1076 
THE RURAL, NEW-YORKER 
August 28, 1915, 
The Silo 
Making the Plaster Stick. 
Having read your articles on “round 
silo” I wish to know if I have the cor¬ 
rect understanding of this plaster. Is it 
made from all cement and sand? Here¬ 
abouts are a few plastered silos, but not 
satisfactory, as they were made with or¬ 
dinary wall plaster, and in other cases 
ordinary wall plaster and cement, usu¬ 
ally one-half of each. These have all 
been unsatisfactory in all cases, as the 
clinches of plaster break and then peel 
off. Ordinary laths were used, but none 
of the clinches pulled out, so we could 
not lay the trouble there. Laths were 
7-10x114x4 feet. I see no use of the 
bevelled lath, but wish to learn why these 
clinches break, or does the all cement 
plaster stay good and not break clinches? 
I think the acid does it. How many of 
these silos in the writer’s knowledge had 
to be replastered, and how often, if ever, 
and how long have some been in use? 
Williamsfield, O. . F. w. K. 
The silo referred to in the article was 
built last Summer, so the time test has 
not been applied to it as yet; however, 
examination fails to show a single crack 
in it up to date. I have not seen a silo 
that was built in this way that had been 
up over three years, these were in good 
condition, however, and I am told on 
good authority that some of the original 
silos as mentioned in the article referred 
to are still in use and in good condition. 
The plaster, as you infer, was made from 
clear cement and sand, carefully mixed 
dry, and then sufficient water added to 
make it spread well. The proportions 
are given in the article. 
There may have been several causes 
that caused the clinches to break from 
your plaster. Lime mortar has to have 
air to harden properly, and as the clinch 
gets the least air of any part of the 
plaster it is naturally the softest and 
weakest, and therefore breaks the easiest 
when a strain comes upon it. A silo with 
non-rigid walls, walls that spring slight¬ 
ly, will cause the plaster to crack. For 
this reason it is rarely that a square 
silo can be plastered with success. The 
sand used may have been of an inferior 
grade, a clean sharp sand being neces¬ 
sary. The lath may have been put on 
too closely, leaving the clinches so small 
that they had little strength, or the wall 
may have been so dry that the plaster 
dried out too quickly where it came in 
contact with it. 
I am rather inclined to think that 
some of the above causes .were the rea¬ 
son for your plaster breaking rather than 
the acid in the silage, for this would nat¬ 
urally attack the surface of the plaster 
next to it rather than the clinches. The 
beveled lath used in the silo described 
were of all lengths, a goodly proportion 
of them being 10 to 12 feet long. I 
would consider the beveled edge neces¬ 
sary, as the boarding directly back of the 
lath would prevent a clinch forming 
otherwise. It must be remembered that 
this cement mortar must be mixed in 
small quantities, as after it once makes 
its initial set its value for plaster is 
largely lost, and it should be discarded. 
Jt. H. SMITH. 
More About that “Gurler” Silo. 
I was very much interested in Robert 
IT. Smith’s article on how to construct 
the “Gurler silo,” but there was one im¬ 
portant part he omitted, and that is the 
doors. I should be very glad to have 
him describe them, as I am contemplating 
building one, putting it inside of an old 
square one, the corners of which are bad, 
and considerable of the silage spoils. 
Franklinville, N. Y. E. N. n. 
Almost any successful silo door can 
be used with this silo. The doors used 
in the silo described were homemade. 
They were about 2*4 feet square, built of 
two thicknesses of pine placed at right 
angles. The studding for the door 
frames were put in place first and then 
the top and bottom parts of the door 
frames were cut and nailed into place. 
The door opening is not continuous, the 
doors being from 2 y 2 to three feet apart, 
and the space between them being board- 
lathed and plastered the same as the re¬ 
mainder of the silo wall. This provides 
the necessary strength to hold the silo 
together. Care should be taken to see 
that the boards that are used between 
the doors extend for some distance out 
each side of it, so that they may be 
nailed to a number of studding, providing 
strength and keeping the silo in shape. 
