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moncrete Silos

A Booklet of Practical Infor-
mation for the Farmer

and the Rural
Contractor

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PREPARED BY THE INFORMATION BUREAU

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CO.
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Price 25 CENTs

PUBLISHED BY THE

Universal Portland Cement Co.

CHICAGO — PITTSBURGH — MINNEAPOLIS

SEVENTH EDITION, 1914

Copyright 1914, by Universal Portland Cement Co.
6-15-14—50M-D

Harder Patent Does Not Cover
Concrete Silos

For the information of parties planning the
erection of concrete silos, we quote the following
from the opinion of our patent counsel relative to
the Harder patent No. 627732.

“The Harder patent as interpreted by Judge
Ray is limited to a silo having a continuous
opening from top to bottom, a series of sliding
doors, reinforcing strips and braces of peculiar
form. The court said in its opinion, ‘It is
obvious that the braces of the Harder patent
would be superfluous in stone or brick silos’;
this being true, the Harder improvement
would be wholly unnecessary in silos made of
concrete.

Therefore we advise you that the Harder
patent does not cover all forms of silos; that
it is limited and restricted to substantially the
exact construction which it shows and de-
scribes and that it is unnecessary, if not
undesirable, in silos made of concrete.”

Since concrete silos are not covered by the
Harder patent, farmers and contractors need have
no hesitancy in building <silos of concrete and are
requested to advise the Universal Portland Cement
Co. of cases where any claim of an infringement
is made.

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Tallest Silo in the World—93 Feet High—built of concrete. Contractor, H. B.
Collom, Somerville, Ohio.

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Table of Contents

Silos and Silage

General Facts: Page
Advantages of Silos aye 12 ye) a
Brief History of Silos. . etek StU oe ide) Uecker 8
What Leading Farm Papers Say . DOG) alias. coe a er 11
Common Silo Supersititions Exploded pe A egha) ge 100 Ge See 19
Silage|for Beef Cattle’. jut 555 OO Sa ae ae cee 23
Silage for Dairy Cows. . oR On arr 28
Silage for Sheep, Horses and Other ibieve Groce 0 Ue 30
Silage Crops. . - : 2a!) 6 Saya 35

General Information on Silos and Silage

Capacity for a Given Number of Cattle Sed MN ets oe! 37
Table of Capacities of Round Silosin Tons . s “Gh Eee 36
Economical Diameter. . . Sg To er 37
eight: 222 tg BP ee ne 1 ee ce 37
Tocation=«- is 50. a ae Re ak Be bat See ee a 38

Filling the Silo—Using Off Silage:

When to Harvest Corn for Sine Pare Mr Eg) 38
The Cutter... : ie ieee So, 39
Elevating and Distributing : i Oa Os 7 ee 39
Economy of Filling the Silo Rapidly bts yea, ee lr cr 40
Wetting the Silage. . . SU we hela ea URS a ae 40
Cost of Filling .. oh een 40
Table Showing the Cost of Filling Fifty: -nine Concrete Silos. . . . 102
Cost of Silage . . 5 een 42
Using Off the Sila ger a eS ie ee RR eo) 3. Loe a 42

Advantages of Concrete as a Silo Material:

Fireproof Construction{, yarn -)) ciuyset oe caine Sic a ee 46
George Pulling’s Silo 27 rs 2) te es ety bane Oe 46
Ay BuMain'ssSilow ss cir teste ea! Gegeonst Feet as oes oem ee 47
The: Elemeént:iof Waste, »; 2) % #35, 9E Oy ees ee ee 48
The Effect of Freezing oe Se ee 49
Concrete Silos Successful in Coldest: Climates... 8. a 50
Concrete Roof Prevents Silage Freezing . . . . . . .. =. 50
Time Required to Build a Concrete Silo. slg 50
A Comparison of the Monolithic and C oncrete Block Types 3 eae 50

Building the Silo
Methods of Building:

Contract Work. . fel ae ae aia Meet eae ah 52
Work Under Hired onertent gM gE EEE ve jane) Satta OR eo a 52
Work Under Home Supervision . . . . . .. =.=: « = -; 53

Co-operation in| Silo"Work® 3 2s A eee 53

Foundations ‘
Home-made Form for Monolithic Silos
Doorways

Constructing Mono tebe Silo Syiellied
Building Concrete Block Silos
Home-made Blocks

Concrete Chutes

Water Supply Tanks .

Concrete Roofs

Commercial Silo Systems

Monolithic .
Concrete Block

Appendix
Tables:

Triangle mesh reinforcement for monolithic silos .
Cost of filling concrete silos

Free U. S. Government and State Experiment Station Bulletins on

Silos and Silage

Index to Tables
Title
Capacity of Round Silos in Tons

Quantity of Silage Required for the © Dairy Herd aad Economical

Diameter of the Silo
Cost of Filling 59 Concrete Silos
Materials for Silo Footings and Floors .
Materials for Home-Made Silo Forms
Cubic Yards of Concrete in Silo Walls ..
Cement, Sand and Gravel Required for Monolithic Silo Walls
Triangle Mesh Reinforcing for Monolithic Silo

Size and Spacing of Reinforcing Rods in Monolithic Silo Walls :

Blocks Required for Walls of a Concrete Block Silo
Size of Reinforcing Rods for Concrete Block Silo .
Capacities of Water Supply Tanks

Materials and Reinforcing for Tank Floors

Page

102

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A FARM
SKYSCRAPER

Wilson Bros. Concrete Silo, Sugar Grove, Illinois.
Inside dimensions 16x64 feet; built in 1912.
Polk forms used. W. H. Warford, contractor.

Second Tallest Silo in the World. Built by H.B.
Collom, Somerville, Ohio. Monsco forms used.
Inside dimensions, 14x79 feet; built in 1913.

~

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CO.

Silos and Silage

The Advantages of Silos

A silo on a farm is a mark of progress. No other building so well
advertises the intent of the farmer to be progressive and up-to-date and
no other building saves him so much money on the investment. The
use of any reasonably good, comparatively air-tight silo pays. A good
silo will pay as much as 100 per cent on the investment the first year.
This is assuming, of course, that a reasonable number of cattle, horses,
sheep or hogs are being fed. The silo saves all of the corn crop, 40 per cent
of which would otherwise be wasted. In times of sudden rain, it fre-
quently saves all the alfalfa crop which could be saved in no other manner
except siloing it immediately. The silo eliminates troublesome corn stalks
and elevates feeding, especially in winter, from back-breaking drudgery
to a science. The silo is an asset: if built of permanent materials—it
is a permanent asset.

The advantages of silos are almost too great to enumerate; in fact,
almost any practical farmer who has built a silo finds a new reason
which proves further its economy and necessity. No other building holds
so much feed for such a small cost. To illustrate: A silo 60 feet high,
14 feet in inside diameter, will hold. approximately 400 tons and such a
silo has cost, all contractor’s profits included, $800. Where else could
$800 be invested in a building which would hold, safely and securely,
proof against time, elements, fire, and vermin (for this was a substantial
reinforced concrete silo with roof and chute), 400 tons of green, succulent
fodder, and keep it not only two or three months but, if necessary, for
two or three years? No other building but the silo will house so much
for so little cost. This fact bankers as well as farmers should remember.
Nowhere else is there so safe a loan which will do as much ultimate good
to the community. When the banker loans a farmer money to build a
silo, of a permanent material, such as concrete, the money will be in-
vested in a valuable improvement, immediately increasing the value oi
the property.

A silo, nowadays, is used sometimes more in summer than in winter.
There is no reason why acertain amount of silage cannot be fed successfully
every day in the year; pastures, even in the most fertile parts of Illinois,
Indiana, and Iowa, burned up one year under a rainfall in certain
districts less than that of the Sahara Desert. At other times the fields
are covered by floods, and blue grass or other pasture, however good, is
destroyed. The early part of the year, 1913, when for nearly six months
precipitation in Champaign County, Illinois, was less than 124 inches, and
the floods in the Ohio River Valley in the earlier part of that year where
not only fields, but bridges and buildings were destroyed, should also be
remembered.

The permanent silo, particularly, spells crop insurance. It makes

8 CONCRETE SILOS

profits; it reduces costs; it saves feed; it conserves all the crop, particularly
if that crop is corn. More than that, it conserves energy; it is efficient
and reduces farm labor to a minimum.

But since, perhaps, the “‘proof of the pudding is in the eating thereof,”
and as few districts nowadays are without silos, the practical experience
of neighbors should be sought. A little later on, extracts from some of the
leading farm papers of the country touching on a number of disputed
points are published. The careful reading of them, as they come from
disinterested and authoritative sources, will prove the foregoing statements.

Brief History of Silos

History tells us many things. It proves, apparently, that there is
nothing new under the sun. The Egyptians, hundreds of years before
Christ, put grain and other crops in large stone jars, covering them as
tightly as they could. In the ancient ruins of Rome, similar jars have
been found, made air-tight with a substance somewhat like bitumen.
Julius Caesar, we are told, made pits at convenient points along the great
military roads built by him, which were lined with clay, filled with green
forage, tramped on and sealed with clay, so that he had food for his
horses when the necessity pressed. Instances might be cited indefinitely,
as of the Mound Builders and Incas in North and South America, who
used jars similar to these of the Romans and ancient Egyptians and the

Mexican circular silo made of adobe, which A less efficient silo than illustrated on the left.
successfully keeps green fodder in the drier parts A square adobe silo; this type was first built in
of Mexico, where the material is not disin- Mexico, Crudeasthey are, they are better than
tegrated by rain. no silos.

Courtesy ‘‘Technical World.”’ -

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CoO. 9

same method as has been observed elsewhere. The silo is nothing more
nor less than a large fruit jar.

In Africa the barbaric natives do not allow their crops to stand out
in the fields at the mercy of the elements, but build a circular bin of inter-
woven reeds, plastered on both sides with chy, and covered with a
thatched roof. When the fodder or grain is to be removed, the roof is
propped up, for the time being, and replaced by the simple process of
removing the props. These structures are from 3 to 6 feet in diameter and
generally stand on stilts, with a. total height of 6 to 12 feet.

In Mexico, for some time past, probably centuries, crude silos have
been made of adobe, page 8. A square silo was first used, but the
Mexicans, like other North Americans of a later date, discovered that
the silage spoiled easily in the-corners. Strictly speaking, their product
is not silage as we understand it. It is a green fodder, packed in, but
not cut into small pieces. Their next step in silo building and possibly
the last for some time to come, was the round silo.

The silos shown on page 8 are crude structures, covered with thatch
—which must harbor insects, rats and mice. Nevertheless, these are
better than the methods, or lack of methods, used by many of the non-
progressive farmers of to-day, who do not even take the precaution of
covering their corn or machinery witha roof. The silos pictured in the
illustrations show, at least, an intelligent effort on the part of the Mexicans
to protect their food in dry seasons, and lead broad minded people to
think that perhaps we might learn something from them.

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Fifty-foot Concrete Silo put up for Ben. Searls Another Concrete Silo with concrete chute —
near Picketts, Wisconsin, by George W. West- solid, substantial, and enduring—Limberg molds

ern. Limberg molds used. used.

10 CONCRETE SILOS

It must be admitted that the savages of Africa and the half-civilized
peons of Mexico use more care in protecting their fodder crops than many
American farmers. More buildings of permanent material are needed
on our American farms.

The twentieth century silo, par excellence, is undoubtedly the rein-
forced monolithic concrete silo. A well built, reinforced concrete silo with
a concrete roof and a concrete chute is almost a defiance to nature. It
defies time, fire, wind, sun, rain, frost action, and the alternate action of
any or all of these elements combined. It is not injured by lightning.
Concrete silos have stood unmoved against tornadoes and have suc-
cessfully resisted shocks due to the impact of wagons, falling buildings and
trees, and cannot be entered, undermined or affected by rats or other
rodents, vermin or insects of any kind. The concrete silo cannot burn
up; it will not blow down; it is a twentieth century structure because
it represents more adequately than any other type of farm building the
triumph of man over his natural adversaries’ and is a striking example
of the victory of skill over brute strength or cunning.

ELLE

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Reinforced Concrete Grain Tanks, 16 feet by 65 feetinside dimensions. Built by Ed. Kuharske, Rock-
ford, Illinois, for Spencer Otis, Sr., Barrington, Illinois. Car unloader shown on side.

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CO. 11

What Leading Farm Papers Say

“Tt is claimed that the first silo in the United States was built in
Michigan in 1875, but it was not until some years later that they came
into any marked use, even in the best dairy districts. It is
only within the last three or four years that their full practical
and economic advantage was appreciated. The silo was gen-
erally regarded as simply a valuable adjunct to the dairy industry, and
its appearance as part of the farm equipment indicated the presence of
milch cows and a progressive dairyman. The value of silage in the
production of milk was early appreciated, but it is only within four years
past that its full economic value in all branches of the cattle industry
-began to be understood.

Tremendous
Silo Increase

«Since 1910 experiment stations in most of the states of the central
west have made repeated tests of silage as a feed for beef animals, as well
as for breeding and for young animals. The results consistently show that
such feed greatly reduces the cost of meat production, and increases the cattle
carrying capacity of the farm. The constant advance in the price of farm
land and the growing difficulty in profitably producing meat upon it,
has centered general attention upon these silage feeding experiments.
Knowledge of the favorable results quickly reached the feeding districts
and has been acted upon. The increase in the number of silos in operation

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Be eade eee are Block ‘Silo on William F. W. Merrill’s Concrete Block ‘Silo, built by
Stall’s farm near Lansing, Michigan. owner, Kaneville, Illinois.

12 CONCRETE SILOS

during the past two years is one of the most striking movements recorded
in the history of American Agriculture. Within that time the number
has more than doubled, and the movement appears to be just well under
way.

Estimated Number of Silos, January 1, 1914

Number Silos built oe

5 : pacity,
of silos in 1913 cone
QT Ose a nn aoe ee 10,560 3,432 ob
Mi chircaimenn ees asc tee 10,812 1,088 93
Nntdianaees eo) eee 11,500 2,760 105
MTOM eee xt Sader 17,340 5,202 101
Wisconsin re oye 41,535 8,236 101
Niininmesovasse ae 2.414 516 113
Mcierer ete ee ane ea 16,236 3,267 115
MiSsounit, ae eae 6,726 2.679 110
KamSastetis ea cee as 6,510 1,680 123
INebraskae eee 3,240 900 132
Nerth "Dakota... 5. 770 250 100
South Dakota........ 1,300 455 120
Oklahomeaye. seen ae 1,360 460 160

Motale cern: sin 130,303 30,925

“Tt will be noted that almost one-fourth of the total number of silos

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UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CO: 13

7

now in use were built during 1913, and in all probability at least one-half
were built within the last two years. Of course, by far the greater number
are as yet in the dairy regions, Wisconsin, Northern Dlinois, and Iowa
easily leading in numbers; but the states in which cattle feeding is
most practiced are the ones that now show the largest percentage of annual
increase. Central Indiana and Illinois, the north half of Missouri, eastern
Kansas and Central Oklahoma are beef-producing districts that are
marked by a rapid silo development during the past two years.

“The use of the silo in feeding beef cattle is responsible for an increase
in the average size of the silo. The size of the silo depends upon several
factors, the principal being the daily consumption of silage, as the top
must be removed promptly and uniformly over the whole surface, and as
the amount required daily for the average dairy herd is less than the amount
required for a feed lot of steers, it follows that the use of silage in meat
production has resulted in the erection in the last two years of silos of
larger capacity.

“The economic importance of the present development of silage feed-
ing would be hard to overestimate. About 70%, or roughly, 75,000,000

acres of our corn area is used to produce corn to be fed upon
Pate the farm. Husking and gathering this corn not only constitutes
Importance One of the hardest manual tasks performed upon the farm, but
is one of the largest items of cost in growing corn. An average
acre of corn land produces perhaps one ton of corn on the cob and 11 tons
of stalks, blades and husks when cured to a reasonable degree of dryness.

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Minnesota Concrete Silo, erected on F. W. Concrete Silos (dimensions 18 feet by 44 feet) on
Murphy’s farm, Wheaton, Minnesota, by Martin Wakefield farm, Barrington, Illinois, built by
Peterson, Contractor. Reichert Manufacturing Co., in 1912.

14 CON CREDLE SsliOs

7

“Tn the great corn belt of the West the ears are husked and then the
kernels are shelled off, such separation involving great labor and expense.
Then the 11 tons of feeding material is allowed to go to waste,
Eleven Tons 2 jncumbrance in the field, except as a small part is utilized
oege by the pasturing of cattle for a few weeks at the close of the year.
It follows that on 75,000,000 acres devoted to the growth of feed
for farm animals by far the greater part of the annual growth of feeding
material is absolutely thrown away. The use of the silo will prevent
this waste and make it possible to utilize in meat production 12 tons

of feeding material per acre instead of the one ton now so utilized.

“The silo furnishes a means of bridging the widening disparity between
meat production and population, through a complete utilization of the
feeding stuffs produced and the consequent ability to grow and fatten
more cattle per acre of farm land than is possible under any other form
of cattle feeding.” —Orange Judd Farmer, Chicago.

“During the last year we have heard a great deal about the virtues

of ‘alfalfa on every farm.’ Big alfalfa stories have been going the rounds
like wildfire. Fortunately they are ‘mostly true. Alfalfa growers

, have no excuse for lying about the value of their crop. They
find the plain truth sounds big enough—oftentimes too big.
This alfalfa phrase is worthy and the idea it conveys merits universal sup-
port and encouragement. More alfalfa leads to better farms and more
prosperous farmers. ‘There is no question about it. We would propose

“A Silo on
Every Farm

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Gonecke Silo on farm of H. Stillson Hart, Bar- Counter Silo with Concrete Roof, Chute a
rington, Illinois, visited by delegates to Confer- Feed House built on the Kane County Farm near
ence on Permanent and Sanitary Farm Improve- Geneva, Illinois. Also visited by delegates to

ments, August, 1913. Conference.

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CoO. 15

a companion phrase—‘A silo on every farm.’ We wish these two might
be displayed on the same banner, extolled from the same platform and
preached everywhere, publicly and privately. Where one is the other
ought to be. They are profit makers for every farm. Alfalfa and silage
come nearer solving the live stock problem satisfactorily, than any other
combination on the farm. While we are talking and advertising alfalfa,
let us not forget to put in a good word for the silo. They should go to-
gether. Every farm and farmer needs them.”’—The Farmer’s Review,
Chicago.

“Silage forms the bulk of the ration of the cows during the winter and

is used to supplement the pasture in summer. Cotton seed meal is

Silage Makes Used to balance the corn silage. At no time is corn, outside

Baby Beef ol silage, fed heavily. Mr. Tasker has been feeding silage for

Raising seven years and finds it to be a great help in producing baby beef
Profitable cheaply.’ —Prairie Farmer, Chicago.

“Silos are more numerous this year than ever before. The farmers

are beginning to realize that the silos are really necessary in a dry season

Silos More 2nd every dry season teaches them to look for another. That is

Numerous the reason so many are insuring their future feed supply by
in 1914 building this year.”-—Kimball’s Dairy Farmer, Waterloo.

“Fairview Farm is a leader in every way. Mr. Hall’s cement silo
was the first to be erected in his community. It was built eight years

dimensions 14 feet by 45 feet. Built by Ed. built by the Renwick Cement and Tile Co. of
Kuharske, Rockford, Illinois, for Hugh Ferguson. Renwick, Iowa.

16 CONCRETE SILOS

__ ago. Many inspected it and predicted that it would be useless

Bee Silo in a few years. Not only has it stood the test of time, but it
Prot has weathered a cyclone which two years ago ruined many build-
ings in that locality. An idea of its stability may be gained

from Mr. Hall’s assertion that an iron flagstaff which was imbedded in
the cement was broken completely off by the storm, but the silo was

uninjured.” —The Farmer's Review, Chicago.

‘Silage is of prime importance as a feed, because it enables the cows
to produce milk and butter more economically than on dry feed alone.
Compare this with a juicy, ripe apple and the green, dry fruit.

Dune oO If you have a silo full of good, well matured corn, you can
Importance look the cow square in the face and be glad.”—The Farmer,
Saint Paul.

“Investigations conducted by the Dairy Division of the U. 5. Dept.
of Agriculture during the past few years with 87 silos in various parts of
the United States, indicate the cost of filling to be an average
of 87 cents per ton. The cost of growing the silage crop was
$1.58 per ton on the average, which added to the filling cost
makes the average total cost of silage $2.45 per ton. However, no defi-
nite statement can be made as to the exact cost of silage as so much
depends upon the yield per acre, cost of production, and other conditions
that vary so greatly in different sections of the country. For the individual

Cost of
Silage

(AlN YY) gs LZ Wy

Reinforced concrete silos are popular in Kansas. Concrete Silo with Tank on Top. Size of silo,
This one is 12 feet by 32 feet; capacity 75 tons, on 14 feet by 48 feet; capacity 148 tons; water tank
the Newtown Farm, Winfield, Kansas. Concrete capacity, 10,000 gallons; erected with Monsco
chute and roof. Monsco forms used. forms on the farm of E. D. Elliott, Floral, Kansas.

