooo in risks carried by these county associations, all 
farm property. So far no compilation of the losses 
caused by lightning has been made, but it is believed 
that a large percentage, at least 50 per cent of the total 
amount, is the result of lightning, and you may be sure 
that protection from lightning is a live question with our 
people. The question is gone over in all the w r ays we 
farmers know each year. Dr. John R. Sage, director 
of the weather and crop service of this State, became 
interested, and for 11 years sent out blanks to crop re¬ 
porters calling for information on this particular line. 
For 10 years there was not a single case of loss re¬ 
ported of buildings being damaged where properly 
rodded, or stock being killed by coming in contact with 
wire fences, where the wires had been grounded. The 
eleventh year a vacant house that was rodded was re¬ 
ported to have been struck by lightning and burned. 
But it was known that one of the points was lying on 
the roof, and the rod on the side next the road lacked 
about four feet of reaching the ground, and no one 
seemed to know in what condition the other side was. 
For the 24 years of our State association’s activities not 
a single loss has been reported on buildings properly 
rodded. With us that means a continuous rod (either 
copper cable or a cable made of fencing wire) nailed 
in direct contact with the building, terminating in a 
sharp point above the building, and the other end in 
the ground deep enough to reach moist earth. Some of 
our county associations buy copper cable by the carload, 
and sell to their members at cost. While our people 
are in no way scientifically inclined, we work strenu¬ 
ously for results, and it is easily seen why we put faith 
in well-constructed lightning rods and grounded fence 
wires. We have had as high as 20 head of cattle killed 
by one stroke of lightning, and from two to five is not 
an uncommon occurrence, all of which could be easily 
avoided. But you remember the story of the Arkansas 
traveler about the man shingling his house: Can’t 
ground fence wires in a storm, and when there is no 
storm it is not needed, jerqmk smith. 
Iowa, 