Before plastering the door openings 
are cased up, using a jamb easing around 
each, and also a surface casing around 
the opening inside the silo. This pro¬ 
jects a little around the door opening, 
forming a shoulder for the door to shut 
against, the door opening outward. Ow¬ 
ing to the shape of the silo (round) the 
door opening will be slightly hopper¬ 
shaped, larger on the outside than on the 
inside, and the door being made with a 
bevel to fit this shuts in very tightly. 
It can be made still tighter by plastering 
the edges and the jamb with blue clay 
before closing. 
In the silo described the doors are sim¬ 
ply put in place and held there by means 
of strips similar to the stops on a door 
or window, tacked in place with a few 
eight-penny nails after the door has been 
put in position. The nails are not driven 
flush, but the heads are left projecting 
so that they may easily be removed with 
a hammer when one wishes to open the 
doors during the course of feeding. Prob¬ 
ably a better method would be to place 
bolts through the door studs with the 
threaded end outward ; cross pieces could 
then be arranged on the doors that would 
fit over these bolts, and the doors se¬ 
cured in place by means of the nuts. A 
further improvement would be a layer of 
building or roofing paper between the 
boards of the door, and in having the in¬ 
side of the door built out so that it would 
be flush with the inside of the casing; as 
it is now it sets back an inch. 
It. II. SMITH. 
To Prevent Frozen Silage. 
.Silage freezes mostly from the top, and 
very little from the sides. The material 
of which the silo is made has been found 
to make but little difference. Mr. Peters, 
animal husbandman of the North Dakota 
Experiment Station, states that the pre¬ 
vention of freezing silage consists largely 
in keeping out the cold from above; first, 
by a good tight roof (ventilator not 
needed); second, keep the doors closed; 
third, place a cover over the silage. This 
can be made of bran sacks or whatever 
material is available. On top of this 
place eight to 10 inches of flax straw or 
hay. When removing silage fold back 
a part of the cover, as it is not neces¬ 
sary to take the silage from the whole 
surface each day in cold weather, when 
it is protected in this way. Taking from 
a third of the surface each day will re¬ 
move the whole layer in three days. It 
is also a good idea to have the silage 
sloping toward the sides of the silo. 
Frozen silage can be fed, but should be 
thawed out first, this can be done by 
leaving it in the barn for a few hours, 
or else by spreading it near the center of 
the silo and covering it with the cover 
just prescribed. 
Diameter of Sii.o. —The North Da¬ 
kota Experiment Station gives this advice 
about the size of the silo: “The diameter 
of a silo should be determined by the 
amount of silage to be fed. If less than 
1 1-5 inch of silage is removed daily, 
molding is likely to start. The warmer 
the weather, the greater the depth of en¬ 
silage that should be removed. In Win¬ 
ter 12 dairy cows fed 40 pounds a day 
will use up the right amount from a 14- 
foot silo, while in Summer it would re¬ 
quire IS cows to use up the amount of 
silage that should be removed daily. For 
the 12-foot silo, nine cows in Winter and 
13 in Summer; for the 10-foot silo. 17 
cows in Winter and 25 in Summer.” 
One-Man Silo Filling. —Regarding 
filling silos I find this satisfactory. Five 
horsepower gasoline engine, cutter and 
blower, 20-inch metal wheels on farm 
wagon, close flat-top hay rack. Cut corn 
without binding, sufficient for the day, 
load on wagon, butts all to one side, 
drive sideways to end of self-feed cutter. 
Stand on ground, pull corn butts first 
direct into machine, move wagon as re¬ 
quired. One good man should do all this 
and average a load per hour all day. 
Illinois. j. s. P. 
Overheated Horses. 