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CO. 17

farms under consideration the cost of silage varied from $1.10 to $5.42
per ton. The investigators state that $1.50 to $3.50 per ton represents

the limits between which most of the silage is produced.”
—Hoard’s Dairyman, Ft. Atkinson.

An Iowa correspondent writes to Wallace’s Farmer asking:

“What in your estimation is the value per ton of corn silage made from
corn averaging fifty-five bushels per acre, and stored in a silo

eae of eighteen feet wide by thirty-four feet high? This silage is of
2 very good quality. In case I should buy it, I would have to

commence taking it from the top.”
“Under present conditions, it costs from 50 cents to $1 to put a ton of

silage into a silo. Probably the average would not be far from 65 cents.
This includes cost of cutter, engine, coal, man and horse labor, etc. Seven-
ty-five cents per ton should cover the interest on the investment in the silo,
depreciation, insurance, etc. The other item to be considered is the
value of the corn fodder per ton if it were not put in the silo. We will as-
sume that our correspondent’s fifty-five bushel corn would make twelve
tons of silage, and that the stalks are worth $1 an acre. To the ear corn
we will assign a value of 65 cents per bushel. This is assuming a market
value of 70 cents, and deducting 6 cents for husking. On the basis of these
figures, a ton of silage should be worth about $4.45. If the market value of
corn were 45 cents per bushel, the value of a ton of silage would be $3.16.

Frank Leach’s Monolithic Silo (dimensions 14 Fire proved this concrete silo, another picture of

feet by 48 feet) near Chesterfield, Illinois, built which is shown on page 47; the second mono-

by Perry Duekles, Carlinville, Illinois. Polk lithic concrete silo built in either the United
States or Canada. McCoy forms used.

forms used.

18 CONCRETE SILOS

“These figures are merely suggestive. In any particular case they
must be applied with judgment, and other things must be taken into con-
sideration. It would seem fair, however, to make the market value of corn
less the cost of husking per bushel, the yield per acre in tons of silage, cost
of siloing, and the quality of the silage, the determining factors in secur-
ing the valuation of silage.’—From Wallace’s Farmer, Des Movnes, Iowa.

“Dairymen who have a supply of silage which will be available are
most fortunate and have simplified the matter of feeding their cows suc-
__.. cessfully through the summer. Sunburned pastures present no

The Silo in :
Sire terrors for them. — Experiments have proved that good corn
silage is equal to green soiling crops for summer milk produc-
tion and is much more conveniently fed to cows than are green soiling
crops which have to be hauled from the fields.” —The Farmer, Saint Paul.

‘Feed bills which have been saved this winter through the use of the

silo cannot be estimated. One correspondent declares that his new silo

it P ‘has practically paid for itself’ this first year. Another says
ays for . Sean f : :

Itself the silo is the greatest money saving investment I ever made.

I am going to build another this summer.’ It is the same

story all along the line—what they all say after a fair trial of the silo.

There is no investment which pays better interest and dividends from

the very start. A live stock farmer without a silo in these days is working

under a serious handicap so far as economical profits are concerned.”—

The Farmer's Review, Chicago.

Wisconsin with W. A. Limberg’s patented molds. showing method of operating forms.

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CO. 19

The supposed effect of silage acid on concrete has been one of the

most widely discussed and at the same time the most absurd of the many
common silo fallacies. Silage acid is one of the weakest acids

pene q Known to science. It does not miraculously preserve wood nor
by Silage destroy concrete, neither does it affect cows’ teeth nor their hoofs
or horns. It does not eat out their stomachs and has no bad

effect upon them whatsoever. Silage juices will not eat away concrete
nor injure it in the slightest degree, which is proven by the fact that after
years of service the concrete founda tions of hundreds of silos built of other
material still show, to-day, the trowel marks which were made at the
time constructed. If the silage acid had any effect whatsoever, it would
only be a few months when the floor (of all places) would show the effects.

Many a dairyman, who has successfully fed silage to his cows for

years, is told by his neighbor who raises sheep or hogs that silage is all

right for dairy cows but it is not good for his animals. This, of

pore : course, is absurd, but it should be remembered that the stomachs
equired

in Feeding Of animals like cows (which have four stomachs holding 40 or 50

pounds of silage in 24 hours) are different from the smaller and

more delicate stomachs of horses or sheep. Hogs relish silage but they.

again, have different kinds and sizes of stomachs than the other animals

mentioned. Silage is also fed to chickens and other poultry with great

success. It might be mentioned, at this time, that the average silage

ration for cattle runs from 30 to 50 pounds daily; for horses, not as a rule,

over 15 pounds and the silage must be of excellent quality, as the horse is

a dainty feeder; for sheep, not over 3 pounds daily; for hogs, from 3 to 5

Sixteen Concrete Silos similar to illustration have Concrete Silo. Built by] ee. pate for s. Ss.
been built by John Stahl of Hayton, Wisconsin. Lee of Lowell, Michigan.

20 CONCRETE SILOS

pounds, and for chickens it should be placed in clean ‘receptacles and fed
to them like any other green stuff. Animals which have never been fed
silage should be started on a very small quantity for a few days, just as
other new foods are given only in small quantities at first, by the careful
feeder.

“‘TIn a recent issue of ‘The Farmer’ an exchange article was run which
would give the impression that concrete is injuriously affected by the

Silage Juice acid in silage juice. This certainly would be a mistaken idea,

Does Not as there is absolutely no evidence we can find to show but what
Affect concrete is just as enduring in a silo wall as anywhere else.
Concrete * # & * Qur observations are that silage juice has absolutely

no perceptible effect upon concrete.”—The Farmer, Saint Paul.

“There is nothing about concrete that produces mold in silage. If
Concrete Does a concrete silo is properly made it will preserve silage well,
Not Cause whether it be built above or below the ground.”’—Hoard’s Dairy-
Moldy Silage man, Ft. Atkinson.

“Tt will not injure dairy cows to feed them all the silage they will

Free Use eat providing it has been properly made and is not moldy.”
of Silage —Kimball’s Dairy Farmer, Waterloo.

A subscriber to ““Hoard’s Dairyman” asks, ““Which kind of silo

keeps ensilage the best, wood or cement?” This is answered in the March

27, 1914, issue.
‘“A cement or concrete silo, if properly built, will keep
ensilage as well as any other type of silo. The secret of success

Cement or
lVood ?

Monolithic Silo. (McCoy forms used) of Roy Ward Swift’s silo near Streator, Illinois, built by
Hagler of Washington Court House, Ohio, built Armstrong and Co. of Streator. Note concrete
by James Wilt. roof and concrete chute.

: UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CO. 21

in building a concrete silo is largely in the mixture used; 1 part cement,
2 parts clean, sharp sand, and 4 parts clean gravel or crushed rock are
recommended.”

“Silage has very much the same effect upon the cow’s digestive
apparatus as pasture grass.’’—Kimball’s Dairy Farmer, Waterloo.

“Every now and then some cock and bull yarn is started by ignorant
men as to evil effects of ensilage. No one can stop them. They are a
natural product of ignorance. Disraeli once said that ‘even
Providence could not provide for the unforeseen machinations
of stupidity.” About once in so often we are called upon to dis-
pute the statement that ensilage injures the teeth of cows. The latest
tomfoolery of that kind is that ensilage causes acidity in the soil, and we
notice Dr. Hart of the Wisconsin College of Agriculture feels called upon
to dispute it. But the worthy doctor has an interminable task ahead of
him if he puts down every ignorant tale that is told about the silo and
about ensilage.”—Editorial, Hoard’s Dairyman, Ft. Atkinson.

Cock and
Bull Stories

“Tt is more difficult to keep silage in a silo 24 feet deep than in one 30
or 40 feet deep. The deeper the silo, the more likely the silage is to pack
tightly together and keep out air. In early days, when silos
were made only 15 or 20 feet deep, they found it necessary to
put weights on top of the mass in order to prevent spoiling.”—From
Wallace’s Farmer, Des Moines, Iowa.

Deep Silos

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A Minnesota Concrete Silo built by farmer A. L. A Fine Example of Permanent Construction. A
Liske of Henderson, Minnesota, who used home- reinforced concrete silo and concrete roof which

made forms. will probably stand for centuries.

22 CONCRETE SILOS

“Silage will keep, if properly put up in a good silo, from 3 to 4 years.
Silage does not ‘cook.’ It ferments and it does not matter whether there
is 6 inches of concrete, 2 inches of wood, 14 inch of iron, or
Temperature what kind of construction is used in the walls. The heat is
Re eas caused by the fermentation and the loss through the walls is so
small that it is entirely negligible. The temperature due to

fermenting may rise to 130 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

A silo that is air tight will hold the moisture. There is nothing more
mysterious in putting up silage than there is in putting up sauer-kraut.
The confusion arises usually because agents of different kinds of silos try
to make differences where none exist.” —Hoard’s Dairyman, Ft. Atkinson.

A Wisconsin dairyman writes to ‘The Farmer” of St. Paul, asking if it
is true that dairy cows fed on silage live only about five years. The
answer Is:
eee. a “There is positively nothing in such a report; as a matter
Cows’ Lives of fact, cows fed silage will generally outlive cows that are not
fed silage or some other such succulent feed.

“The Minnesota Experiment Station of St. Paul has a greater
number of records of old cows than perhaps can be found anywhere
else in the United States; that is, cows that were raised from calves
and continued in the herd until they died of old age, most of them over
fifteen years and profitable to the last year. These cows are fed silage
the year around, from twenty to forty pounds a day. ‘This is surely
evidence that cows will live their natural life when fed on silage.”

Mlle ili

Northern , Wisconsin’s First Monolithic Silo— Successful Reinforced Concrete Twin Silos built
built by G. Ww. Graham of Roberts, with Wis- with molds patented by W. H. Limberg of Plym-
consin Farmers’ Institute silo forms. (See illus- outh, Wisconsin, who is an inventor and a silo

tration on page 56.) contractor.

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CO. 23

Silage for Beef Cattle

Time was when one could usually find a dairy farm, by locating a
silo, but that time has passed. Silage is acknowledged to be the best feed
for dairy cows. The high cost of feed has necessitated the use of some
cheaper feed than grain, some better method than pasture on the beef
feeder’s or stock raiser’s farm. There is no cheaper feed than silage and
it can be fed to excellent advantage to beef cattle, as repeated tests at the
University of Illinois and at Purdue University have shown. The day
for fat cattle has also passed, if one is to judge from the last Inter-
national Live Stock Show, and from the recent trend of the market. Baby
beef seems not only to be most: popular but most profitable. It has been
shown conclusively that baby beef can be brought forward more rapidly
and cheaply, on silage as a maximum ration, than on any other feed.
The successful beef feeder to-day, to make the largest profits, must of
necessity have a silo and feed silage. This is as true of Indiana as Kansas.
It is as true of Oklahoma as Minnesota. The beef feeder will do well
to look into this question and get reports from his State Experiment
Station, and if these do not give fully the information desired, it is sug-
gested that he write for further information to the State Experiment
Stations at the University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois; Purdue University
at LaFayette, Indiana, and to the Ohio State University, at Columbus.

zy I Se ee ee E : :
Monolithic Concrete Silo built by S. E. Griffeth Concrete Silo in process of construction on Green
for S. L. Covey, Belvidere, Illinois; looks and is Brothers’ Farm, Morgan, Minnesota. Built with
substantial farm labor.

ey

24 CONCRETE SILOS

“That was one of the sights of the International—Brother Leo and his

fat bullocks. Last year, at the same show, he secured them when they were

the prize yearlings in the feeder class. He took them to the

Cie ee at Srcat farm at Notre Dame University and fed them. They had

Siniee: silage all summer long and never a bite of grass, for Brother Leo

national’ is seeking production of prime beeves. With the silage they had

grains, of course. The result is astonishing. The cattle have

taken on flesh, width, rotundity; they are splendid bullocks, provoking
wonder and smiles.” —Hditorial from Breeder’s Gazette, Chicago.

“One week last spring I visited the Old Cattleman to look at the

new crop of calves.
* ok Kk KK K K K KK K OK

Baby Beef “<«T do not shut off the silage altogether until the grass is a
Making

Safest System little solider and not so washy,’ explained the Old Cattleman.
for Corn Belt ‘It makes a little bulk with which to feed the cottonseed meal
to the cows. They and the yearlings get just enough of it each
day so that none of it spoils. They eat vt even on the best of June grass, at
least they did last year! It is cheaper than the grass, so why not feed it?

* Kk K K K K KK K KK K

‘“**T wean the calves in the fall. Sometimes they are only a bit over
five months old. Sometimes they're as much as eight months or better.
They’re eating grain when they're weaned and I get ’em on full feed
as soon as I safely can. They get shelled corn, oats, oilmeal, clover hay,
alfalfa, selage, a little bran and sometimes a bit of molasses. Id rather

Arcady Certified Milk Barn, Lake Forest, Illinois, showing litter carriers and two of six concrete silos.

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CoO. 25

buy the molasses myself and mix my feeds than buy the prepared feeds,
though I have fed a little of some of them. [ like oilmeal better than
the cottonseed meal, for the calves, though I have fed a little cottonseed
meal when the oilmeal was high. More than a pound a day of the cotton-
seed meal doesn’t seem to be good for the calves, while I have fed three
pounds of the oilmeal at a profit.

** *T like alfalfa best of all the hays I ever tried. My own patch of it,
though, has killed out and I’m just getting it started again. The last
bunch, those in the yards, had only clover and oat hay. Of course they
got silage. The silage is great stuff, but the cows get more of that than
the calves do. I reckon I never feed more than 15 pounds of silage a
day to the calves, and seldom that much. I used to feed some roots to
the calves, and a lot to the cows, but not any more since I have silage.
They cost too much to grow. ‘Labor is too high and I don’t like to bend
my back over them myself. Silage is better anyhow.

*“<T’ve made yearlings weigh 1,200 pounds at 16 months in the way
I’ve told you. The bunch in the yard will average a good bit better than
1,100 in June at 16 months. Sometimes I sell at 1,000 pounds or less.
Sometimes I carry them to 1,250 pounds or better. Usually when they
are fat and prime they are better sold even if they are a bit light in weight.
There’s not much money in holding after they are ready to go.

*k eK K kK kK KK K *K

**<T like to feed the babies better than the older cattle. It’s a surer
thing and to me it’s a pleasanter business, too, breeding them yourself.’ ”’
—By Rex Beresford, Iowa Beef Producers’ Association, in the Prairie Farmer, Chicago.

SSE

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STS EA ONE BT Se

Two of the Six Reinforced Monolithic Concrete Silos at Arcady Farm, Lake Forest, Illinois, owned
by Arthur Meeker.

26 CONCRETE SILOS

That Indiana feeders believe in concrete silos is shown by the follow-
ing letter:

: “Editor Prairie Farmer: I saw an article in your March
gee ee Ist issue in regard to one of the largest concrete silos in the
Hebden world, 16x62 feet. We have a farmer in Knox county, Indiana,

by the name of William H. Brevorte, who has built six conerete
silos whose dimensions are 22 feet diameter by 60 feet high. He will
build six more this year, same dimensions. He is feeding 1,000 head of
cattle.’ —Prairie Farmer, Chicago.

A South Dakota correspondent writes to Wallace’s Farmer asking:

“Cattle can be pastured on prairie grass from May Ist to December

Ist, fer $2.50. For the remaining months, corn silage can be fed. How

much silage would be consumed daily by the average beef cow,

eee d by the average yearling, by the average two-year-old, and by

pice the average three-year-old? How much gain could be expected

each year from young stuff fed silage? How much gain could

be expected each year from young stuff on pasture? What other feed
should be fed with silage to make the most economical winter growth?

“We do not know just how good this prairie ‘grass pasture in South

Dakota is. Good corn belt blue grass pasture will put an average daily

gain on yearlings of about one and one-half pounds, and on two-year-olds of

about one and two-thirds pounds. Such pasture costs $6 or $7 per acre for

the season. i
“Calves coming into the winter in fairly thin condition and fed all the

A Michigan Concrete Block silo—homemade— F. W. Merrill, contractor, of Kaneville, [linois,
on farm of W. Stoll, Lansing, Michigan. owns the block silo illustrated above.

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CO. 27

silage they can eat, and one pound of cottonseed meal or oil meal daily,
should gain about one and one-half pounds daily. Under such conditions
they should probably eat about thirty pounds of silage, a little more or a
little less, depending upon the proportion of corn and water in the silage.
Yearlings or two-year-old steers roughed through the winter on silage will
eat thirty to forty pounds daily. Beef cows will eat forty to fifty pounds.
In addition to the silage, it is wise to allow them some dry roughage, such
as oat, straw, cane hay, or corn stover. It would be wise to feed them two
or three pounds daily per 1,000 pounds live weight of cottonseed meal or
oil meal. On a ration of corn silage, oat straw, and cottonseed meal or oil
meal, yearlings, two-year-olds, or three-year-clds should make daily
gains of about one and three-fourths pounds. Much depends, however,
upon how thin the steers are when they are put on winter feed.”

> —Wallace’s Farmer, Des Moines, Iowa.

(

In Henry County, Illinois, some of the largest feeders in the Corn

Belt are also going to raise some stock, expecting to change their methods.

Regarding this, ““Orange-Judd Farmer” of Chicago says: ‘‘Clyde

eee Feeders Ford believes they must ultimately come to use a silo, particu-
ust Build 2, ‘ ae ;

Silos larly if they get to handling young steers or raising their own

stock.’’ On the Hulting farm, Ed. Hulting, the manager, said:

“Under the new system of raising baby beef, I believe that silage and

alfalfa will be the chief bulky part of the ration with a little grain to

keep the calves always in first-class condition. They will be kept fat all

the time and at the end of the year will be topped off with a short grain

feed, in excellent market condition, weighing about 1,000 to 1,100 pounds.”

é#

Excellent Concrete Block Silo in the heart of the John Bett’s Concrete Block Silo near Lake
butter district near Elgin, Illinois. Geneva, Wisconsin. Dimensions 13x32 feet.

28 CONCRETE SILOS

Silage for Dairy Cows

Winter dairying is most profitable. This is particularly true in the
northern states, as flies and other pests are eliminated by the cold weather,
and it is easier to keep milk cool and clean because of the weather and the
absence of flies. In many communities not only where whole milk is pro-
duced, but also where the milk is sold to creameries or cheese factories,
winter dairying has been found to be most profitable if silage is fed. To
get the largest milk flow and keep the dairy cow in the most healthy
condition some sort of succulent food must be fed, and in some way the
ingenuity of man must provide conditions similar to June pasture. Good
silage practically equals this condition.

However essential silage is in winter dairying, in summer, especially
in August when the pastures are sunburnt and bare, the dairyman needs
to feed it. In fact, on some farms producing certified mulk, silage is fed
the entire year, not only because it is so easily handled in the barn in com-
parison with other feeds, but, also, because it is such a cheap feed. No
other roughage approaches silage for low cost of storing, handling, and
feeding. The silo increases the carrying capacity of the farm. Where
dairy cows or other stock are fed, many more can live on the products
of the same number of acres, by the use of the silo and silage.

“In practically every way the Brewster place is an ideal dairy farm.

Monolithic Silo built in 1907 on farm of L. A. Attractive Concrete Block Siloon Fred. Ludke’s
Crawford, near Walworth, Wisconsin. farm near East Troy, Wisconsin.

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CoO. 29

Pure bred Holstein cows, a bull valued at $1,000, a cement silo, a sanitary
cow barn, and an automobile for marketing the produce, all tend

#100 @ ae Ms make surroundings which may be studied with profit by any
® Cows armer.

“The sole purpose in conducting this dairy farm is to make
money. In order to do this both Mr. Brewster and his wife keep careful
track of their cattle and of the markets, and they spare no effort to
make their investment a profitable one. From a financial standpoint it is
unquestionably successful. Throughout the past summer more than a
hundred dollars per month has been realized from the milk of the herd
of 8 cows.

“Mr. Brewster considers the silo indispensable to the dairy farm.
The one on this place is of cement construction, 30 feet high and 15 feet
wide.’ —The Farmer’s Review, Chicago.

“The feeding of corn silage judiciously to a herd bull does not injure

his prepotency. It is true of corn silage as of any other food, if the animal

: is overfed injury of one kind or another will result. Corn silage

Peue for should provide only a portion of the animal’s ration. All ani-

reeding : 4

Seer mals demand a certain amount of dry food daily, therefore hay

should be fed in conjunction with silage for roughage. In addi-

tion to this, especially in breeding season, the herd bull should have a light

ration of foods conducive to the upbuilding of condition and stamina.

