![](http://www.alamy.com/thumbs/6/1D8CED59-4776-4A86-8878-D5E7ADE43D6E/RDR3RW.jpg)
. Cyclopedia of farm crops, a popular survey of crops and crop-making methods in the United States and Canada;. Farm produce; Agriculture. Fig. 634. One-hole com-sliellei. thin boards bent around a circle of studs, every board forming a hoop,—^the so-called Wisconsin idea. Now the silo almost universally has taken the form of a tank-like vessel built of wooden staves, usually two inches thick, tongued and grooved and drawn tight together by round iron hoops fitted with devices for shortening them as may be necessary. There is every indication that this represents the final step in the evolutio
. Cyclopedia of farm crops, a popular survey of crops and crop-making methods in the United States and Canada;. Farm produce; Agriculture. Fig. 634. One-hole com-sliellei. thin boards bent around a circle of studs, every board forming a hoop,—^the so-called Wisconsin idea. Now the silo almost universally has taken the form of a tank-like vessel built of wooden staves, usually two inches thick, tongued and grooved and drawn tight together by round iron hoops fitted with devices for shortening them as may be necessary. There is every indication that this represents the final step in the evolution of the silo, and that in its essential character this will remain the perma- nent form. Possibly as the years go by, the difficulty in securing suitable lumber may re- sult in the general adop- tion of concrete, built in cylindrical form, with heavy wire or light iron rods laid in the mold to strengthen it. Hemlock, pine, cedar and cypress are all used extensively in silo construction. The cypress is doubtless best, but its price is rapidly making it almost prohibitory. We have not as yet much data regarding the life of the stave silo, but even hem- lock endures for as much as fifteen years, providing the silo stands empty during the warm months, in a dry, airy place. When filled and kept for sum- mer feeding, thus remaining damp, its life is greatly shortened. Cultural methods. Varieties and quantity of seed.—The best varie- ties of corn and the thickness of planting for silage are a somewhat different problem from when the ripe grain is the only object. When the crop is intended for the silo, the feeding value of the stalks is no less important than that of the grain, and the question really resolves itself into: What varieties and how much seed will afford the great- est quantity of digestible nutrients per acre ? In general we may say that the best condition of the crop for the silo does not demand complete ripe- ness, so that it is advisable to use one of the larger
Size: 1721px × 1451px
Photo credit: © The Book Worm / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, booksubjectagriculture, bookyear