I have a good-sized horse nine years 
old, in good condition. I feed corn on 
cob, some pasture and hay. I work horse 
on farm and drive sometimes. The last 
two weeks horse puffs very much and 
keeps on panting, but does not sweat. 
What can be done for him? f. ii. 
New Jersey. 
Stop feeding corn and grass. Feed 
whole oats, one-ninth part wheat bran 
and best hay. Dampen all feed. Do not 
feed hay at noon when the horse has to 
work. Give the drinking water before 
feeding. If the horse has a long coat of 
hair it would be well to have it clipped 
at once. Put a fly net or light sheet 
on the horse when at work and allow 
drinking water often when in the field. 
A. s. A. 
Sick Pigs. 
I have lost one eight-weeks-old pig, 
and a neighbor has lost the sow and four 
pigs, and two more are sick. They com¬ 
mence by being lame in one front leg, 
then goes to the other, then to the hind 
legs. They tremble continually as with 
cold, and yet have fever. Ears turn pur¬ 
ple before death. It first appeared in a 
pig bought and placed with others. 
Connecticut. c. J. B. 
The symptoms suggest cholera; but 
we cannot be sure without making an 
examination. It is poor policy at once 
to put a new-hought pig with the home 
pigs, as contagion may thus be brought 
in and spread. If it is cholera the ex¬ 
posed pigs will be likely to show the dis¬ 
ease by the time this is received. If it 
is cholera you should have the remaining 
pigs vaccinated by a trained veterinar¬ 
ian. A. s. A. 
Foul in the Foot. 
Will you give me some information on 
hoof-rot? What I term hoof-rot is, after 
the cows come in from pasture, they 
seem to be limping and in a few days 
later matter comes out of the hoof. 
New York. A. S. 
This is not a contagious disease, like 
foot rot in sheep. It is due to lodging 
of foreign bodies, like sand, grit, ma¬ 
nure, cornstalks, etc., between the digits 
(claws) which usually have become soft 
by wading in filth, water or wet grass. 
Scratches due to the irritation become 
infected by filth germs and then pus forms 
and tends to burrow. Keep cattle out of 
filth and stagnant water. Do not let 
them wade through deep mud or manure. 
Cleanse the feet perfectly, but do not 
draw a rope between the toes as often 
is done by cruel and ignorant people, 
greatly to the detriment of the beast. 
After cleansing apply freely between the 
toes and to all sore parts a mixture of 
crude petroleum and powdered sulphate 
of copper; then cover with oakum or 
cotton batting and bandage. Renew the 
dressing once daily for a few days and 
when the parts are evidently healing well 
simply apply pine tar and oakum. 
A. s. A. 
There are about two-thirds as many 
dairy cows in this section as 15 years 
ago, in face of advance in prices of cows 
of 50 per cent, and advance in milk 
prices of 33 per cent. The increase in 
price of labor, 33 per cent, and increase 
in price of purchased feed "of 50 to 75 
per cent., are the only explanation I can 
give for the decrease in the business. As 
for pasture, the condition just now is 
good, owing to recent rains, while tho 
hay crop will te 00 per cent, normal 
owing to June drought. Lots of silage 
corn is raised, and is in excellent con¬ 
dition. Milk, wholesale, at 4c to 5c per 
quart, and retails at 8c. The demand is 
good for milk and sweet cream, but not 
for dairy butter. L. L. B. 
Swanzey, N. II. 
When you write advertisers mention The 
Rural New-Yorker and you'll get a quick 
reply and a “square deal.” See guarantee 
editorial page. :::::: 
A FAST CUTTER 
Light 
Power 
This Gale-Baldwin re¬ 
quires about half the 
power demanded by 
other cutters of similar 
size. It has a revolving 
self-feed table—is astrong, positive feeder, 
and cuts more ensilage per hour than any 
machine operated with same amount of 
power. 
Gale . 