Such foods are bran, oil meal and ground oats. Where corn silage is fed

as a small portion of the ration for the purpose of supplying succulence

rather than food nutrients, it is one of the most valuable feeds for all
kinds of breeding animals.” —Kvimball’s Dairy Farmer, Waterloo.

Concrete Silo at Home for the Aged, Washington, D. C.

30 CONCRETE SILOS

“T have as neighbors a father and son who have been in the dairy
business for twelve years, using scrub cows and without a pure-bred sire
and a silo. The father has been opposed to these new-fangled
Nothing Like things all these years, but this year I induced the son to buy a
freee pure-bred sire and to build a silo even though his father objected
to it. When they commenced to feed the silage the father saw the milk
flow increase and his creamery check grow larger. I now hear him say:
‘My boy, there is nothing like a silo for the man that milks cows. If I
had pure-bred cows, too, my creamery check would be larger and the
farm would be more profitable.’ ”°—Hoard’s Dairyman, Ft. Atkinson.

Silage for Sheep, Horses and Other Live Stock

Silage is very successfully fed to sheep. A number of large sheep
feeders around Chicago have been very successful in fattening sheep
for market by the use of silage. There is no doubt, especially in the
Corn Belt states, that sheep have come to stay. More will be raised
every year, not so much for wool as for mutton. This means different
methods of feeding because it is not economical on land worth over $100
an acre to pasture them. ‘The use of the silo and silage reduces the cost
to a tremendous extent, particularly as sheep will rarely, if ever, be fed
over 3 pounds of silage per day, which is equivalent to several times its
weight in hay. In feeding sheep silage they should be started with very
small quantities and no spoiled silage should be fed them or, in fact, any
other animals. Spoiled silage is no different from any other rotten food

ates
Cement Stave Silo, Bosworth Brothers’ farm. Concrete block silo on Courlund Marshall’s farm
Built by Cement Stave Silo Co. of Elgin, Illinois. near Rochester, Ohio. Built by V. W. Burge.

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CO. 31

and there is no excuse for feeding it any more than the farmer would
deliberately give his animals contaminated water or moldy hay. Com-
mon sense is more needed in feeding silage to sheep and horses, than
other live stock, because of the small quantities of any food their stomachs
will hold at one time.

Silage is good for horses. It can be fed to them in amounts varying
from 7 to 15 pounds a day. Here again care should be exercised and the
horse should only be fed small amounts at first until he gets used to the
new ration. Where silage is used for roughage, concentrates must be
fed. Alfalfa and corn silage makes an almost ideal balanced ration for
horses and a very cheap one as well.

Silage has been fed successfully not only to horses, but to poultry of
all kinds. Chicken silos are advertised, but as a matter of fact, a large
silo, preferably a tall one, with not too great a diameter, is most economical,
as from it, at all times of the year, a succulent ration is provided for beef
and dairy cattle, sheep, horses, hogs and poultry of all kinds.

“For four years now, we have been in the business of feeding western
lambs. For the first two years we fed without a silo and for the last two
years with a silo. It is easy for me to say that we are well

ee? ae ee the results we have gained in using silage for feed-
Adjunct in ing lambs.

“Sheep “Our silo is a cement stave silo 12 feet in diameter and 35
ee feet high with a capacity of 100 tons. It cost us $350 com-

plete. From this silo this winter we fed 700 lambs, 1 cow, 3
horses aa 500 chickens. They emptied it in one hundred and ten days.

H. M. Hatch’s Silo at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Capacity, 110 tons. This silo ae paid for itself
many times since it was erected.

32 CONCRETE SILOS

“The lambs ate about 3 pounds per head a day to start with, but as
soon as we got them onto full feed of grain they came down to about 2
pounds per head a day. It takes us about thirty days to get them on
full feed.

“We fed these lambs this winter, that is when they were on full feed,
for about ninety days, allowing each 114 pounds of shell corn; 4% pound
of oil meal; 134 pounds of silage and 14 pound of clover hay a day, with
all the salt and water they wanted all the time.’—The Farmer’s Review,
Chicago.

According to extracts from ‘“‘Farmer’s Bulletin No. 556,” U. 5. De-

partment of Agriculture, silage is an excellent feed for horses if used with

care. It is not safe to feed horses moldy silage, frozen silage or

plage teh a large quantity of silage. Carelessness in feeding horses silage,

if it is moldy, or feeding moldy hay or corn will result fatally.

That silage for horses has a distinct and definite value for the careful and
practical farmer is shown by the following quotations: .

“The value of silage for horses is greatest as a means to carry them
through the winter season cheaply or to supplement pasture during
drought. To cheapen the ration of brood mares, in winter, no feed has more
value than good corn silage. If grain goes into the silo with the stover
no additional grain is needed for brood mares, hay being the only sup-
plemental feed necessary. If there is little grain on the corn the silage

OZ.

Four in a Row—all reinforced concrete silos, near Manhattan, Kansas (16 feet by 60 feet inside di-
mensions), built for H. G. Adams, Maple Hill. Probably the largest silos west of the Mississippi River.

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CO. 33

should be supplemented with 1 pound of old process linseed oil meal or
cottonseed meal daily per 1,000 pounds live weight, sprinkled over the
silage.

“Horses to be wintered on a silage and hay ration should be started
on about 5 pounds of silage daily per 1,000 pounds live weight, the grain
and hay ration being gradually decreased as the silage is increased until
the ration is 20 pounds ; silage and 10 pounds of hay daily per 1,000 pounds
live weight. It will require about a month to reach the full feed of sil: age,
but the period may be decreased somewhat, depending on the judgment

and skill of the feeder.

“Mares fed in this manner will be in splendid condition for foaling,

_ and, so far as the writer’s experience goes, the foals will be fully as vigor-

ous, with just as much size and ‘bone, as if the mares were fed the con-
ventional grain and hay ration.”

“Corn silage is exceedingly valuable feed for dairy cows, and during

the past few years especially, since it has been put in the silo in a more

‘ mature condition, it has proven to be a very economical feed for
ae Has ‘ growing young cattle and for fattening them for market. If
andHogs _ the corn is not cut until after the ears ripen with the most of the
leaves still green, it produces the best quality of silage for fat-

tening purposes. In fact, it is better to let it get a little over-ripe so
that it is necessary to use water to make it pack in the silo than to cut it
too green. Immature corn not only produces less feed to the acre, but
silage from such corn is more apt to sour and is less valuable for feeding

2 2 SR

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]

Excellent concrete block silo, built in Tana Ee Monolithic Concrete Silo built by Pere oleae
Anchor Concrete Stone Co., Rock Rapids. Neenah, Wisconsin, for Emil Black.

34 CONCRETE SILOS

purposes. Good silage fed in moderate quantity in connection with grain
and some dry roughage makes a very satisfactory ration for any class of
cattle.

“Tt would not pay to build a silo for hog feeding only, because the hog
is not able to handle a large quantity of bulky feed. The stomach of the
hog is small and they must be supplied with a large proportion of concen-
trated material like corn, wheat, shorts, ete. For best results in fattening
hogs, it would be impractical to have the ration more than one-fifth bulky
feed. Brood sows which have their growth can, of course, take a much
larger quantity of such feed. For this reason it would not be profitable
to give fattening hogs more than a small quantity of silage, not to exceed
one pound per day to a 200-pound fattening hog. A brood sow weighing
300 pounds could use to advantage double that quantity. If you have
enough cattle on the farm to make a silo worth while, it will no doubt
pay to feed a small quantity each day to the hogs, otherwise not.”—The
Farmer, Saint Paul.

Pea vines, once considered waste products, have been used very suc-
cessfully in making silage and in fact this method is of benefit, as proved
by the following extract from Hoard’s Dairyman:

‘Pea blight is said to be due to a parasite fungus that winters on the

Pea Blight vines and that it can be prevented by the simple expedient of
ensiling the vines and feeding them to the cattle.’—Hoard’s
Dairyman, Ft. Atkinson.

\

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INS

Wy. DD WU Y j TE i yy

No trouble about concrete block silos standing Although empty, the concrete block silo of Dr.
when empty. H. M. Ashfy of Geneva, Iowa, H. W. Tuttle of Adrian, Missouri, successfully

owns the silo illustrated above; built by G. C. resisted a cyclone which destroyed all surround-
Harvey of Geneva. ing buildings.

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CO. 35

Silage Crops

As alfalfa is king of forage crops, so is corn the best of the silage erops.

If some one would come from a strange, far off country and tell the farmer

of a new sort of a building which would house 300 to 500 tons

as ae al of fodder and keep it all the year around and he had a wonderful

Crop R seed from some foreign country which would produce from 4 to

10 tons of provender per acre, how quickly all the farmers

would be greedy and willing to purchase his entire supply. Corn is the

crop and the silo is the building by which both these seeming miracles
can be accomplished. nee

In addition to corn; alfalfa, clover hay, Kaffir corn, sugar beet tops,
pea vines and dozens of other crops have been successfully siloed. In
N Kansas, particularly, alfalfa, otherwise ruined by rain, has been
umberless oa : : : :
Silage Crops taken dripping with moisture, dumped into concrete silos and
saved. It has been thought best, however, by eminent authori-
ties, to use corn as the greater part of the silage. If other fodder, par-
ticularly nitrogenous crops like alfalfa or clover, are siloed, they should
be in the proportion of about 1 to 2—that is, 2 parts corn to one of
the other. The fermentation of the corn seems to have a beneficial effect
upon the other crop, so that in the process of fermentation it does not
sour or turn black as sometimes when handled alone. Every day new

WME CO

3 - Pr, ~ PB =: ee j
yidil th isteach Ueble tiene i i ic PTS lg, Pa PAHO is Sti ab Ni Le ond : |
Excellent example of high concrete silo of com- Cement stave silo 18 by 30 feet, on State of Min-
paratively small diameter. nesota Farm, St. Paul.

36 CONCRETE SILOS

uses are being found for the silo and new crops successfully put up.
Where a crop is in good condition there is no reason why it, will not
keep in a silo better than anywhere else, provided, of course, that the silo
is air tight, and stays air tight.

“Corn is universally recognized as the greatest of the silage crops.

Its large yield of grain and fodder under fair conditions is remarkable

Corn, on bottom land farms, will produce from 6 to 20 tons of

Corn as silage per acre (in Oklahoma). The general average for Okla-

Silage : 5

homa is, however, much lower, ranging from 9 to 12 tons per

acre. This wide difference indicates that for maximum yields corn should

be grown on bottom land as far as possible, and kafhr ‘and milo may be
reserved for the upland.”—Kimball’s Dairy Farmer, Waterloo.

Capacity of Round Silos in Tons

Inside INSIDE DIAMETER OF SILO
Height of :
Silo |
in Feet 3 p |) {13 £t.J/14 £t.)15 £t./16 £t.)17 ft.|18 ft.19 ft./20 ft./22 ft.

|

Q4 : 57 67 76 86 110
25 ‘ 2 60 80 91 116
26 64 85 97 123
Q7 68 102 130

28 71 109 137
29 795 114 144
30 79 119 151
31 83 125 158

131 166
33 137 174
34 143 181
35 : 149 189

155 196
37 161 204
38 167 212
39 173 220

40 7 180 228
41 187 236
: 193 244
201 252

207 261
269
Q77
285

293
301

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CoO. 37

General Information on Silos and Silage

|

: The capacity of the silo should depend upon the number of cattle to
__ be fed, and the length of time that silage is required. This period usually
| lasts from 180 to 240 days, although very frequently silage is fed
almost the entire year. The following table shows the approxi-
mate amount of silage required to feed 8 to 100 dairy cows 180 and 240
days, based on a daily consumption of 40 pounds of silage per head.

Capacity

Quantity of Silage Required, and Economical Diameter of

Silo for the Dairy Herd
Feed for Feed for Diameter
aes 180 Days 240 Days of Silo
y tons tons feet
8 29 40 10
10 36 48 10
15 54 72 12
20 72 96 12
25 90 120 14
30 108 144 16
35 126 168 16
40 144 192 18
45 162 216 18
50 180 240 20
60 216 288 Q2
70 952 336 22
80 288 384 Q2
90 324 432 QQ
100 360 480 22

After determining the approximate amount of silage required, the
most economical diameter for the silo must be decided on. The diameter
should depend upon the number of cattle to be fed, and at least
2 inches of silage must be removed each day to prevent spoil-
ing. The diameter required for various numbers of cows is about as given
in the two right columns of the table on this page. Dairy cows eat from
30 to 40 pounds of silage per day, which amount equals about one cubic
foot. Horses and mules eat about one-half and sheep about one-tenth
as much as cows.

The height of the silo must be such that the required capacity may be
obtained with the most economical diameter, and in many cases silos have
Height been built with a height exceeding 60 feet. The high silo of small

diameter has less waste than the silo of larger diameter, and the
greater weight of silage in high silos reduces the amount of tramping neces-
sary, while silos of smaller diameter allow greater variation in the size of

Diameter

}

38 CONCRETE SILOS

the herd without loss from spoiling of silage. The only objections offered
to high silos are that they necessitate more climbing, and are more difficult
to fill. There are silage blowers upon the market, however, which are
guaranteed to elevate silage to a height of 75 feet.

Required, a silo of sufficient capacity to feed 30 cows for a period of
240 days. Referring to table on page 37, run down the vertical column
headed, ‘““Number of Dairy Cows” to 30. Running across
horizontally, it will be seen that for 240 days’ feed, 144 tons of
silage will be needed, and that for a silo of this capacity, the diameter should
be 16 feet. Referring to table on page 36, run down the column headed
“16 feet” to the numbers nearest the estimated capacity (144 tons).
For a 16-foot silo of 143 tons capacity the height will be 34 feet.

The silo should be placed where it will be convenient for filling, and if
possible, where the ground is firm, so there will be no danger of settlement.
Silage is heavy feed, and therefore an unhandy arrangement with
respect to the feeding alley always greatly increases the work
connected with feeding. One of the best arrangements for convenient
feeding is to place the silo or silos at the end of the alley. If this be done, a
silage car can be used to advantage without having sharp corners to turn.
The silo should not be surrounded by buildings and pens in such a way as
to interfere with filling. Obstructions hinder the work greatly, increasing
the cost to the owner.

In most cases where the ground is soft, it will pay to carry the founda-
tion down to a firm bottom, or to fill in with gravel. If it is impractical
to go down to solid earth, the footings must be increased to at least twice
the breadth recommended on page 55, and more if there is uncertainty.

Example

Location

In parts of the country where winters are very severe, there is an
advantage in placing the silo on the south side of the barn, where it will
be protected from the north winds. In the past quite a large number of
silos have been built within the barn, but this practice is not recommended
for several reasons. Such silos are inconvenient to fill, and silo odors are
objectionable in the barn, for unless great caution is taken, the milk is apt
to be contaminated by absorbing the odor.

Perhaps the most common fault made in locating silos is to get them
too far away from the barn. In cases where this distance is made too great,
the only way of remedying the situation is to build a room connecting the
silo with the barn, thus incurring needless expense and increasing the dis-
tance to haul the silage. The distance from silo doors to barn need never be
over 4 feet, which is sufficient for a chute of the ordinary size.

The corn should be cut while the stalks are still green, but after the ©

lower leaves have begun to dry. At this stage the kernels have hardened ©

Whee or “glazed”’ on the outside, but are yet in the “dough” condition

Elaroess in the middle. If cut too green the silage will lack protein, sugar

and other nutritive elements, and will contain an excess of mois-

ture, generally making it sour. If too matured, it will be dry and un-

palatable, with the fibre very prominent. In this condition it contains less

nutriment, is relished less by the cattle, and is apt to mold or “fire-fang,”

causing it to be greatly damaged. Corn dried out in the shock makes
poor silage unless put into the silo with plenty of water.

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CoO. 39

The harvesting of corn or sorghum for the silo may be done by hand

with the ordinary corn knife, but the corn harvester or binder is the imple-

H, : ment almost universally used for this work. In some sections

arvesting 5 : Z

ihe Crop of the country corn has been cut with a sled equipped with saw-

like knives projecting from both sides. Except where the corn has

fallen down badly, as was the case in some sections of Michigan in 1910,

the binder can be used to advantage. It not only saves time in cutting

the crop, but also binds it into bundles which are easier to load on the
wagon and feed into the cutter than the loose corn.

Corn is sometimes placed in the silo uncut, but this practice is not to
be recommended because the stalks will not pack closely, and the result-
Th ing alr spaces cause excessive fermentation. The material is
e Cutter Sarat ; mes 5 2
not as easily handled as-cut silage, nor is it as economical to feed.
The crop must be cut up fine for best results and when corn is
used the entire plant, including ears, should be fed into the cutter. AI-
though practice varies greatly, it is safe to say that corn for the silo should
be cut one-half inch or even shorter.

From the cutter the silage is elevated by a blower or conveyor, and
deposited in a chute or automatic distributer. One or two men are required
within the silo while it is being filled, to tramp down the sides
close to the walls, and to keep it leveled off (thus preventing the
formation of air pockets), and to mix the heavier portion of the
silage with the lighter. Silage has a tendency to cling to the sides of
the silo unless well tramped, and the heavier particles roll to the edges
while the lighter remain near the discharge. The automatic distributer

Elevating and
Distributing

Pr |

2

Silo oe J. Muiller’s and near Highland. Dimen- George Graf’s Concrete Silo, inside dimensions
sions 14 by 30 feet. Courtesy of Stocker Gravel 14 by 34 feet, near Pewaukee, Wisconsin. Note
& Artificial Stone Co., Highland, Illinois. concrete roof and concrete chute.

40 CONCRETE SILOS

greatly simplifies the work of filling the silo and does away with much
of the tramping. The operator is simply required to guide the mouth of the
tube, and the material descends with sufficient force to pack it nicely,
making a minimum amount of tramping necessary.

It is common practice to fill the silo as rapidly as possible, that is,
keeping the cutter and blower busy continually. This is the only eco-

nomical method where the engine and cutter are rented, or hired
Eons labor depended upon. However, if these considerations do not
Silo Rapidly enter in, there is no objection to filling the silo gradually, so long
as fresh silage is put in before mold is formed on the surface of

that previously placed.

During the process of filling all doors above the height of the silage
should be left open for the purpose of letting out the carbonic acid gas which
is given off and after the silo is completely filled it should not be entered
for at least 48 hours.

When the filling is finally completed, the top should be wet down at
the rate of about one gallon of water per square foot of surface, and thor-

oughly tramped. This aids greatly in compacting the silage near
the top, reducing the depth of the spoiled material on the sur-
face.

Condition of crop, length of haul from the field to the silo, size of silo,
method of harvesting and the cost and arrangement of labor are all ele-

ey. ments which affect the cost of fillmg a silo. Farmers’ Bulletin
Filling No. 292, Department of Agriculture, says: “In many cases a
poor arrangement of help is responsible for extra expense. It

Wetting the
Silage

Concrete Silo on C. J. Float’s farm, 12 by 36 feet, Home-made Concrete Silo on farm of George
built by Conklin Contracting Co., Hartford, Wood, Woodville, New York. This is an excel-
Michigan. Concrete silos are becoming popular lent type of silo built by the owner, using com-
in Michigan. mercial steel forms.

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CoO. 41

is not necessary for men and teams to be rushed to their fullest extent in
order to get the work done cheaply. Some of the most expensive work was
conducted with the greatest furore and hurry. The scheme where all are
working and no one is hindered by the others, is the most economical.

The table on pages 102 and 103 shows the cost of filling 59 concrete
silos during the season of 1910. Almost without exception the figures con-
tained in these tables are considerably higher than usual, due to a poor
crop of corn in most sections touched by the investigation and also to the
peculiar condition of the crop in some sections of Michigan, where it fell
down so badly as to make the use of harvesters impossible.

The average cost of filling 16 concrete silos in Illinois was found to be
571% cents per ton; average of 22 silos in Michigan, 64 cents per ton; average
of 10 silos in Wisconsin, 57 cents per ton; average of 4 Minnesota silos, 72
cents per ton; of 2 Ohio silos, 89 cents per ton; and of 2 Missouri silos, 50
cents per ton. The average cost of filling silos of 100 tons or less capacity
was found to be 70 cents; 100 ton to 200 ton silos 58 cents, and silos over
200 tons 57 cents. The average for all the silos investigated was found to
be 62 cents.

Recent investigations by the University of Illinois show the average
cost of filling silos, including cutting crop in field, to be 58 cents per ton in
Illinois, which figure compares favorably with the average of 571% cents
obtained in the investigation conducted by thiscompany. Farmers’ Bulletin
No. 292 on the “‘ Cost of Filling Silos,” shows a range of 46 cents to 86 cents
per ton on the 31 silos investigated, giving an average of 64 cents as against

. EB Lf Wa ee aH hes Re aE 3
Cutting feed cost on L. V. Jurgensmeyer’s farm Wisconsin leads in cows and silos. Concrete silo
at Homer, Illinois. Silo constructed by Chris- on W. H. Butler’s farm at Ripon, Wisconsin.
man Construction Co.

42 CONCRETE SILOS

the average of 62 cents obtained in the investigation conducted by this
Company.

The same elements which determine the cost of filling the silo, deter-
mine the total cost of the silage, with additional items including cost of the
land, cost of tillage and interest on investment. Farmers’ Bulletin
No. 32 states that “In the writer’s experience in the Central West
the cost on high-priced land has been about $1.50 per ton. F. 5.
Peer, in a recent book which treats of silos and silage, gives the cost in his
experience as $1.20 per ton. Professor Wall of Wisconsin places it at
$1.00 per ton to $1.50 per ton, including cost of seed, preparation of land,
interest on investment, cultivation of the crop, cutting and filing the silo.
King, when studying this subject in Wisconsin, found that for a number
of farms in that State, the cost averaged 7314 cents per ton.”

Silage is always taken from the top of the silo, as obviously any
opening in the bottom would admit air and cause the silage to spoil.

Using off The farmer, after filling his silo for the first time, will be

ihe)Silage astonished to see the amount of shrinkage; and the odor which

greets him from the spoiled top layer may temporarily be dis-

couraging. This layer of spoiled silage is unavoidable, even though salt

is used in sealing, or whether oats or other grains are sprouted. The air

will penetrate to a depth of a few inches if the silage is tightly packed and

a couple of feet if loosely packed. That is why silage should be well

Total Cost
of Silage

GT

Concrete Silo at St. Charles, Illinois, Boys’ School; erected by boys between the ages of ten and sixteen
years.

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CO. 43

packed down at the top. The spoiled layer must be thrown away and
should never be brought near the barn, but should be dumped into
the manure pit or else put into the manure spreader and carted off
immediately to the fields, as the odor is disagreeable and the spoiled
material is unfit for feed.

One tall, narrow silo is better than two short, wide ones; first, because
there is only one top layer to spoil, and second, because shrinkage in the
tall silo is little, if any, more than that of either of the two smaller. It
is known that a silo 14x 60 feet will have approximately twice the capacity
of a silo 14x 40 feet. This is because the silage in the tall, narrow silo
is better compacted. Not only is there a saving because of only one top
layer and a smaller percentage of shrinkage, but the silage in the bottom
40 feet of the tall silo is generally superior and more valuable because the
air has been so completely excluded.

At least 2 inches each day must be fed off the entire top of the silo
in order to prevent mold. Some authorities advise that the surface of
the silage be kept level, but in the Northern States, it is customary to
make the surface cone-shaped to prevent freezing around the edges.

Frozen silage should never be fed and can be best thawed out after
the day’s feed is thrown down the chute by scraping it from the walls
and piling it in the center of the silo to thaw out.

Only as much silage should be thrown down the chute at one time,
as 1s required at that specific feeding period. Otherwise, the silage will
spoil and the feeder can blame only his own carelessness.

Dah econ A ae TREO |

eeeoee Silo, 14 feet by 35 feet, on Charles Tall Silo (inside dimensions 12 feet by 45 feet) on
Dupuy’s farm near Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, built Illinois stock farm of Trimble Brothers, at Trim-
by F. H. Reifsneider of Beaver Dam. ble, Illincis.

44 CONCRETE SILOS

ONCRET E*® con-

quers the farmer's
preatest enemy — FIRE.

Old wood barns may

burn but the years feed

is safe in a concrete silo.

Concrete for the barn,

too, 1s a logical step.

Before and After a Disastrous Fire on farm of A: B. Main, Delaware, Ohio; adjoining barn contained
180 tons of hay. Burned in Autumn of 1910; 530 tons of silage absolutely uninjured in silo, so that
Mr. Main was not compelled to sacrifice 80 head of cattle which he was feeding at that time. The silo
is 20x60 feet in size and was built by the Perfect Cement Silo and Cistern Co., Delaware, Ohio.

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CoO. 45

The Advantage of Concrete as a
Silo Material

It has been admitted by those who have studied the subject from an
impartial standpoint, that silage can be kept in good condition in a silo of
any material—be it concrete, stone, tile, or wood—if the material selected
is properly ‘used and the walls remain air tight. The length of time for
which the silo will continue to fulfill in a satisfactory manner the service
required of it depends, however, upon the selection of the material best
able to combat the action of the elements, withstand the heavy strains
due to the weight of the silage, and furnish reserve strength for such
extraordinary conditions as fires and cyclones.

Concrete—whether placed in forms cast in blocks or slabs, or ap-
plied to a metal frame as cement mortar—is the ideal silo material be-
cause it is permanent, wind-proof, rodent-proof and fire-proof, and is
economical in first cost and maintenance. As regards permanency, there
is no question but that a good concrete silo will remain indefinitely.
Concrete grows stronger and tougher with age, outlasting almost every
other known material. Reinforced concrete is the strongest and most en-
during construction known. It is selected for the great engineering proj-
ects—long bridges, massive dams, and lofty skyscrapers.

One of the special advantages of a concrete silo is the fact that it is
just as wind-proof and fire-proof when empty as when filled, and always
retains its maximum strength regardless of whether full or empty. An
investigation made by the Universal Information Bureau immediately
after the terrific wind storms which swept the United States during
March, 1913, failed to reveal a single monolithic or concrete block silo
damaged by the storms. The development, during the past ten years, of
slender reinforced concrete chimneys of great height, shows that from a
standpoint of safety against wind resistance, this type is unequaled.

Mice have been known to cause considerable loss by burrowing into
wooden silos. Mice holes allow the air to get in, often causing the silage to
spoil for a foot or more in all directions from the holes. Mrs. L. H. Adams,
of Parma, Michigan, had an experience of this sort, and as she has a con-
crete silo of the same size adjoining the stave silo, a fair comparison be-
tween the two is easily made. The loss of silage from mice holes in the
wooden silo brought the total loss in that silo up to more than twice the
loss in the concrete silo, notwithstanding the fact that the latter was not
provided with roof, chute, or doors, the continuous door openings being
roughly boarded up.

Concrete silos prevent silage from drying out. The old idea that the
juices of the corn seep through concrete walls with bad effect upon the
latter has been entirely disproved—in fact, it never has been entertained
for a minute by owners of concrete silos. The bugaboo of a concrete silo
disintegrating through the action of corn acids is an absurdity. There are
hundreds of cases where the concrete bases and floors of wooden silos have
been in use for a long term of years without discoloring or disintegrating
in the least, showing conclusively that silage acids have no effect.

46 CONCRETE SILOS

Fireproof Construction

The farmer, of all people, is at the mercy of fire. Let a blaze once
start in or about his barns and the chances are small for saving any of the
surrounding structures. Fire fighting apparatus is out of the question,
the water supply is generally limited, and in nine cases out of ten, help can-
not be summoned until the flames are beyond control.

Silo fires usually cause great loss because the feeder of silage is entirely
dependent upon his silo all through the feeding season, which covers the
greater part of and sometimes the entire year. The loss of the silo fre-
quently means that the cattle have to be sold off, always at considerable
sacrifice. Concrete silos of either the monolithic or block type are ab-
solutely fireproof—of such a construction that they might be used for
chimneys. If equipped with a concrete chute the concrete silo will protect
the silage perfectly, and in the event of a fire not a pound need be lost.

During the winter of 1910 fire destroyed the barn of George Pulling,

near Parma, Michigan, adjacent to which was Mr. Pulling’s new 85-ton
monolithic silo, erected at an expense of $300. This silo, one of a

ee large number of similar ones put up in that part of the country
Silo by Mr. Charles Nobles, of Kalamazoo, came through the fire
in good shape, with silage in perfect condition. At the time of the

LLL LLL lle

(i les

Concrete Silos on Dunham Farm, Wayne, Illinois, which successfully resisted a disastrous fire which.
destroyed the adjoining dairy barn in the summer of 1913.

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CO. 47

fire the silo contained about 50 tons of corn silage, and as hay was then sell-
ing in the vicinity for $15 per ton, dry feed to take the place of the silage
would have cost probably $500, an amount greater than the cost of the
silo and silage combined.

A striking example of the value of fireproof silo construction is pre-
sented in the illustrations on page 44, showing the 550-ton concrete
A. B. Main’s block silo of Arthur B. Main, Delaware, Ohio, before and after
Silo the disastrous fire which destroyed his barn in October, 1910.
This silo was built for Mr. Main during the summer of 1909

by the Perfect Cement Silo & Cistern Co. of Delaware.

At the time of the fire Mr. Main was feeding between 80 and 90 head
of cattle and had on hand 530 tons of corn silage and 180 tons of hay, the
latter being stored in the end of the barn adjacent to the silo. The barn
burned to the ground, leaving nothing but the concrete footings, which
will be noticed in the lower illustration.

Although the silo was subjected to intense heat, the only damage
done was the burning out of the continuous wooden doors. Perhaps the
most remarkable fact brought out in connection with the fire was that of
the small amount of silage lost. After the destruction of the doors the sur-
face of the silage presented to the flames was seared and charred to a slight
extent, but the charred or spoiled layer had a thickness of less than half an
inch, and the amount actually lost was insignificant.

Had Mr. Main been deprived ot his silage by fire, it is safe to say that
his dairy business would have been ruined, temporarily, at least. At the

Lillia

of concrete.

48 CONCRETE SILOS

time of the fire hay was selling at $15 per ton. Had it been possible for
him to have substituted a daily ration of 40 pounds of hay per cow for the
40 pounds of silage and 10 pounds of hay being fed, the cost would have
been no less than $4,000. Mr. Main could not, however, have purchased
the dry feed with which to have fed his herd through the season; even had
that been possible, the hauling of a sufficient quantity of dry feed a con-
siderable distance over bad roads would have been impractical, according
to his statement. The only course left open would have been to dispose of
his cattle, which would have meant a large loss.

The cost of Mr. Main’s silage was estimated at $1.12 per ton, or a
total of $593.60. The silo cost $750 complete. The total cost, therefore, of
silo and silage as they stood at the time of the fire was about $1,343.60. Had
the silage been destroyed, the cost of substituting dry feed would have
amounted to about three times the cost of the concrete silo and its con-
tents. These figures are sufficient to convince the thoughtful farmer of the
desirability of putting up fireproof silos.

The reinforced concrete silos shown on pages 46 and 47 successfully
resisted disastrous fires and the silo on page 48 successfully resisted a
cyclone. The silos on the Dunham farm were exposed to a very severe
test, as a wooden dairy barn adjoining burned when the entire second
story was full of hay and other combustible material. The fire rushed up
the empty silo to the right of the picture, which was not protected with
a chute, and the flames roared out the top, making a huge chimney of
this silo. Concrete withstood this extreme fire test, however, and the
silos were ready for use as soon as they had cooled off from the heat.

The McCoy silo shown on page 47 successfully resisted a severe fire
which destroyed the barn and all other buildings, hardly a trace of which
remained, as shown in the illustration.

LMdddddddtnisettddlilituiite

Mildddlddd

3

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CO. 49

The wreckage scattered around the silo illustrated on page 48, after
the cyclone, proves conclusively, without argument, as to whether or not
concrete stands after severe wind storms.

Properly reinforced concrete silos will not be injured by lightning; in
fact, different concrete silos have been struck by lightning, and if it were
not for the statements made by reliable eye witnesses, no one would be-
lieve that the silos had been struck. A possible explanation of this is, that
the lightning runs down the reinforcement into the ground and where a
concrete roof and concrete chute are provided, there is no opportunity for
lightning to enter the structure.

All available data tend to show that the waste of silage in silos built

of concrete is fully as small, if not smaller, than in silos of any other ma-

} terial. Of 50 silos in the states of Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin,

praceally Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Missouri, on which reliable data

Silage were obtained, 25 showed a loss of less than one-half ton of silage

from all causes, 18 showed a loss between one-half ton and two

tons, and 7 showed a loss of more than two tons. In terms of percentage

of the total silage in each silo, it was found that thirty-four had an

annual loss of less than one per cent, thirteen had a loss between one and

three per cent, three had a loss greater than three per cent. The greatest
loss in any case was about six per cent.

These figures are somewhat lower than those recorded at some of the
state agricultural colleges, probably for the reason that the college dairy-

fey a ee

ik

OO

|
;
|
S

aa :
EAE ek

ees eee

7

Twin Silos, 14 feet by 40 feet, built for W. Swart of Plymouth, Wisconsin, by W, H. Limberg, silo
contractor and inventor of the Limberg Concrete Silo Molds.

50 CONCRETE SILOS

men are more particular than the average farmer, rejecting silage which
the latter would consider fit for use. It may be stated conservatively that
with silage crop in good condition when put in, properly tramped down and
fed out at the rate of 2 inches or more per day, the loss in concrete silos of
either the monolithic or block type will seldom, if ever, reach 5 per cent.

The subject of frozen silage has attracted considerable attention,
more perhaps than its just due. The fact has been pretty well established
that freezing is an inconvenience rather than a real detriment.

The Effects : E :
of Freezing tage which has been frozen has to be handled an extra time,
being pitched to the center of the silo with the warmer silage
to thaw. Silage keeps indefinitely while frozen, and instances are noted

where it has not spoiled after thawing, when left packed in the silo.

After thoroughly thawing out, silage which has been frozen is equally
as nutritious as before freezing, and the cattle eat it with as great relish.
Silage in the frozen condition is liable to produce harmful effects, and should
never be fed. “All careful stockmen heat their drinking water,” says
Wisconsin Bulletin No. 125, ““but it is a much more serious matter to feed
a cow 40 pounds of silage at 32 degrees than to give her 20 to 30 pounds of
ice water.”

In northern Minnesota and North Dakota, where the temperature
frequently reaches 30 degrees below zero during the winter, and occasion-
ally goes as low as 40 degrees below, monolithic and con-
aes ele crete block silos are in successful use. A recent investigation
ilos Success- : : : E , c <

ful in Coldest Of concrete silos in Minnesota failed to disclose any im which
Climates the silage froze more than one foot back from the wall on the
north side. Freezing to this extent occurred when the temper-

ature was between 30 degrees and 40 degrees below zero.

Prof. J. H. Shepperd, dean of the North Dakota Agricultural Col-
lege, says in a recent letter:

“T might say that our experience here indicates that there is no diffi-
culty in putting up the ordinary type of silo in this state by reason of the
cold weather which occurs during the winter season. Our farmers who
have had experience with them recommend building them outside of the
barn rather than to put them inside to protect them from heavy freezing
of the ensilage on the walls. I think there will be a large increase in the
number of silos in this state in the next few years.”’

Prof. A. D. Wilson writes as follows, to the Minneapolis Cement
Stave Silo Company:

“Observation of a large number of silos during the severe winter
weather of 1912 has convinced us that the walls haven’t a great deal to do
a with the treezmeyorsilage) "= a dihe only silos of which
Bre we know that did not freeze were those having tight roofs and
Freezing in which all of the doors were kept closed. There is evidently
heat enough in ordinary silage to largely prevent freezing if the

warm air generated from the silage can be kept in the silo.”

The average time required to construct a monolithic silo is from 10
to 21 days, depending upon the height, number of men on the job, con-

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CO. 51

ditions of weather, and the height of wall accommodated by the

Time forms at a single filling. Where the work is done by home labor
poured occasionally more than 2 weeks are required. The block silo
eunerarc can usually be put up in 4 days to a week, depending upon its
Silos size and the number of block masons employed. After com-

pletion it should be allowed to stand at least two weeks before
filling, to allow the mortar to become firm and hard. Cement stave
silos are commonly erected complete in 3 days, and cement plaster silos
in about a week. If the silo is to be filled during the early part of
September, work on the foundation should be commenced no later than
August 20th. In all cases the silo should be completed two weeks
before being subjected to the strain caused by filling.
Two general methods of concrete construction are available for silo
work—the monolithic and the concrete block. With the former method,

Ps: the materials are hauled to the site of the silo and there mixed
Comparison and placed within forms; the latter method requires that the
of the block be made and cured in some convenient place, and later

Monolithic hauled to the site to be laid up in the wall.
lock pee Each method has certain advantages and disadvantages,
but the matter of personal choice generally influences the decision
to build either with monolithic walls or with block. The monolithic silo
is generally the easier of the two for inexperienced persons to build, and is
usually a little cheaper than the block, as it does not require the service of
good masons or the use of a block machine; the block silo, however, makes
the use of forms unnecessary, produces a wall with continuous vertical
air spaces, and slightly reduces the amount of materials used.

sas

Andrew Smith’s Concrete Silo.

No trouble here Silo on Government Reservation at Chilocca,
with freezing. Oklahoma.

52 CONCRETE SILOS

Building the Concrete Silo

Where the services of reliable concrete silo contractors can be ob-
tained, it is generally advantageous to have the silo built under contract.
The cost of silos built in this manner is generally no more than

Contract : 3 5 Z
Work otherwise, when quality of the work, convenience and time are
considered. The advantages of good system, competent over-
seeing and general experience in the work justifies a greater cash outlay
than is needed for home-made silos, although in a great many cases the
actual expense of a silo built under contract is no greater than if built
by the owner. If it is desired to put up the silo during a time of year
when work is over-plentiful or farm labor scarce, building the silo under
contract will solve the labor problem. Cement stave silos are built under
contract exclusively, by lessees holding territory rights from the owners

of the Playford cement stave patent rights.

Of 110 concrete silos recently inspected, 74 were built by contractors,
9 by the owners under experienced foremen, and 27 by the owners without
any assistance whatever. In over one-half of the cases where the silo was
built under contract the owner furnished a part of the labor, and in about
one-fifth of the cases the owners furnished the cement. Almost without
exception, the owners of contract-built silos furnished the sand and gravel,
for which they received credit on their accounts, at a stipulated rate.

Lz

wi Ms

Concrete Roof constructed with Warford’s forms. Monolithic Concrete Silo in Process of Construc-
Silo on George Harvey’s farm near Batavia, tion by students of South Dakota State College,
Illinois. Brookings, South Dakota.

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CO. 53

In a large number of instances farmers have built their own silos under
the supervision of a competent foreman hired by the day. Foremen who
make a business of superintending silo work frequently have
their own forms which they rent to the farmer for a nominal
sum. When the silo is built under contract, the farmer usually
does the hauling and sometimes furnishes the materials and a
part of the labor; when a foreman is employed, the farmer must buy and
haul the materials, furnish the labor, and pay for the work as it progresses,
without an accurate previous knowledge of the cost. In addition he some-
times has to build his own forms.

Work Under
Hired
Foremen

If neither a good contractor nor a good foreman is available, the
farmer may undertake the building of the silo, but he must pay close at-
tention to the details of the work. The inexperienced worker
nee k Under with concrete too often considers cement a sort of magic material
ome . . . 5
Supervision Which may be used without precaution and still secure first class
work. On the contrary, precautionary measures are constantly
necessary and the directions given on the following pages must be care-
fully complied with if the best results are to be obtained. To acquaint
inexperienced contractors as well as those desiring to build their own silos
with the best practice, is the purpose of the two sections immediately fol-
lowing. A later section is devoted to a description of several of the leading
commercial silo forms now upon the market.

Where there are several silos to be built in the immediate vicinity,

and it is desired to use home-made forms and do the work with home

_ labor, a very considerable saving can be made by co-operation.

eel aaa With moderately fair weather, such as usually prevails from

April to October, four or five farmers working together can

construct one moderate size silo in an average time of less than two weeks,

working but 4 hours per day, with one set of forms. In about two months’

tirhe they can complete a good silo on the place of each, without having

this work interfere seriously with general farm duties, and at a compara-
tively small expense, as only one set of forms is used.

There is no doubt but that time, labor and money can be saved by
farmers through organizing concrete silo clubs. Where organizations like
Farmers’ Clubs, The Grange, etc., exist, members of such societies can
undoubtedly combine and by hauling the materials co-operatively and
purchasing them from local dealers in carload lots, the best prices can be
obtained and a minimum amount of time and labor occupied. Neighbor-
ing farmers may unite in the purchasing or renting of silo forms, silo cut-
ters and fillers, and in the purchase of similar materials.

“During the past season, five farmers in Barnes County, N. D., co-oper-
ated in the building of concrete silos on their farms, buying their material
in one lot, which alone made a considerable saving. Then they used two
sets of forms, moving the crew from one silo to another, so that there
was no time lost in waiting for the concrete to set. They also bought
a silo cutter and filler for their combined use, so that by assisting each
other in filling the silos the expense is reduced to the minimum. This
is an example that can profitably be followed in every part of the Dake
Farmer Empire.”’—The Dakota Farmer, Aberdeen, South Dakota.