Baldwin 
ENSILAGE-CUTTER 
has the widely known, 62 -year, B. & T. 
reputation behind it. That’s guarantee 
enough. Buy one this season. Mr. Dairy- 
man and ‘‘thank your star” when silo¬ 
filling time comes. 
Dealers sell it. If none near you write 
us. Catalog describing all our line—free. 
Write today. 
Belcher & Taylor Agricultural Tool Co. 
Box No. y5, Chicopee Falls, Mass. 
From the Steel Knives to the Closed Elbow Blower Pipe every 
feature T T\JT SI V* ENSILAGE 
of the L, 1 JVl Jl CUTTER 
merits your special consideration. Qu 
rial and workmanship is quite as im- 
Quality of mato- 
lipi _ 
portant as scientific design. The Cli¬ 
max is dependable. Ask any Climax 
owner or operator, not only about tho 
Climax, but about the agent, dealers and 
makers who are behind the machine. 
Catalogue Free. Write Now. Some Open 
Territory for Live Agents end Dealers. 
Warsaw-Wilkinson Co. 
104 Highland, 
Warsaw, N. Y. 
They preserve silage perfectly. Com¬ 
bine best construction, greatest dura¬ 
bility and convenience. Easy to erect 
and keep air-tight. W rite today for cata¬ 
logue, Agents wanted. Address 
UNADILLA SILO 00., Box C , Bnadilla, N 
■a - 
Y. 
Cost no more than ordinary wood cribs; 
better; last a lifetime; cure corn better; keep 
drier—free from mold—don't lose germination. 
RA T-PROOF, FBRE-PROOF 
Lightning-proof, weather-proof, rust-proof, 
mouse-proof, bird-proof. Easily put up. Have 
patent ventilating and curing shaft. 12 Styles 
and Sizes from $47.60 and up. Freight Paid. 
A postal brings our Free Catalog. Write today. 
IRON CRIB 6 BIN C0. ( Boi 120 WOOSTER. OHIO 
A Kansas farmer has found good use 
for beer kegs. He has made a wide 
wheel which he places under the tongue 
of his binder. This lightens the weight 
of the binder tongue. 
GREEN MOUNTAIN SILOS 
CREAMERY PACKAGE MFG. CO. 
i^Jlwest Sti. Rutland. Vt. 
CUTTER 
Then you don’t have to wait for the custom-worker but you cut your corn when 
it is ready. Coarse or fine; fast or slow. Throws and blows and puts the silage 
into the highest silo. It is safe, too. Automatic safety yoke makes accidents 
impossible to operator. Steel plate case, solid disc, steel 
iT? base and strong construction. Three bearings, rocking 
• a D force-feed rolls, straight knives, (easy to keep keen) 
and sharpener. It takes very little power. Sized for 3)4 
h. p. up. Sold at a price you want to pay. 
Distributing houses everywhere 
SWAYNE, ROBINSON & CO., 210 Main St., Richmond, Ind. 
Writ* today We also make the “MONEY jiIAKEK” Hay Halers 
DEYO-MACEY SALES CO.. 
Distributors for New York State 
- 223 Washington St., Binghamton, New York 
ADEYO ENGINE BLE 
and a “Money Maker” 
SAFE SILAGE GUTTER 
Will Prove Real Money Makers for You^ 
With a Deyo Engine and a “Money E 
Maker” Silo Filler you can till the.® 
highest silo with ease and dispatch. * 
Read Swayne, Robinson & Co.’s advertisement right above this for information about the Silo Filler. They 
are tho manufacturers and we have the sale down in this part of the country. You can take our word for it that 
NO BETTER CUTTER AND FILLER WAS EVER BUILT 
Nor was there ever made, at any price, a more perfect model, easier to run, 
stronger, more substantial engine, that would give such effective service, so 
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Write TODAY for full illustrated descriptive booklet ‘“§38 
DEYO-MACEY SALES COMPANY, 24 Washington St., BINGHAMTON, N. Y. 