54 CONCRETE SILOS

Foundations

The site of the silo having been selected and its size determined, the
excavation should be laid out. This may be done conveniently with a
sweep similar to the one shown on this page. A heavy stake

Heatie gue is driven in the center of the place selected for the silo and allowed
aie to project above the surface about 1 foot. The arm of the sweep
may be made of a two-by-four at least 2 feet longer than one-half the
inside diameter of the silo. The arm swings about the stake as a center,
being held to the latter by a large spike. A chisel-shaped board or tem-
plate is placed as shown on the arm of the sweep, so that when the latter
is swung around the stake, the chisel-shaped board will describe a circle
with a diameter 214 feet greater than the inside diameter of the pro-
posed silo. This will give the outer line of the excavation and also
foundation.

Simple sweep, convenient in laying out excavation.

The excavation should be carried to a depth not to exceed 6 feet below
the floor of the barn where the silage is to be fed. The objection to going
deeper is that it adds to the labor in removing the silage. In
all cases, however, the foundation should be established below
frost. All of the earth within the line described by the sweep should be
removed down to a point one foot from the bottom, and below this the
excavation should be made the shape and size of the foundation, 2 feet
wide by 1 foot in depth, so placed that the outer edge will come directly
up to the edge of the excavation, assuming that the sides of the latter are
perpendicular.

If the silo is to be equipped with a concrete chute, the foundation for
the chute should be put in at the same time as that for the silo. As the
chute is rectangular in shape, no difficulty should be encountered in
excavating for the foundation, which will be at the same depth as the
silo foundation, and 2 feet in width by 1 foot in depth.

The concrete for the foundations should be made in the proportion {
of one sack Portland cement to 3 cubic feet of coarse sand, to 5 cubic
feet of screened gravel or crushed stone. The sand should be
free from clay or organic matter, and the gravel or stone should
contain no particle smaller in size than 14 inch. The materials

Excavating

~~ the

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CO. 55

must be thoroughly mixed and enough water added to give a quaky con-
sistency. The concrete may usually be placed in the excavation without
any forms whatever, but in some kinds of soil light boards, held in posi-
tion by stakes, may be necessary. The top of the foundation must be
levelled off with a straight edged board and spirit level. After 24 hours,
the foundations will generally have hardened sufficiently so that the walls
may be built ipon them. Where soft ground or quicksand is encount-
ered, the foundation may be made 3 or 4 feet in width, to provide plenty
of footing.

If a monolithic silo is to be built, the vertical reinforcing for the walls,
consisting of 44-inch round rods spaced 3 feet apart, should be imbedded
in the foundation a distance of 8 or 9 inches. If a block silo is to be
built no vertical reinforcing need be placed.

Table of Materials for Silo Footing and Floors

Footings Floors Footings and Floor

Quantities = ALS ae Quantities Quantities
Concretes aman apse at
.| Cement} Sand | Gravel | Cu- Yds. | Cement} Sand | Gravel | Cement] Sand | Gravel

Bbls. Yds. Yds. Bbls. Yds. Yds. Bbls. Yds. Yds.

.83 27 .10 70 1.22 .36 54 ; 1.63 | 2.64
38 ol .50 1.07 1.86 .56 .82 .24 | 2.07 | 3.32
91 75 .90 1.51 2.63 .79 17 : 2.54 | 4.07
45 .00 .30 2.04 3.55 .O7 F 3.06 | 4.87

.00 24 70 2.64 4.59 : ; : 3.61
.53 48 .10 3.32 | 5.78 : : : 4.21
.08 72 Ol 4. 04

After the foundation is completed, the earth within should be dug out

for a depth of about 8 inches, and a concrete floor built as shown below.
The Floor The floor should be given a slight pitch in all directions to-
ward the center, and, if necessary, an outlet to a line of drain
tile should be put in. Outlets are not usually provided in silo floors, but
in one or two instances silos have failed because of the pressure of a large

WA

& :24573A CONcRETE
ARN Floor | 25 C :
SEES OE is S
EAP \
ZZ49\- N
Zi \
Z, 2 - N
WZ, all Lo Fioor 12 3 ConcRETE
Yi aun
\Gy “4 Sine) OF initccl re uel Sa x
= a ——————————————— - SSS tae
ae Va SS) Kah eae (an Se ee 1 N
rn ane aR = —— CinveR Fue = Pp: pay
Net eae
\VZ LTJY RY. YC.
l.-2:0" Footines 13:5 ConcRETE

Concrete Silo Foundation or Footing and Concrete Floor, suitable for either monolithic or block silo,
showing drain with bell trap; an important detail not to be needlessly overlooked.

56 CONCRETE SILOS

quantity of water accumulated under unusual conditions, with no provision
for escape. In such cases the stress on the walls may reach two or three
times that usually imposed by the silage. Although the majority of silos
are not provided with a drain, it is undoubtedly a desirable feature. The
top of the drain should be protected from accumulations on the silo floor,
by a small wire mat. A 4-inch or 6-inch drain tile will be sufficient. The
floor should be made of 1:2:3 concrete. A smooth finish is not considered
necessary.

Home-Made Forms for Monolithic Silos

The word ‘“‘ Monolithic”? coming from “mono” meaning one, and “‘lith”
meaning stone, is used in concrete work to denote the objects of concrete
which are one continuous solid mass or “‘as one stone.”’ Contrasting with
the monolithic are several systems of concrete construction such as the
concrete block, concrete brick; concrete tile, unit column and slab, and
cement plaster. The systems of concrete construction most commonly
used are the monolithic and the concrete block. The object of the present
section is to supply the necessary information for constructing monolithic
silos, in cases where the work is all done by the owner who is dependent
entirely upon his own resources, or by contractors not familiar with this
class of work.

The form described and shown on the following pages is a combina-
tion of the Wisconsin form, designed by the Agricultural Department

Farmers’ Institute Silo Form used very extensively in Wisconsin and perfected by David Imrie of
Roberts, Wisconsin.

r
:
:
1
'

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CoO. 57

of the University at Madison, and the Farmers’ Institute form,
designed by Messrs. John and David Imrie of Roberts, Wiscon-
sin. Both of these forms have been used with great success
among the farmers of Wisconsin and adjoining states and appear to be
in many respects the most practical forms yet devised. On the oppo-
site page is shown a model of the Farmers’ Institute form. The model
was obtained through the courtesy of Mr. David Imrie, who has in-
troduced this form to hundreds of farmers in conjunction with the work
of the Wisconsin Farmers’ Institute.

It is interesting to remember that there are more silos and probably
more concrete silos in Wisconsin than in any other state in the union, and
that today, Wisconsin leads in the value of dairy cows and the total value
of their output. Be

The list of materials for the inner form consists of sixteen segments

or ribs made of sound 2x12 inch planks, sixteen cleats made of 2x16 inch

Bane plank, a number of 1x4 inch matched floor boards, a quantity

escription ; : : : :

eer arns of No. 28 gauge galvanized sheet iron, and sixty-four 14 inch

bolts, 414 inches long. The dimensions of the ribs, which vary

with the silo diameter, will be found in the table of materials given on
page 62.

The first thing to do is to secure the materials necessary for the forms
as given in the table. Make a compass or sweep of a plank or board
with a spike attached to one end (for a center) and a crayon securely held
at the other end (fora marker). The distance from the spike to the marker
should be 1 inch less than one-half the diameter of the silo (distance ““R”’
on table); for a silo 14 feet in diameter the length of the sweep should be

Home-Made
Forms

cn ee ons ace kat

Second stage in using University of Wisconsin silo forms; illustrating the method of erecting
scaffolding and holding it in place.

58 CONCRETE SILOS

V6 of 14 feet less 1 inch, or 6 feet 11 inches. To lay out the ribs for the inner
form, lay 2x12 inch planks down upon the barn floor or other flat surface
and mark the arc of the circle on each one with a sweep. The arc must be
made tangent to the outer edge of the board. This are gives the outer
curved edge of the rib. Measure off the distance “C” (from table of ma-

Llevadtiora

Plan of home-made wall forms, and details of outside form.

terials) along the curved edge of the rib, then mark off the ends of the rib
in a radial direction using the sweep for a guide as it revolves around the
center

After the ribs are cut out along the lines indicated all that remains to
be done is to drill the holes for the bolts by which the ribs are to be joined

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CO 59

together, and to cut a hole 4x41 inches in size in the center of each rib
(see page 62), into which vertical members, consisting of two 2x4’s
spliced together, must fit. Sixteen ribs make two complete circles.
The 2x6-inch cleats are made of 2x6-inch planks, cut off in lengths of
3feet. The outer edge of the cleat is cut to the same circle as the outer edge
of the ribs. Four 9/16-inch holes should be drilled along the center line
of each cleat to receive the 4%-inch bolts, by which each will be secured
with the two adjoining ribs. The 1x4-inch flooring boards are sawed up
into 3 foot lengths to make vertical surface boards for the inner form.

To assemble each segment of the inner form, nail the 1x4-inch flooring

Perspective of Inner Wall Form, showing position of 2-inch by 4-inch uprights upon which the form
is raised.

foe of ter per

2x 4° Cleats

Two-ply Wooden Door for Continuous Doorway in either monolithic or concrete block silo.

60 CONCRETE SILOS

boards vertically on the outer edge of the ribs, the latter being placed two
feet apart center to center. This will bring the center of the lower rib 6
inches from the bottom of the form and the center of the other rib 6 inches
from the top of the form. The floor boards should be securely nailed to
the ribs. The surface will then be covered with galvanized sheet metal.
Each of the eight segments may be made up in a similar manner and when
bolted together, and if accurately made, they will form a true circle.

At two points in the circle the ribs and cleats should be cut to permit
inserting wedges. The flooring boards must also be beveled to fit wedges
2x4 inches at the top, tapering to 2x3 inches at the bottom, as on page 59.
After the segments of the form are bolted together, the wedges should be
driven down. In removing the form, the wedges are first withdrawn and
the segments then unbolted and loosened as much as necessary to make
removal easy.

The inner form is provided with a very simple arrangement for sup-
porting and also for raising and lowering. Through the 4x41-inch holes
centrally located in each rib, a 4x4-inch upright, made of two 2x4 inch
nailed together, passes. One-half inch holes are drilled in these uprights
at intervals of 21% feet, corresponding holes on all of the uprights being at
the same level. The form is raised 214% feet each day. After raising to a
new position the bolts are inserted in the holes directly under the bottom
ribs of the form. As the work progresses upward, additional 2x4’s are
spliced on alternately.

The outside is made of heavy (No. 18 or 20 gauge) galvanized sheet
steel, 3 feet in width. The form is made in two or more pieces, strips of
heavy band iron being
riveted to the ends of
each piece, the ends be-
ing turned out at right
angles and provided
with holes to receive
the bolts by which ad-
joining sections of the
form are drawn to-
gether. One-half inch
threaded bolts 12
inches long are used.
These strips are clearly
shown, although some-
what exaggerated, i
the illustration onpage
56. A heavy iron
handle is put on the
outside form opposite
each pair of 2x4-inch
uprights to facilitate
raising. This can be
done with a simple
Sos . ' derrick arrangement
Third stage in the use of University of Wisconsin silo forms, show- attached to the up-

ing method of building scaffolding, hoisting material and other :
essential details. . . rights.

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CoO. 61

Forms of this type can be
made for twenty-five to fifty dol-
Grct of lars, and in one in-
Rerins stance a farmer built

an equipment similar
to that described here at a cash
outlay of only $15. Forms can
generally be disposed of after use
at a price equal to the total cash
outlay to the builder, so that the
use of these in building his silo
only costs him his labor. A single
set of forms is often used on several
silos, each user selling his forms to
the next man for a sum slightly
less than what he paid for them.

As the inner form is moved
upwards it will be necessary to
3 securely brace the up-
noe right supports. This
racing ; :

Supports is very essential. No
weak or rotten lumber

should be used, and all bracing
should be put where it will carry
the load in the best and most se-

Bucket

Horse

A Convenient and Easily Made Derrick for
hoisting material. Design adopted from plans
submitted by Iowa State College, Ames, Iowa.

eure manner. The double two-by-four supports recommended have
ample strength to carry the weight if properly braced, but this precau-

tion must not be neglected.

The uprights should
be braced at intervals of five
feet (every two courses) with
horizontal boards running
from one upright to the next,
and braced back against the
wall as shown below.
Boards 1’x6” or 2’x4” will be
large enough for this purpose.
About every 15 feet braces
should be run across to oppo-
site uprights, 2x4” or 2x6”
material being used.

In handling the inner

forms, great care must be ob-

served in keeping

Importance the inside surface
of a Smooth .

Wall of the silo per-

fectly smooth.

Ce

2 ee Oe)
Horizontal steps In the wall Illustration showing the method of bracing the upright

are particularly obj ectionable. supports on which the innerformsrest. Bracing between
2 5 ée 39 adjacent uprights is put in every 5 feet; those joining
Projections, steps and other opposite uprights are put on every 15 feet.

62 CONCRETE SILOS

irregularities cause uneven settling of the silage, thus forming air pockets.
The presence of an air pocket frequently causes silage to spoil on all sides
within a foot of the pocket.

The inner surfaces of the forms should be pamted before using, with
linseed oil, soft soap or equal parts boiled linseed oil and kerosene, which
will prevent the concrete from sticking. This treatment is
especially important where forms have wooden surfaces, but
is also beneficial when applied to galvanized iron surfaces.

Painting the
Forms

Materials for Home Made Silo Forms for Silos with Inside
Diameters 10 feet to 22 feet

4 ft. long for silo 10 feet diameter
4lg tit, “e “ec “ce 12 ce
5

546 ft. «ec ce “ce 14 ce ce
16—2 in. x 12 in. plank; 63g ft. “ “ “ 16 ~ ss
746 ft «ec “e “ec 18 ee “ce
8 rn) {t. ce ce <e 20 ee ce
9 fie ee se “se 99 eo “cc

1 in. x 4 in. boards, for quantity see table.
16—2 in. x 6 in. cleats—3 ft. long, cut on radius “‘r.
2in. x 4in. studding planed. (Required quantity equal to 16 times the height of
the silo.)
No. 22 Gauge galvanized sheet iron 3 feet wide. (For quantity see table.)
No. 18 Gauge galvanized sheet iron 3 feet wide. (For quantity see table.)
64—1¢-inch bolts 41% inches long (for cleats).
en bolts 12 inches long (under forms).
6—l¢-inch bolts 12 maelhes long (for outer forms).
4 Tron Straps 4} Wily Xe O° shay <6) tits (0) rhe
12 Iron Straps 14 in. x 2 in. x 2 ft. 6 in.

Dimensions of No. of
Inside inner form ribs lin.x6in.| No. 18 gauge | No. 28 gauge

Diameter Boards 3 ft. galvanized galvanized
of | long in | Sheet iron 3 ft. | sheet iron 3 ft.

Silo A ; inner form wide wide

Les
+
ial
is)
fy
+
il
is)

Ft. In.

Feet Inches

10 8
12
14
16
18
20

(99)
am

31
37
44
50
56
62
69

\WNAINES
BON. CO\. CON DON,

—
wonao°oeWa

DIR rE & oo

PD ~2~2 D Or 9

WOSSW NWS
\ NS

= :

SOWDWHAT ES

MOODAHAWS

Inner form ribs.

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CO. 63

Doorways

There has been considerable discussion as to the kind of doorway best
adapted to concrete silos. This is solely a matter of preference. Both
types have their advocates and advantages, but primarily care should
be exercised to see that the doorways are made in such a manner as to al-
low the doors to fit tightly so that they will be practically airtight.

Continuous and non-continuous doorways are used about equally in
monolithic silo construction and the question of which one to use is gener-
ally settled by personal choice. The continuous doorway has the advantage
of providing a larger space through which to throw the silage and for this
reason is preferred by many. The non-continuous doorways, as used by
some of the best contractors, have no disadvantage except they provide a
smaller space through which to remove the silage.

A satisfactory continuous doorway can be made by forming concrete

jambs on both sides of the opening. This is easily accomplished by in-

Be enn iaus serting between the forms, at proper distances apart, vertical

Doorways | Wooden forms to mold the face of the jamb and the recesses into

which the doors will fit. Where the concrete chute is built sim-

ultaneously with the silo walls, the vertical jamb forms will extend from

the inner wall form to the mner chute form as shown on page 81. If the

silo walls are constructed without the chute, the jamb forms must be
placed between the inner and the outer wall forms.

1 bar covered b
14 galvanized pipe 2t doorway

Method of Placing Reinforcement in Monolithic Concrete Silo and Building Continuous Doorway.
The rod reinforcement and method of tying at the silo doorway are shown at the left. Triangle mesh
reinforcement and method of tying at doorway is shown on the right.

64 CONCRETE SILOS

The forms for casting the face of the jambs may consist of 2-inch
planks of a width equal to the distance between the wall forms. Strips of
2x2-inch material should be nailed to the face of the planks so as to form
2x9-inch vertical recesses on the inside of the opening. Horizontal slots, to
accommodate the ladder rounds, will have to be made in the planks at in-
tervals of 18 inches. All surfaces of wood which will come into contact
with the concrete should be planed and oiled, which will insure a smooth
surface and prevent the wood from adhering to the concrete.

The distance between face of the jambs should be 30 inches and the
jamb forms rigidly maintained in a vertical position and at proper distance
apart.

Spacers consisting of 2x4’s, at intervals of two feet, will hold the
jamb forms apart rigidly and prevent them from bulging from the pressure
of the concrete. The vertical jamb forms may be made in sections of
any convenient length, preferably from six to twelve feet.

As soon as the silo wall has been brought up to the level of the barn
floor the vertical wooden frames are placed in position, great care being
taken to have them absolutely vertical.

The doors for the continuous doorway may be made of 2-inch plank-
ing, preferably tongue-and-grooved. The doors should be 34 inches in
width and 30 inches in height. Five pieces of planking 6 inches
wide, or 4 pieces 8 inches wide may be used conveniently. A
3-inch hole is drilled on the vertical center line of each plank to accommo-
date the bolt and hook by which the door is held to the horizontal reinfore-
ing across the door opening. The bolts used have a screw eye on the outer
side to which hangs a hook made of heavy steel wire.

Doors

Non-continuous doors are perhaps easier to build than continuous
doorways, and if the owners are satis-
fied that they provide suff-
NOI ao cient room for getting the
Moor silage out conveniently, there
is no objection to their use,
although on the other hand, they pos-
sess no great advantage over doors of
the continuous type. The arguments
oiten heard that the non-continuous
door silo is a stronger type than the
other, and vice versa. carry little weight,
as either type may be made sufficiently
strong.

Non-continuous doors are often
put in with a distance of about 24%
feet between them, but the spacing
may vary to sult the individual owner.
In all cases the arches between the
doors must contain an amount of rein-
forcing equivalent to the fulllamount opaacese stm wendie cee eee ee

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CoO. 65

of horizontal reinforcing put
around the silo. Thus, if the
- doors are 3 feet in height, with a
distance of 244 feet between
them, the horizontal reinforcing
in the space between the doors
should be equivalent in amount
to that placed in 51% feet of the
wall where there are no doors.

On this page is shown a form

Taper Fin 6°

to permit easy for a non-continuous door open-
removal from wall ing. The bottom and
Dooney + LOp pieces are made

Raine of 2x6-inch plank cut

to the are of a circle
with diameter the same as the
outer diameter of the silo wall.
The two sides are made of 2x4’s.
A frame of lighter material is
placed around the outside of the
form for the purpose of making
a recess two inches deep around
the opening on the inner side of
Wooden Form: for non-continuous doorway. the wall, into which the door will
fit. This frame is tapered to
permit removal from the wall as soon as the concrete has hardened.
It may then be used again for the next doorway above.

Tf desired, a door frame of small angle iron may be used to protect the
corners of the concrete. The frame should be slipped on over the form, and
both frame and form then placed in position. The angle iron should be
cut a few inches longer than the dimensions of the opening and the ends
embedded in the concrete. The frame should also be anchored to the
concrete by large spikes. Holes to receive the spikes should be drilled
in the angles, 12 inches apart. The spikes should be bent at right
angles to secure a better hold in the wall.

The doors may best be made of two thicknesses of 1x6-inch matched
flooring with a layer of tar paper between. The 1x6-inch boards are held
together by two 1x4-inch cleats across the top and bottom, and
one 2x4-inch cleat across the center. The middle cleat is made
larger than the others in order to take care of the strain caused by the large
bolt in the center. A 2x4, 40 inches long, or a similar piece of material,
is placed on the bolt, making a large “button” by which the door is held
to the wall. The door is clearly shown on the opposite page.

One thing should be remembered by the farmer, the rural contractor
and others who are constructing silos—that door jambs and the doors be so
constructed that there is no exposed surface of steel against the silage.
This is one reason why concrete jambs have been constructed, and are
recommended as the best form of construction.

Doors

66 CONCRETE SILOS

Constructing Monolithic Silo Walls

As soon as the foundation has hardened under favorable conditions for
at least two days the wall forms may be placed in position. Much care should
be taken to locate them centrally and in such a manner that the sides are
perpendicular. The 4x4-inch uprights should be carefully put in position
at this time, being supported on wooden blocks or flat stones. After the
inner form is in position, but before the outer form is placed, the horizontal
reinforcing rods for the first three feet of wall should be wired to the ver-
tical rods which were placed in foundation as previously mentioned. The
outer forms should then be placed in position and tightened, with the small
wooden spacers in place. Before placing the concrete, it will be necessary
to clean off the surface of the foundation and moisten it thoroughly.
The wall forms, having been previously painted with linseed oil or soft
soap to prevent sticking, may then be filled with slushy concrete made
in the proportion of one sack of Portland cement to 2% cubic feet of
coarse sand, to 4 cubic feet of screened gravel or crushed stone, all of the
latter being between 14-inch and 14-inch in size.

During the summer 24 hours are usually enough for concrete to harden
before raising the forms, but in cool weather a longer time will be required.
If the work be undertaken while there is danger of freezing, the usual cold
weather precautions must be observed. In such eases the materials should
be heated, or at least free from frost, and mixed with hot water. The

Concrete Silo built by W. H. Warford of Geneva, Homemade Concrete Silo of Iowa farmers, C. N.
at LaFox, Illinois, for John Harvey. Seurle and his son. Cost of material, $86.

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CoO. 67

work in the forms must be protected for several days with manure, straw
or a canvas jacket under which live steam is run.

The table below shows the approximate cubic yards of concrete
required for the walls of monolithic silos of various sizes, with continuous
doors, and walls 6 inches thick. The table on page 68 shows the quantities
of cement, sand and gravel or stone required for silo walls, using
proportions of 1 sack of cement to 21% cubic feet of sand and 4
cubic feet of screened gravel or crushed stone. It can hardly be
expected that these tables will be exact in all cases, as the difference in
sand and gravel used, as well as other considerations, affect the quantities
of materials to a considerable extent. These tables are accurate to within
10 per cent.

Tables of
Materials

Table Giving Cubic Yards of Concrete Required for Walls of
Monolithic Silos with Continuous Doors

For additional amounts required for Foundation, Chute and Roof, see Pages 55 and 89.
: Walls 6 Inches Thick

INSIDE DIAMETER OF SILO IN FEET

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To release the inner form, drive out the keys and if need be, remove a

few of the bolts. Slide up the inner form on the upright supports and secure

in the new position by the bolts passed through the supports

Moving up _just below the form, as previously explained. The inner form will
per WES then be bolted together again and the keys driven into place.
Next Course After attaching horizontal reinforcing rods to the vertical rods
for the second course, the bolts in the outer form are loosened

and the form raised by means of ropes attached to wire handles and run-

CONCRETE SILOS

68

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UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CoO. 69

ning over the little brackets on the uprights. When the outer form is
raised to a position flush with the inner form, the lower bolt should be
tightened until the form presses snugly against the wall; spacers should
then be placed between the forms and the remaining two bolts tightened
until the proper spacing is secured. The forms are then ready for the next
filling.
Immediately before the concrete is placed for each succeeding course,
the surface of that previously laid should be thoroughly cleaned off and
ee moistened, and coated with a cement and water grout of about the
Joining : ; : ,
Gaires consistency of cream. This precaution is necessary to secure a
good bond between the courses. It should be observed in all
cases, as the pressure of the silageis apt to force moisture through any seams
which might occur because of imperfect bond. Concreting should not be
discontinued with a course partially completed, but if this is unavoidable
the concrete surface should be left as nearly horizontal as possible.

Although some forms are made 3 feet in height, the height of the wall

built at each filling (after the first) will be 2 feet 6 inches, allowing the

4 forms to cover 6 inches of finished wall when in position to be

peight eee filled again. Experiments have shown that this is about the

Filling best height to fill at one time when using such forms, as it makes

about one-half day’s work for the average farm crew when the

mixing is done by hand. In reasonably good weather it should be possi-

ble for home labor to raise the forms each morning, refill in the forenoon
and have the remainder of the day free for other farm duties.

7

WEEE EEE Z LEE TBAT CST SS tay ee Es ee fab
Monolithic Silo 14 feet 3 inches by 40 feet, hold- Concrete Block Silo in Minnesota, on G. W.

i ; built by G. A. Ford of Oswego, Long’s farm at Detroit. Courtesy of Holmes
N- Ces i eevee “ Stone and Lumber Co., Detroit, Minnesota.

CONCRETE SILOS

70

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UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CoO. 71

The following estimate of labor required to construct monolithic

silos is based on experience in a large number of cases, the materials being

Labor mixed by hand. The labor here given is approximate, and does
Required not include that required to haul materials:

Silos 12 feet in diameter 10 to 16 days (4 hours per day) 4 men
Silos 16 feet in diameter 10 to 16 days (4 hours per day) 4 to 5 men
Silos 20 feet in diameter 10 to 20 days (4 hours per day) 5 men
Silos 22 feet in diameter 12 to 20 days (4 hours per day) 5 men

Steel rods are more commonly used than other kinds of reinforcing
only because they come in standard sizes, the strength of which is
definitely known. Any other kind of reinforcing, such as Triangle
mesh, having one section rigidly attached to another, will do
the work equally well, and may be successfully used if a sufficient quan-
tity is put in to give a cross-section area equal to that of the rods recom-
mended on chart on page 72. The quantities and weights of Triangle
mesh required for varying heights and diameters of silos are given in a
table appearing on pages 100 and 101 of the appendix...

Reinforcing

For all monolithic silos, where rod reinforcing is used instead of
Triangle mesh, the vertical reinforcing should be 44-inch round or twisted
Rpcring of rods, placed in the middle of the wall at intervals of about 3
Choosing the horizontal reinforcing is a different problem.
Its size and spacing depends upon the diameter and height of the silo.
The steel rmgs prevent internal pressure from bursting the walls. This
pressure is due to the weight of the silage inside. At the top the weight
of the silage is least and only a small amount of steel is needed. But
farther down the weight increases and more steel must be used. At the
bottom the entire weight of silage tends to burst the walls and the steel
should be heaviest and closest together to take the maximum strain.
All silos must be remforced in some manner. The monolithic silo gives
perfect protection to the reinforcement, from rust and fire. The graphic
chart on the following page gives the sizes of rods and spacing for all
common diameters and heights. The figures are liberal enough to give
perfect safety.

All horizontal reinforcement must be made into continuous bands

by splicmg. At the splices the rods must be lapped for a distance equal

: to sixty-four times their diameter and tightly wrapped with

Bers 7a wire. For 14-inch rods this lapping would be 16 inches. For

“ead 34-inch rods 24 inches and for 14-inch rods 32 inches. Before

the outer form is set up for the first ring of concrete, the hori-

zontal reinforcing should be wired to the vertical rods, at least as high

as the height of the forms. The position of the reinforcing is clearly

shown in the section on page 63. The first band should be placed 2 inches

above the foundation. From this point upward the spacing is indicated

in the chart. For each ring of concrete the steel should be similarly

placed. If a concrete cornice is built an extra reinforcing band is placed
around the top to strengthen it.

The graphic chart on the opposite page can be better understood if
a specific example is given. Suppose that you wish to build a silo 1+ feet

CONCRETE SILOS

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sre chart showin
The amount of reinfo

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CoO. 73

in diameter and 42 feet high, inside dimensions. The chart
has six columns, one for each diameter. Each column shows
the sizes of round rods and spacing for a silo 60 feet high. For a silo 42
feet high the reinforcing will be exactly the same as for the upper 42 feet
of a 60-foot silo, so that the chart may be used for all heights. At the
left are figures showing the distance from roof down. Locate the 14-foot
column at the top of the chart and run your finger down to the cross line
marked 42 feet. That is the bottom of your silo. Now read off the sizes
and spacing for the first 12 feet, from 42 up to 30 feet. It will require
32-inch rods, spaced 6 inches apart. For the next 12 feet, from the
30-foot level up to 18 feet from the top, 24-inch rods are still to be used
but spaced 8 inches apart. You have now taken care of the first 24 feet.
There are 18 feet more to build: From the 18-foot line up to the roof,
34-inch rods are again to be used but spaced wider apart, 12 inches, because
the weight of the silage above is less. In this case only 34-inch rods are
required, but other heights and diameters call for rods from 14-inch to
14-inch in size.

Tf you wish to build a silo 16 feet in diameter and 60 feet high, you
will read off the sizes and spacing of rods from the 16-fcot column, start-
ing up from the bottom, at the line marked 60 feet.

The horizontal reinforcing for the chute is the same for all sizes of
silos. It consists of 34-inch round or twisted square rods spaced 18 inches
apart.

Reinforcing rods are sold by weight in stock lengths. One-quarter-
inch rods weigh 16.84 pounds per 100 feet. Three-eighths-inch round
rods 37.5 pounds per 100 feet. One-half-inch round rods 66.7 pounds
per 100 feet.

The work of constructing the silo will be made much easier if a con-
venient method of hoisting materials is adopted at the start. The old
scheme of raising the concrete by hand with a rope and a bucket
wastes time and materials and means much unnecessary labor.
Materials may best be raised with a rope and pulley, the latter
attached either to a derrick frame, as shown on page 61, or suspended
from a frame resting on top of forms, the power in either case being fur-
nished by a horse. The derrick shown in the figure may be built to
any height required, in the following manner: Pieces marked “A”
(2x6 inches, 16 feet long) are spliced together until a height at least 6 feet
greater than that of the completed walls is obtained. Pieces “B” (1x6
inches) are nailed to “A” in such a manner as to make an [-beam as shown
in the sectional view in the center. The cross arm is made of a 2x6-inch
piece 3 feet long spiked to piece ““A”’ and prevented from raising at the
back end by piece “B” which runs flush with the top of the arm. The
brace is made of 2x6-inch material, 3 feet 2 inches long. The three No. 9
guy wires are fastened to the cross arm and brought around in grooves
provided for the purpose and fastened to stakes driven in the ground for a
considerable distance from the bottom of the derrick. This device, which
has been recommended by the Iowa Experiment Station, is said to have
been tested and found safe for loads less than 400 pounds.

Example

Hoisting
Materials

74 CONCRETE SILOS

Building Concrete Block Silos

Hollow concrete block silos are popular in all of the northern states
and more especially so in sections where the winters are extremely cold.
The cost of concrete block silos is often a trifle more than for those of
monolithic construction, although this is not true in a great many cases.
The best concrete block silos are those erected by contractors who have
made a specialty of this ciass of work. Good block silos can be put up with
home-made blocks and by home labor, but where there is a reliable block
contractor in the vicinity it generally pays, in a saving of time as well as
in numerous other ways, to have the work done by persons with previous
experience.

When the work is done by a contractor, the owner should take the
precaution of examining the blocks which go into his silo, rejecting those
Examini that are damaged or of an inferior quality. A crack of any size,
xamining ee :
IBIocKS or broken or crumbly edges, indicate a weakness in the block and
make it unsuited for use. Blocks may be tested for their water-
resisting qualities by placing a small amount of water on the surface and
observing whether this remains or is absorbed. A block which readily
absorbs moisture is obviously unsuited for silo work, which dampness
must not penetrate. Warped and distorted blocks should be discarded
because of their unsightly appearance.

The foundation already described will give as good satisfaction for the
block silo as for the monolithic (see pages 54 and 55). The top of the
Tauro footing must be made perfectly level, being tested frequently
Blocks with a straight edge. As soon as the footing has sufficiently
hardened, the top should then be cleaned off and moistened
and a coat of slushy cement mortar 44-inch thick put on. The first
band of reinforcing should then be put in, and the first row of block laid
on this mortar, beginning the blocks at the two ends of the wall next to
the doorway and continuing around. The blocks may be more conveniently
set in a true circle if a sweep similar to the one used in laying out the foun-
dation is used here. Should the blocks fail to meet exactly, the circle should
be enlarged or made a little smaller, whichever happens to be the more
convenient. A guide board with a convex curved edge, cut on a circle of
the same diameter as the inside of the silo, should then be made and used
in place of, or in conjunction with, the sweep in laying up the remaining
courses.
The cement mortar should consist of one sack of Portland cement to 2
cubic feet of clean sand, with the possible addition of a small quantity of
The Mortar UYdtated lime (not over 10 per cent) to make it easier to work.
Before laying up the blocks see that they are thoroughly soaked
which will prevent them from drawing moisture from the mortar. No more
mortar should be mixed at one time than can be used up within 30 minutes
after first moistening.
Most failures reported on block silos have been due to a lack of
sufficient reinforcing, caused in most cases by the overconfidence of the

——————————

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CoO. 75

builder in the strength of the blocks, or failure to realize the enor-
mous outward pressure of the silage. Horizontal reinforcing is
of the most importance and must not be overlooked. Vertical reinforcing
in block silos is not necessary. The table on page 77 shows the size of rod
which should be placed between each row of block or in the groove in each
row of block, if such a groove is provided. Reinforcing rods in block silos
are not lapped in the ordinary fashion, but are anchored around a block or
the ends are hooked together.

For illustration, assume that you are to build a concrete block silo
32 feet high, 16 feet in diameter, with blocks 8 inches in height. The
right amount of horizontal reinforcing can be found by referring
to the table on page 77. The height of silos, in courses of six
blocks (or 4 feet), is given in the left-hand column. As the silo is to be
32 feet high, run down to the figures 28-32. This represents the bottom 4
feet of the silo. Run your finger across the page to the column headed 16,
the desired diameter, and the fraction, 4, indicates that a 14-inch round
rod is required between each two courses of blocks, between the 32-28 foot
levels. Following up this column (16 feet), you will see that 3<-inch

Reinforcing

Example

Note: Openings YF and 8 to be
filled With Tee ie the ful
heighth of silo. B

Wi

o

/ "Ges-pipe over 44 rod

Continuous Door Opening for a Concrete Block Silo, showing the method of fastening reinforcing rods
to the door frames and anchoring rods in the end blocks.

CONCRETE SILOS

76

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CEMENT

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND

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78 CONCRETE SILOS

round rods are required between the 28-24-foot levels and also continuing
up to and including the 12-foot level. From the 12-foot level up to
the top, 14-inch round rods are required between each two courses.
The reinforcing is commonly laid in the mortar between the courses
of block, the strength of the mortar and the downward pressure of the
blocks above being depended upon to keep the rods in place
Recesses for ynder loaded conditions. In the best practice, however, blocks
Reinforcing 1: f :
Rod are used which have a recess in the top face deep enough to ac-
commodate the reinforcing rod. MRecesses are generally put
about two inches in from the outside of the block.

Concrete jambs for the continuous doorways of concrete block silos
may be made as shown on page 75, and faces of the jambs should be the
same as those on the continuous door jambs of monolithic
silos, as described on page 63. The jambs may be easily con-
structed by the use of simple box molds, recesses being formed
on the inside of the jambs by the use of 2x2-inch cleats. As the reinforc-
ing rods are laid upon successive courses of blocks, they are cut off so that
the ends will extend out far enough to be firmly fastened to the 44-inch
vertical rods to which the horizontal ladder rods are attached. These
vertical rods should be located near the center of the jamb. The doors for
the continuous doorway are the same as for the continuous doorways of
monolithic silos, as described on page 64.

Continuous
Doorways

Home-Made Blocks

A number of farmers in various parts of the country have put up con-
crete block silos with blocks made during spare time with a block machine,
or a home-made mold. Good blocks can be made by either method, but
the use of a machine quickens the work, and does it in a more uniform
manner with the expenditure of a great deal less labor.

For the benefit of those who may wish to manufacture silo blocks,
with a machine designed for that purpose, the following list of manufac-

Block turers, who exhibited their machines at recent Chicago Cement

Machine Shows, is given. There are also a large number of other machines

Nes on the market, capable of making good concrete silo blocks.
rs

Full information regarding these machines will be gladly given
by any of the manufacturers listed below.

Anchor Concrete Stone Co., Rock Rapids, Iowa.
Ashland Steel Range & Mfg. Co., Ashland, Ohio.
Barron & Harridge, Insurance Exchange Bldg., Chicago.
Cement Machinery Co., Jackson, Mich.

Century Cement Machine Co., Rochester, N. Y.

The J. B. Foote Foundry Co., Fredericktown, Ohio.
Hayden Automatic Block Machine Co., Columbus, Ohio.
Hobbs Concrete Machinery Co., Detroit, Mich.

Hurst Silo Co., 819 Exchange Ave., Chicago, Ill.

Ideal Concrete Machinery Co., Cincinnati, Ohio.

Inman Concrete Block Machine Co., Beloit, Wis.
Lansing Co., Lansing, Michigan.

Miles Manufacturing Co., Jackson, Mich.

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CoO. 79

Multiplex Concrete Machinery Co., Elmore, Ohio.
Northwestern Distributing Co., Sioux City, Iowa.
Sioux City Engine and Machinery Co., Sioux City, Ia.
Summer Bros. Mfg. Co., Urbana, IIL.

U.S. Gas Machine Co., Muskegon, Mich.

eae |

Home-made silo block mold.

The mold shown above is a modification of that used by Wm. Stoll,
of Lansing, Mich., to construct blocks for his silo. It can be used to
eis make blocks of any length up to 24 inches and of any width up
Molds to 8 inches. The height of the blocks may be 8 inches or less.
The mold can be made from a piece of old railroad tie 30 inches
long, 8 inches wide and 61% inches high sawed on the arc of a circle,
with a diameter 4 inches greater than that of the inside of the silo.
One-half-inch holes are drilled 144 inches from each end to receive 18-
inch bolts, by which the sides of the mold are held at the desired distance
apart. The end pieces are made of 1-inch planed lumber and have tapered
wooden blocks 8 inches long, 5 inches wide and 7%-inch thick screwed to
them for the purpose of making end cores on the blocks. The end pieces
are held in place by wedge-shaped wooden blocks inserted between them
and the bolts. If hollow blocks are desired, the air spaces may be pro-
vided by cores made of tapered 4x4-inch pieces. The inside of the mold
should be well greased before use to prevent the concrete from sticking.
Although concrete blocks are made in a large variety of sizes, those
most commonly used in silo work are 8 inches high, 8 inches thick and
either 16 or 24 inches long, with half and quarter lengths as re-
quired. Blocks of these sizes are recommended as preferable to
those less than 8 inches in height which require more labor to
lay because of the greater number required, or blocks more than 8 inches
in height which are unhandy because of their weight.

Size of
Block

80 CONCRETE SILOS

Concrete Chutes

A permanent chute of concrete is a valuable adjunct to any concrete
or masonry silo. The same arguments presented for the concrete silo
stand for the chute. The concrete chute is substantial and permanent, —
fireproof and cold-proof, and it greatly improves the appearance of the silo.

Chutes in use in various parts of the country vary in size from 2 feet
square to about 5 feet square (inside dimensions), but the former size is
Si much too small and the latter larger than need be. For the aver-
ize of é 3 be aaneree : : :
Ghite age silo a chute 2! feet by 3 feet in inside dimensions is recom-
mended. The outer dimensions will then be 31% feet by 4%
feet, the walls being 6 inches thick. A monolithic chute of this size will
require one sack of cement, 214% cubic feet of sand and 4 cubic feet of
gravel, per foot of height. For the block silo, the size should be such as
will be accommodated by whole and half blocks. The outer dimensions
of a hollow block chute (using 8x8x16-inch blocks) should be 2 feet 8
inches by 5 feet 4 inches, making the inside dimensions 2 feet by 4 feet.
This size will require an average of 714 blocks for each course.

The foundation for the chute should be 2 feet wide and 1 foot high,
the same as that for the silo, using concrete of the same proportions.
(See page 83.) Ifa monolithic chute is to be built 34-inch verti-
cal reinforcing rods must be imbedded in the foundation 18
inches apart. Monolithic chute walls are built simultaneously with

Foundations

Outer chute form.

Inner chute form.
Turnbuckles.

Joining points.
Reinforcement—Triangle mesh or rods.
Wooden strips.

Hooked over ladder rod.
Inner silo form.

Wooden spacers.

Ladder rod, 37 feet long.
Plank for blocking off door.

WOODEN SPACER

Deen |

Notches 12 x3' spaced 2-0" C, toc.

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—

we

RPOOONADHAWNrE

Form for Monolithic Chute.

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CO. 81

the silo walls; chute walls of concrete block silos must also be built at
the same time, being built in and kept at the same level as the silo walls.

The monolithic chute illustrated on page 80 is practically self-explan-
atory, as is the chute of concrete block shown on this page.

The later forms put out by the best silo form manufacturing com-
panies now provide chute and roof forms, so that the construction is com-
paratively a simple matter.

If the block silo and chute are put up simultaneously the walls of the
two will be held together by the blocks, and no reinforcing will be neces-

Block sary. Window openings in the chute may be made by using
Ghates concrete sills and lintels, which are easily obtainable from block

dealers. A length of heavy strap iron may be substituted for a
lintel, if desired, and the sill cast in place by means of a simple box mold.

Note :- Openings A" and ‘B" to be
filled with concrete the tull height of
silo

es Galvanized Pipe over /"Rod.

82 CONCRETE SILOS

Water Supply Tanks

The top of a monolithic silo is a convenient place for the farm water
supply tank; in fact, if one were about to build a large concrete tank no
better construction could be chosen than that of building the base in the
shape of a monolithic silo, whether it could be put to any other use or not.
Where both silo and tank are necessities, as on large stock and dairy farms,
the two may well be combined.

Every farm should have a water supply tank large enough to take care
of all the needs about the house and barn and still leave a reserve for use

ena in case of fire. Fire protection can best be obtained by a supply
Tank of water under pressure. The water tank on top of the concrete
silo supplies this need. The table below shows the capacities of
tanks for silos with diameters of from 8 to 16 feet, assuming the tanks are
filled to a height of five feet. It is hardly practical for inexperienced per-
sons to build tanks of greater diameter than 16 feet, erected on top of
silos, unless these tanks are especially designed for each particular silo.
Detailed plans of larger tanks will be designed by the Universal Informa-
tion Bureau, however, to fit individual cases and will be furnished upon
request.

Where a tank is to be built on top of a silo, no additional rein-

forcing is required in the silo walls, as the weight of the tank and

re Tank for the water in it will have no effect on a well reinforced concrete
silo. The reinforcing for the tank is shown on the chart on
page 86.

In silos with continuous doorways, it is necessary to bridge across
the top of the doorway before laying the tank floor. The door-frame should
Bridging extend up within one foot of the bottom of the floor, and as soon
Warne as the walls have been built up to the level of the top of the frame,
Continuous a reinforced concrete beam 31% feet long, 12 inches high and 4
Doorways _ inches wide, at least 28 days old, should be put in. This beam
should be reinforced with four 14-inch round rods in the top and bottom,
and may be made in a small mold-box. It should be placed in the inner
side of the wall and the concreting then resumed up to the level of the
tank floor.

Capacity of Water Supply Tanks *

Diameter of Capacity im
tank in ft. barrels
8 60
10 95
12 135
14 185
16 240

*Depth of water—5 feet.
One barrel equals 31.5 gal. or 4.21 cu. ft.

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT Co. 83

As soon as the wall
has been preuene up
to the level
The Floor of the tank
floor, the outer form
should be raised 1 foot
and the inner form
lowered 1 foot. A
heavily -braced plat-
form which will sup-
port the concrete floor
should then be erected
upon the inner form.
The floor form must
be made of 2-inch
planks supported on
2x10-inch joists,
braced to the staging
as well as to the inner
form, which must be
strengthened if much
of the weight of the
floor is to rest upon it.
The floor form must be
able to support a load
exceeding 125 pounds
to the square foot in
the case of a 16-foot
silo, or 75 poundsto the
square foot for an 8-
foot silo. The greatest
caution must be exer-
cised in getting the
framing put up in such
manner that it will
carry the load without
danger of collapse.
The entire floor
must be concreted at
one operation. The
necessary materials
must be on hand, and
provision made for
mixing in large batches

TAR See |

o a - we 5 ul
Door far tilling _ /
~#

j

ee

6 Woel/

ey ee ee ed ed ee ee ee ek eed ee en ee Pee ee ee ee et

i

I Continuous Doorway
Wooden Doors

andelevating asspeed- KIRK
ily as possible. These yy
are points which are IAIN
absolutely essential UR Yy NGS
for perfect work. The S“SZ =

SECTION THROUGH SLO

concrete should be : 2 nee:
de i h Sectional View of a Reinforced Monolithic Silo, showing water supply tank,
made in the propor- roof, chute, concrete drain tile, and other essential details

84 CONCRETE SILOS

tion of one sack of cement to 2 cubic feet of clean, coarse sand, and 3
cubic feet of screened gravel, the latter to contain no particles smaller than
14-inch, nor larger than one inch. The concrete must be thoroughly mixed
with enough water to flow with slight agitation. The following table
shows the thickness of floor, amount and : spacing of reinforcing and the
amount of materials needed for tank floors of various sizes.

Materials and Reinforcing for Tank Floors

Diam.
of Silo
and
Tank
in Feet

10
12
14
16

Total
Tilelness

0
Floor

p(s

86”
10”
10”

Cement

Sand | Gravel

Required] Required] Required

Barrels

Cubic Cubic

Yards

Pounds of
34-inch
Round

Reinforcing
Rods
Required

205

Pounds of
14-inch
Round

Reinforcing
Rods
Required

Spacing of
Reinforcing
Rods
(Inches apart)

4” to ye
5” to 8’
5” to 8”
4” to 8”

Before placing any of the concrete, reinforcing rods for the floor
should be laid down upon the platform, as shown below. Begin to lay
the rods at the center, at the closest spacing shown in the table, then
lay the remaining rods running the same direction, working to the wall
where the greatest spacing shown in the table may be used. The rein-
forcing should then be placed in the other direction in the same manner,
and wired at intervals of 2 or 3 feet with ordinary hay-baling wire.

Showing the method of placing reinforcing rods in the bottom of the tank floor.

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CO. 85

The ends of the reinforcing bars must be sufficiently long, so that
each alternate rod can be turned back into the floor, 1 inch below its top
surface, a distance of one-quarter the diameter of the tank and pointing
towards the center, i.e.,in a silo tank 16 feet in diameter, the alternate bar
would be bent up from the bottom of the tank floor 8 inches, then turned
back just under the top surface of the floor and running towards the
center of the silo a distance of 4 feet. The remaining floor rods will be
bent straight up, extending vertically a distance of 2 feet into the tank wall.

The reinforcing should be supported about an inch above the plat-
form, on small cubes of concrete or strips of wood placed about 2 feet
apart. Cement and sand mortar mixed in the proportions of 1:3 should
then be put on and worked under the reinforcing to a depth of about one
inch, and the concrete immediately placed upon this. In case small wooden
strips are used to support reinforcing, these may be withdrawn from the
underside of the floor as soon as the framing is removed, and the resulting
holes filled with mortar. Concrete cubes are preferable to wooden strips,
and may be easily made in the following manner: Lay down two 1-inch
boards on a flat floor, one inch apart, and fill in the space between them
with 1:3 mortar, trowelling off the top. The long strip of concrete thus
formed may be broken up into short sections approximately cubical in shape.

After the floor has sufficiently hardened, the forms and scaffolding
should be taken down, the wall forms hoisted up the outside, and placed in

Goaiia position on the tank floor. Before concreting is continued on the
Walls walls, the surface must be cleaned off, thoroughly moistened, and
painted with cement and water grout, mixed about as thick as

cream. ‘The concrete must then be placed before the grout shows any
tendency to dry. Six feet will be found a convenient depth for the tank.

The vertical reinforcing above the tank floor is put in the same as be-

low, with 14-inch rods, spaced at intervals of 3 feet around the circum-

Reinforcing ference. The spacing for the horizontal rods may be obtained

from the chart on page 86. By referring to the diagram, it

will be seen that the vertical scale shows the distance from the top of the

tank, each small division representing one inch. Across the top of the table

are the tank diameters, running from 10 to 16 feet. The heavy black lines

indicate the spacing of the rods. This diagram may be conveniently used
for tanks six feet deep or less.

Suppose it is desired to know the proper reinforcing for a tank 14 feet
in diameter and 6 feet deep (to hold 5 feet of water). Running across
the top horizontal column until 14 feet is reached, we find ‘(direct-
ly below) that two sizes of rods—3%-inch and 144-inch—are used.
Running to the bottom of the vertical diagrams, it will be seen that a 3<-
inch rod is placed 2 inches from the floor line. The next two rods are also
3¢-inch, spaced 7 and 14 inches above the first rod. Above this point 14-
inch rods may be used to the top, as shown, or three more 3 g-inch rods may
be used, and the change made to 14-inch rods at a point 2 feet 5 inches from
the top.

The intake and outlet pipes should run up one corner of the chute,
far enough from the wall so that they may be covered to prevent freezing.

Example

86 CONCRETE SILOS

The overflow outlet may consist of a 3-inch pipe passing through

Piping and the wall about 6 inches below the cornice. This pipe may be run

Overflow

down within the chute or on the outside of the silo, and led toa
line of tile. In many cases, however, the pipe is simply made to stick
straight out of the wall about a foot, and the overflow is not drained off in
any way. This method is not recommended as a general thing, but may be
suitable if close watch is kept so that the tank is rarely filled to the over-
flow point.

A concrete roof should cover the water tank, which will prevent the
water from freezing, to a great extent. A roof also keeps the water
cooler in summer and cleaner at all seasons of the year. No farmer
should overlook the fire protection feature of a water tank on top of the
concrete silo.

Chart Showing Horizontal Tank Reinforcing

DIAMETER ;
SIZE pie an ae iu ts
ROUND RODS| # Ga 4 8 4

| |

‘org “but not both

sneer but not both

Distance from top of tank in feet
w
Z

Distance from top of tank in feet

UNV RSA POR DLAND ‘CEMENT CoO. 87

Concrete Roofs

Some years ago, even concrete silos were built without roofs. Such
is not true today, and in fact one silo contractor, W. H. Warford, of
Geneva, I!linois, has invented and patented a roof form so that concrete
roofs can be built on practically any type of masonry silos. The Monsco
Company has made provision for roofs, and A. H. Limberg, one of the
early silo form inventors, always recommended concrete roofs as well as
chutes. <A silo without a roof is an unfinished building. Scientific
investigation has disclosed that not only the freezing of silage in winter,
but its thawing-out along the north wall is prevented by the roof. The
roof protects the silage by excluding the elements and maintains uniform
conditions in the silo.

The functions of a roof on a silo are (1) to prevent the cold from reach-
ing the silage, (2) to make it more convenient to work in the silo during
stormy weather and (3) to prevent the silage from being spoiled by dry-
ing out by the sun.

The logical way to finish up a concrete silo is with a concrete roof.
Of 110 concrete silos recently investigated by this Company, 39 had con-
crete roofs, 30 wooden roofs, 3 steel roofs, 13 had no roofs of any sort,
and on 16 silos no note of the roof was made. Of the silos with concrete
roofs, more than a majority were built during the last two years, showing
that the tendency at the present time is toward the all-concrete silo—
from foundation to pinnacle. If the directions given in the following para-
graphs are closely followed, little difficulty will be found in putting on a
good roof of concrete—one that will last indefinitely without need of

Tm, ee

in rae

2k ear

PORES Lr Sn AB aelagmi a P BOT I e e
Framing for Constructing a Concrete Roof on the concrete silo; wall forms in position. The illustra-
tion is of the University of Wisconsin forms.

88 CONCRETE SILOS

See being shingled or otherwise
~ Se repaired, and which will be in
j no danger of blowing off.

A cornice is only necessary

z ‘Half round

L-4 XL Bracket The Cornice CLiet uses being to pre-
} enorme vent water from the
roof from running down the
LA Stove Bolts walls, and to improve the ap-
pearance of the silo. On this
page is shown how the forms
are made for the cornice on a
monolithic silo.

The brackets for the
forms are made of 14 x 2-inch
strap iron bent as shown,
and drilled to receive three
stove bolts. These brackets
should be placed on the outer

PORES form at intervals of about 6

feet, holes being drilled at the
Loris i) place tor proper points to receive the
Top section and Cornicé stove bolts. The bottom of
the cornice mold box is made
of 2x6-inch planks in short
lengths, sawed to the arc of a
circle with diameter 1 foot
larger than that of the inside

Wisideé fori

mold is made of 1x6-inch
planks spiked to the bottom
boards. The mold is held in
place by screws through the
Box for Cornice bracket, as shown. An extra
Mold Box for Silo Cornice. band of horizontal reinforcing

is put in the cornice, as may
be seen in the figure. The vertical rods in the silo walls and the radial
rods of the roof are all brought around the horizontal reinforcing in
the cornice, thus holding it in place and strengthening the cornice.

For the top section of the wall (last filling of the forms) the inner and
outer forms are brought up to the line of the top of the completed wall.
The forms are then filled to within one foot of the top, the outer form re-
moved, and brackets attached. (If the stove bolts are already in place
the form need not be removed to attach the brackets). The mold box will
then be put in place. The cornice will be concreted at the same time as
the roof, as will be explained later.

The roof framing may consist of 2x4’s or similar material, as
shown in the lower right-hand quadrant of the plan view, on page 90.
R In case of a silo with a water tank on top, the forms must be

oof : :
Framing removed before the roof framing is put up, and the latter sup-
ported on a light framework erected within the tank.

where a roof is to be put on, its ©

of the silo. The side of the:

a

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CoO. 89

The roof frame may be boarded up as shown in the plan view, with
boards running either radially or otherwise, as desired. These boards
should be placed close together to prevent the concrete from coming
through when placed upon them. The table below shows the vertical
rise to be given to roofs for silos of various diameters.

A hole about 21% feet square must of course be left for filling the silo,
or if a roof covers a tank the hole will afford access to the latter. Before
placing the reinforcing or the concrete, the top of the framing should be
covered with building paper, or similar material, which will prevent the
concrete from sticking to the forms. This will greatly facilitate their
removal.

The upper right hand quadrant of the plan and the sectional view
show the spacing of the radial and hoop reinforcing. The radial reinforcing
Placi is placed so as to be two feet apart on the circumference, and
acing the : : Gr ND TO ° :
Reinforcing the hoop reinforcing 1s indicated on the design. Extra rods
should be put in around the window opening if the regular rods
do not follow the outline of the window closely enough to reinforce it.
All intersections must be wired together, and the outer ends of the
radial wires brought down and bent around the horizontal reinforcing
in the cornice, as shown. The reinforcing should be supported one inch
above the roof frame, so that when the concrete is put on, the rods will
rest on a one-inch bed and be covered by a three-inch bed, the total
thickness of the roof being four inches. For amounts of reinforcing
necessary for roofs of various diameters, use the table below.

- Table of Dimensions and Materials for Roofs for Silos with
Diameters 8 Feet to 22 Feet

14 Inch Reinforcing Rods

Volume | Cement Sand — e
of Cone. | Required | Required | Required No. of | Stock | No. of

i .yds.| barrel _ yds. Rods | Length | Lbs. of
ae ae ke uae Required] of Rods Rods

12 ft.
16 ft.
16 ft.
10 ft.

12 ft.
12 ft.
14 ft.

Concrete for roofs is made of 1 sack Portland Cement to 2 cubic feet
of coarse sand to 3 cubic feet of screened gravel or crushed stone. Each
cubic yard of concrete requires 134 bbls. of cement, 1% cubic yard of sand,
and 34 cubic yard of gravel or stone, approximately. The 14-inch reinfore-
ing rod weighs 16.7 pounds per 100 feet.

Concrete for the roof should be made in the proportion of one sack of
cement to two cubic feet of coarse, clean sand, to three parts of screened

90 CONCRETE SILOS

USE ROUND BARS
CONCRETE TO BE /:2:5 MIXTURE

CONICAL CONCRETE SILO ROOF

Reinforced Concrete Roof Design. The wooden framing is removed as soon as the cover has become
thoroughly hardened.

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CoO. 91

gravel or crushed stone. The concrete should be mixed as wet
as it can be put on without danger of running to the edges of the
roof due to the pitch. The top should be trowelled off smooth, in the same
manner as a sidewalk. Concreting should begin at the cornice working
around the roof, so as to keep the concrete on all sides at an even height.
As the work progresses toward the center a broad board, on which to stand,
may be laid on the concrete already laid. It will also add greatly to the
safety of the men working on the roof if a rope attached to the pinnacle
is tied about the waist of each. In place of this, it is often desirable, for
the sake of greater safety to the workmen, to put up a scaffolding on the
outside of the silo. Special care must be taken to protect the roof from
sun, strong wind and freezing until thoroughly hardened. For this pur-
pose a covering of straw, manure, or canvas is generally effective; if either
straw or manure is used it may be necessary to weight it down. The ef-
fect of sun and wind is to dry the concrete out too rapidly, causing check-
ing and cracking; while frost affects the strength of the concrete.

Where it is desired to put a monolithic concrete roof on a hollow block
silo, the wall should be laid up in the usual manner until the third course
of block from the top is reached. The blocks used in this course

Monolithic should be solid, namely, made without cores, or if with the cores
Roofs for these should be filled up with mortar. The last two courses of

Pees hollow block should then be laid, the cores being left open.

Special cornice blocks should be cast to make the cornice
projection, and for this purpose a mold similar to that shown below
can be conveniently used. The block should be 14 inches in width and

. of the same length on the inside of the
wall as the wall blocks. The portion
of the cornice blocks directly above
the wall blocks should be 6 inches
thick, while the projecting ends of the
blocks should be but 5 inches thick, so
as to give a one-inch drop. The roof
framing is then put up in the same
manner as described on page 88, but
| in this case it must be supported by
Cornice block for concrete block silo. the scaffolding instead of on the inner

form mentioned there. The rein-
forcing is placed in the same manner as described on page 89 and shown in
illustration on page 90, excepting that the outer ends of the radial rods
are made to extend down through the holes in the block for a distance of
a foot or more. Since the holes in the third course of block from the top
were either omitted or filled up before these blocks were laid, holes in the
two upper courses can be filled up with wet concrete as soon as the rein-
forcing rods are in position. The roof is concreted as described above.
Before the concrete is placed on the cornice blocks this must be moistened
and then painted with a cement and water grout.

Concreting

Conklin
Construction

92 CONCRETE SILOS

Commercial Silo Systems
Monolithic Systems

Several very ingenious systems of silo forms have been devised and
put into use in various parts ‘of the country by silo contractors and con-
struction companies. These are of a more substantial type than the home
made forms and in most cases the same form may be used to build a great
number of silos. Manufacturers of these forms generally contract to build
silos by their systems, but often sell the forms and territory rights or rent
them to prospective builders for the job. A number of the best systems
in use in this country are briefly described in the following paragraphs.

The Conklin Construction Co. of Hartford, Michigan, is manufactur-
ing silo forms which make a poured concrete monolithic silo from footing to
roof including a chute. This company claims that four men
can build 6 feet of silo every day and that its machine carries
its own scaffolding and is automatically lifted; also not over 200
feet of lumber is required for its operation. In addition to
its use in building silos, the manufacturers claim that this machine is
adapted to any circular construction such as grain bins, water tanks,
etc., and that any thickness of walls may be made.

The Conklin machine is equipped with a four-inch center mast carry-
ing adjustable arms for various diameters between 10 and 20 feet. The
standard equipment shows 60 feet of center mast but additional sections
can be obtained so that the silo can be built to any height desired. This
company also claims that water tanks can easily be built on top of concrete
silos erected with their equipment, the water tanks, of course, affording
water under pressure which is not only convenient but gives good fire pro-
tection.

Vidal

Parented Silo Molds ‘of w. He ee Plymouth, Wisconsin. A ieeee durates ofc concrete Eats hove
been built in Wisconsin and other states during the seven years these molds have been in use.

F
:
:

* a

ee Sa ee ee ae

W.
Limberg

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CO. 93

W. H. Limberg, of Plymouth, Wisconsin, has invented a silo mold for
concrete silos which has been used with great success in Wisconsin and
adjoining states for several years. A large number of con-
H. crete silos have been built with his forms. An advantageous
feature of the Limberg concrete silo mold is the fact that it is
practically 6 feet in height, consisting of two rings or circles so that six
feet per day of wall can be poured. This feature decreases the time re-
quired for building. The molds are made of 18 gauge galvanized sheet
steel and steel angle bars 114x114x;¢-inches for bracing. The form is
illustrated on page 92.

The Monolithic Silo & Construction Co., of Chicago, are the manu-
facturers of the Monsco molds for building reinforced concrete silos.
The Monsco Company realize the necessity of having a concrete

Monolithic chute and roof, the chute having been one of the noted features

odes Bet of this company. ‘The form for the successful building of a con-
Co. crete roof is a necessary development and today practically all

up-to-date silos have concrete roofs.

The Monsco molds build 6 feet per day and are illustrated on this
page. They are made in two circles each three feet high and each circle is
divided into four to six segments according to diameter, the chute mould
making an additional segment. No.18 gauge galvanized sheet steel, spe-
cially rolled for this purpose, is used in making them. The weight will vary
from 1,900 pounds for a 12-foot mold and upward, according to diameter.

STR so a A aE AT REESE ES

Monsco 1 Fo: orms. Sections ae to how aciails of centering and pieercus Resin

94 CONCRETE SILOS

Holes are bored in the segments at frequent intervals to permit the insertion
of the curved end of a %¢-inch iron rod shaped something like a stove
poker, by means of which a segment is raised from one circle to the new
course. A segment will weigh in the neighborhood of 125 pounds, and
two men have no difficulty in handling it.

Each Monsco mold equipment includes 90 clamps for holding the
segments together and 16 irons for concrete roof and cornice. _A clamp is
easily attached and detached and holds the segments and circles together
as if in a vise.

The Monsco steel roof-molds are made of galvanized steel and are
adjustable for 12-foot, 14-foot, 16-foot and 18-foot silos. The dormer
window, which is one of the features of this construction, comes in two
sections and can be used for any sized roof.

For a number of years John H. McCoy has been successfully us-
ing a system of forms of his own invention in the construction of large

MeCoy silos and railroad water tanks in many parts of the country.
aa This system is now owned and used by the Steel Concrete Con-
struction Co. of Harrisville, Pa. The forms are of steel made in

sections, each of which is supplied with a separate rig for hoisting. The
materials are raised in steel buckets by horse power and deposited on a
trough which travels around a circular track. This track makes it pos-
sible to move the trough to any part of the work that it is desired to fill.

The Peerless forms, manufactured by the New Enterprise Concrete
Machinery Co. of Chicago, and used by the above company and a

Th large number of silo contractors, are built of heavy galvanized
e Peerless S ; S : :
Ravine sheet iron with angle iron stiffeners. Both inner and outer
forms are built in sections which are coupled together with small
steel pins or spikes. They are held at the proper distance apart by a steel
frame which also supports a derrick. The materials are raised in a steel
bucket, horse power being used.

The Polk system is operated by the Polk-Genung-Polk Co. of Fort

Branch, Indiana, and a number of licensed contractors. ‘The inner and
Th outer forms are of heavy galvanized sheet iron, stiffened with
e Polk : ;
System angle iron. They are suspended by rods and chains from an
iron collar which slides on a hollow steel mast. The inner and
outer forms are kept perpendicular and also held at proper distances
apart by radial horizontal angle irons. These also serve to hold a plat-
form.

One of the chief advantages of the Polk System is the method of ele-
vating the concrete and depositing it within the forms. The apparatus
consists of a steel bucket and cable, the latter running over a pulley at-
tached to a trolley which travels onasteel boom. This boom is attached to
the central mast by means of a collar which allows it to swing around in a
full circle. After it is filled with concrete the bucket travels upwards until
it reaches the trolley on the boom. The trolley is then released automat-
ically and the bucket travels until directly over the forms. The trolley is
prevented from going further by a stop consisting of a steel pin placed
through a hole in the boom. Power for elevating the materials is generally
supplied by a horse. The forms are raised in the following manner:

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CO. 95

A small flat collar is pinned in position to the mast about two feet below
the collar which supports the forms. Two long jacks are then placed on the
flat top of the lower collar in such a manner as to raise the upper collars
when the jacks are operated. The mast is provided with holes a short dis-
tance apart to receive steel pins, and as soon as the jacks have been raised
to their limit a pin is placed through the mast just below the upper cylin-
drical collar to prevent the form dropping while the jacks are being moved
up to a new position. The forms must be loosened, of course, before any
attempt is made to raise them with the jacks.

The silos constructed by the Polk System have single walls six inches
thick, reinforced with twisted steel rods 14-inch to *%-inch in size. They
are built with elliptical door openings, one door to every five feet in height.
Except where especially desired by the owner, roofs and chutes are not sup-
plied. The Polk System is protected by United States patents.

Reichert Flexible or Adjustable Silo Molds are manufactured by the
Reichert Manufacturing Co. of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Reichert
Manufacturing Co. is an old and well established company and

Reichert the metal molds for monolithic concrete work, of which they are
Manufactur- : 2
ing Co. the manufacturers and patentees, have proved their merit for

considerable time.

The silo building outfit as furnished by the Reichert Co. consists of
sectional molds, each two (2) feet in height and two (2) feet in width.
Smaller plates called fillers can be inserted between the larger molds to
make up the required diameters. There are also rectangular plates which
are fastened to the circular molds at any point, and construct the chute
portion. Forevery different diameter silo there are two sets of sectional rings,
which fit snugly to the inside molds, holding the plates to a true circle.
These rings also act as a support for the sectional adjustable scaffold arms
radiating from the center. Every outfit has two sets containing eight
each of the these radial adjustable arms, making sixteen arms in all.

In the center of the silo a halved collar bolted together acts as the
other end support for the scaffold arms. Each half is attached to one
scaffold arm, so that when the scaffold is raised, all that is necessary is
to loosen the bolts holding the two halves of the collar together. This
collar has a flat shoulder projecting about 3 inches from the center. On
the outside edge there are slots to receive the other six scaffold arms.
The center mast is made up of four (4) sections of pipe, each being 10
feet in length. This pipe is 234 inches inside diameter, and is
fastened together by means of couplings. At intervals of 22 inches along
the pipe there are 24-inch holes, into which small rods are inserted, to act as
a ladder as well as a support for the collar which in turn holds the scaffold
rigid.

The Silo Equipment Co. of Minneapolis has just put on the market a
new monolithic silo form. The sides of the form are made of 14-gauge gal-

vanized iron, braced on the inside with steel bars radiating from

ae A the center mast. The hoist for lifting the concrete is also con-
cL Ee nected to the center mast. This form differs from other steel

forms in that it is supported on the vertical reinforcing rods and
not on the concrete structure.

96 CONCRETE SILOS

The St. Jacob Lumber & Hardware Co., of St. Jacob, Illinois, are
manufacturers of silos, building block pillars and other poured or cast
concrete work. In the last two years a number of successful

St. Jacob silos have been built near St. Jacob and other parts of Illinois,

ine ees by this company, using the Blummer Perfect Silo Form, owned
‘by them.

The Puffer-Hubbard Manufacturing Co., of Minneapolis, Minn., has
recently put out what are called Duplex Forms, for building concrete silos.
This company claims that the special advantage of these forms is

Puffer- their use in placing monolithic concrete foundations, such as are
Hubbard . ; 5

Manufactur. ‘equired for all types of silos, whether concrete or other material.
ing Co. This company does not manufacture hoisting machinery, nor do

they furnish complete silo equipment, but these forms can
undoubtedly be handled successfully by following the directions as to
bracing, etc., given on page 56.

The diameters of silos which can be built with these forms are of dif-
ferent sizes, varying from ten to twenty feet. The inner form consists of
eight segments held together by two 2-inch by 6-inch by 2-foot cleats,
cut to the same circle. These hold the segments to a true circle. Three-
foot lengths of 1-inch boards are nailed to the curved edge of the ribs,
the latter being placed 2 feet center to center. These boards are then
covered with 28-gauge galvanized sheet steel.

Eighteen-gauge galvanized sheet steel is used for the outer forms
fitted with proper attachments for clamping the sections together, and
raising them to their new position, as the work progresses.

W. H. Warford of Geneva, Illinois. a successful concrete silo contrac-
tor, has perfected and patented a roof form. Mr. Warford uses the Polk
System of reinforced concrete construction for the building of silos, but the
roof form is of his own
manufacture. A detail = garam
of these roof forms is —
shown on this page. These roof
forms have been in successful
operation and the inventor claims
that concrete roofs can be put
on silos with this form very easily
and at a comparatively low cost,
all factors considered. The form
weighs about 1200 pounds com-
plete. It is light in weight, self-
centering, has twenty-four rein-
forced ribs and allows for a 6-inch
ventilator on top. All sections
are identical except the one with
the manhole. The form is also
suggested for use in building roofs
of combination milk pote WaNeL peice of Roof eee eine of W. H. Warford,
towers, small grain bins, grain Geneva, Illinois, a successful silo contractor who has

il
storage an d c attl et anks. bale a number of good concrete roofs on concrete silos

W. A.
Warford

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CO. 97

Concrete Block Systems

The Elgin silo, built by The Elgin Silo Co., Elgin, Illinois, is a con-
crete slab type, as illustrated at the right on this page. This company
manufactures and delivers the slabs to the contractor or farmer.
The slab method of construction appears to be an improvement
over some unit methods and the protection of the steel rein-
forcing bands by concrete is undoubtedly an improvement.

The Hurst Silo Co., at 416 McCormick Building, Chicago, manufac-
tures concrete blocks for reinforced concrete silo or tank construction.
The Hurst silo blocks have been successfully used in a large
number of silos, and the Hurst silo block molds are manufac-
{ tured and sold by them. These molds are furnished in sets
of ten each. There are no screws or bolts used in the Hurst molds,
which are 231% inches long, 1124 inches high, and 4 inches thick, contain-
ing approximately 2/3 of a cubic foot. At the left of pages 97 and 98
are shown Hurst silos.

One of the features in the Hurst silo block is the method of reinfore-
ing, which is simple and effective. It is sometimes lost sight of in building
block silos that reinforcement is just as necessary in this type as in any
other type. The Hurst Co. provides a roof frame on which a reinforced
concrete roof can be constructed.

Elgin Silo
Co.

Hurst
Silo Co.

Hurst Reinforced Concrete Block Silo, built on Cement Slab Silo on D. B. Hoornbeck’s farm,
J. W. Cooper’s farm at Whitewater, Wisconsin, Elgin, Illinois; built by Elgin Cement Silo Co.
by Chas. B. Hurst Co., Chicago. Fire destroyed other buildings.

98 CONCRETE SfLOs

The Perfect Silo, built by the Perfect Reimforced Silo & Cistern

Block Co., of Delaware, Ohio, has met with great favor amongst Ohio

aaa farmers and a large number have been put up in Delaware and

Silo adjacent counties. Some of these silos have been built by the
owners with block purchased from the above company.

This system differs from all others in the dimensions of the blocks and
the method of reinforcing. The blocks are 24 inches long, 12 inches high,
and 4 inches thick. Each block is reinforced with two iron bands running
lengthwise 6 inches apart. Each rod is looped and turned 6 inches from
each end. These loops are spaced so as to correspond with 14-inch round
vertical holes which zre formed in the block. When the blocks are laid
in the wall these vertical openings are filled with cement grout and steel
dowel pins are passed through this soft material and inserted about half
way in the block below. The rods should be of such length that they
will reach up about half way in the blocks above. The blocks have a
groove 14 inch deep in the top edge which provides space for a larger
mortar bed and also for the heavy horizontal rods which span the contin-
uous door openings at intervals of 2 feet. These rods are firmly fastened
to the vertical dowel pins. The dowels next to the door openings are made
of heavy pipe in 4-foot sections firmly screwed together.

This system is shown on page 99.

AML GG WL v

WE:

“ ZAI Vi Z Le TD.
Hurst Silos built on famous Crab Tree Farm, Concrete Block Silo of John Hubing, at Loyal,
Lake Bluff, Illinois. Built after fire had de- Wisconsin. Fire completely destroyed barn; silo
stroyed everything but concrete milk house. and contents uninjured.

UNIVERSAL’ PORTLAND CEMENT CO. 99

A very interesting type of concrete block silo is being used extensively
through the region between Holland and Grand Rapids, Mic ‘higan, which is
The Zeeland known as the Zeeland silo and has been built exclusively by
Silo Chris DeJonge, of Zeeland, Mich.
About 50 Zeeland silos have been put up by him in Ottawa
County alone. The Zeeland silo has a number of unique features. It is
the only silo of its kind using solid blocks made “tongue and groove”’
so as to fit any diameter of silo. The blocks are made 24 inches long and 8
inches high and have a thickness of only 3 inches. They are laid up in
1:2 cement and sand mortar and the inside of the wall is plastered off with
mortar of the same proportion. Reinforcing consists of a heavy iron rod
around each course, laid in a groove provided in the top of the blocks.

Mr. DeJonge has secured patents on a semi-circular steel chute and
ladder which is placed on the inside of the silo. This permits the silo walls
to be built up full all around, the only opening necessary being a door in the
bottom. The chute is held to the silo wall by means of hooks and eyelets,
the latter being placed in the wall at the time of building. When it is de-
sired to feed off the silage, two top sections of the chute are removed, and
as the height of the silage is lowered successive sections are removed and
hung two spaces higher.

He LEA gure ennspenedanenl es 4

(CG, I

i a HAG

le ip ttle tea y
ci ive
G 7 a LLEDTA

ot

ial Gah
| Wo wl w

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Sectional view showing construction of the Perfect Silo and method
of reinforcing continuous doorway.

100 CONCRETE SILOS
Table Giving Lineal Feet of Triangle Mesh Reinforcement
Height Inside Diameter of Silo
of
Silo 10 Feet 12 Feet 14 Feet 16 Feet
24 Feet 333 Style No. 6 | 347 Style No. 6 | 347 Style No. 6 | 336 Style No. 6
40 Style No. 4 89 Style No. 4 | 151 Style No. 4
27 Feet 343 Style No. 6 | 357 Style No. 6 | 357 Style No. 6 | 346 Style No. 6
34 Style No. 4 | 77 Style No. 4 | 132 Style No. 4 | 204 Style No. 4
30 Feet 353 Style No. 6 | 367 Style No. 6 | 367 Style No. 6 | 405 Style No. 6
64 Style No. 4 | 114 Style No. 4 | 178 Style No. 4 | 253 Style No. 4
33 Feet 363 Style No. 6 | 377 Style No. 6 | 420 Style No. 6 | 468 Style No. 6
95 Style No. 4 | 150 Style No. 4 | 221 Style No. 4 | 302 Style No. 4
36 Feet 373 Style No. 6 | 387 Style No. 6 | 476 Style No. 6 | 527 Style No. 6
125 Style No. 4 | 190 Style No. 4 | 264 Style No. 4 | 355 Style No. 4
39 Feet 383 Style No. 6 | 433 Style No. 6 | 529 Style No. 6 | 586 Style No. 6
159 Style No. 4 | 227 Style No. 4 | 310 Style No. 4 | 404 Style No. 4
42 Feet 393 Style No. 6 | 483 Style No. 6 | 582 Style No. 6 | 596 Style No. 6
189 Style No. 4 | 264 Style No. 4 | 353 Style No. 4 | 506 Style No. 4
434 Style No. 6 | 530 Style No. 6 | 638 Style No. 6 | 606 Style No. 6
45 Feet 220 Style No. 4 | 300 Style No. 4 | 396 Style No. 4 | 604 Style No. 4
477 Style No. 6 | 570 Style No. 6 | 648 Style No. 6 | 619 Style No. 6
48 Feet 250 Style No. 4 | 340 Style No. 4 | 485 Style No. 4 | 706 Style Ne. 4
518 Style No. 6 | 626 Style No. 6 | 658 Style No. 6 | 629 Style No. 6
51 Feet 281 Style No. 4 | 377 Style No. 4 | 571 Style No. 4 | 808 Style No. 4
558 Style No. 6 | 636 Style No. 6 | 668 Style No. 6 | 639 Style No. 6
54 Feet 314 Style No. 4 | 450 Style No. 4 | 660 Style No. 4 | 906 Style No. 4
599 Style No. 6 | 646 Style No. 6 | 678 Style No. 6 | 649 Style No. 6
57 Feet 345 Style No. 4 | 527 Style No. 4 | 746 Style No. 4 | 959 Style No. 4
53 Style No. 23
642 Style No. 6 | 656 Style No. 6 | 688 Style No. 6 | 659 Style No. 6
60 Feet 375 Style No. 4 | 600 Style No. 4 | 835 Style No. 4 |1008 Style No. 4
102 Style No. 23
Floor 38 Style No. 6 48 Style No. 6 68 Style No. 6 87 Style Ne. 6
Roof 96 Style No. 6 | 134 Style No. 6 | 182 Style No. 6 | 240 Style No. 6

NOTE:—Use 38” widths of mesh and lap 2” or use 42” widths and lap 6”.
Reinforcement furnished only in rolls 150’, 200’ and 300’ long.

Table Giving Lineal Feet of Triangle Mesh Reinforcement

18 Feet

UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CO.

368 Style No.
173 Style No.

433 Style No.
229 Style No.

Inside Diameter of Silo

20 Feet

337 Style No.
254 Style No.

30 Feet

33 Feet

36 Feet

502 Style No.
285 Style No.

409 Style No.
319 Style No.

22 Feet

362 Style No.
279 Style No.

372 Style No.
419 Style No.

484 Style No.
381 Style No.

568 Style No.
343 Style No.

636 Style No.
399 Style No.

556 Style No.
443 Style No.

382 Style No.
558 Style No.

i

392 Style No.
698 Style No.

566 Style No.
570 Style No.

402 Style No.
837 Style No.

39 Feet

42 Feet

646 Style No.
513 Style No.

576 Style No.
697 Style No.

412 Style No.
977 Style No.

656 Style No.
628 Style No.

586 Style No.
824 Style No.

422 Style No.
1116 Style No.

45 Feet

666 Style No.
739 Style No.

596 Style No.
951 Style No.

48 Feet

676 Style No.
798 Style No.
59 Style No.

432 Style No.
1116 Style No.
140 Style No.

606 Style No.
951 Style No.
127 Style No.

442 Style No.
1116 Style No.
279 Style No.

51 Feet

686 Style No.
853 Style No.
115 Style No.

619 Style No.
951 Style No.
254 Style No.

452 Style No.
1116 Style No.
419 Style No.

54 Feet

696 Style No.
909 Style No.
173 Style No.

629 Style No.
951 Style No.
381 Style No.

465 Style No.
1116 Style No.
558 Style No.

57 Feet

706 Style No.
968 Style No.
229 Style No.

639 Style No.
951 Style No.
508 Style No.

475 Style No.
1116 Style No.

698 Style No. 2

60 Feet

716 Style No.
1023 Style No.
285 Style No.

649 Style No.
951 Style No.
635 Style No.

485 Style No.
1116 Style No.

837 Style No. 2

Floor

102 Style No.

Roof

300 Style No.

125 Style No.

154 Style No.

328 Style No.

400 Style No.

NOTE:—Use 38” widths of mesh and lap 2” or use 42” widths and lap 6”.

Reinforcement furnished only in rolls 150’, 200’ and 300’ long.

SILOS

CONCRETE

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104 CONCRETE SILOS

In preparing data for this booklet, the Universal Information Bureau
has investigated during the past three years, about five hundred concrete
silos of various types located in different parts of the United States.
Methods of silo construction and operation were carefully studied and
data on the actual cost and labor required, and other important information
were obtained. Valuable assistance was received from a number of sources,
particularly from the bulletins of the Department of Agriculture and the
State Experiment Stations, several paragraphs from which have been used
verbatim.

The reader seeking further information on the subject of silage and
silo construction will find in the following pamphlets a comprehensive
course of instruction:

Cement Silos—Farmers’ Bulletin No. 405, U. S. Department of Agri-
culture.

Silos and Silage—Farmers’ Bulletin No. 32, U. S. Department of Agri-
culture.

Cost of Filling Silos—Farmers’ Bulletin No. 292, U. S. Department of
Agriculture.

Concrete Silo Construction—Bulletin No. 214, University of Wisconsin,
Madison, Wis.

Cement Silos in Michigan—Bulletin No. 255, Michigan State Experiment
Station, East Lansing, Michigan.

Silage and the Construction of Modern Silos—Bulletin No. 83, Wisconsin
Agricultural Experiment Station, Madison, Wisconsin.

The Silo—Monthly Bulletin No. 2, Volume 6, Missouri State Board of
Agriculture, Columbia, Missouri.

The Reinforced Concrete Silo—Circular No. 49, by the Missouri Agri-
cultural Experiment Station, Columbia, Mo.

Concrete Silo Construction—Bulletin No. 6, Vol. IV, Kansas State Agri-
cultural College, Manhattan, Kansas.

Silos and Silage in Maryland—Bulletin No. 129, Maryland Agricultural
Experiment Station, College Park, Maryland.

The Silo and Silage in Indiana—Bulletin No. 40, Purdue Agricultural
Experiment Station, LaFayette, Indiana.

Soiling Crops, Silage and Roots—Bulletin No. 9, Series II, College of
Agriculture, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.

“Modern Silage Methods,” published by the Silver Manufacturing
Company, of Salem, Ohio.

Farmers’ Bulletins published by the U. S. Department of Agriculture
may be obtained by addressing J. A. Arnold, Editor and Chief Bureau of
Publications—Department of Agriculture—Washington, D. C.

LIBRARY oO

‘iii

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