THE CONSTRUCTION OF SILOS.

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1858, 3 June 1884, Page 4

THE CONSTRUCTION OF SILOS.

At a meeting of tho tenants of Lord Tollemaohe held recently at Pegkforton Castle a long and exceedingly interesting discussion, says the Chester Courant, took place ns to the construction of silos, which was most particularly and minutely explained by a representative of the Hi in of Mcssts P. W. Reynolds*; Co., Edward Street, Blackfriars Road, London, R.K, hy the aid of models. The system adopted on the Peckforton estate, and most generally favoured, is somewhat as follows :— The buildings consist of a central barn with a bay at either end, and it is proposed to divide one bay with a strong brick portion into two silos opening into the barn, the walls to be covered with a coating of cement. The chaff-cutting machines— driven by steam and horse power, as the case may be — are placed on an upper floor of the barn, on a lever or thereabouts with the top of the silos, the gr-een chaff being thus conveniently delivered into the latter ; and when these are filled the whole is covered with nicely-fitting (shutters and weighted to the extent of cibout seventy pounds to the square foot. At least, this has been the piactice at Peckforton up to the present, but the Messrs Reynolds have adopted and patented an ingenious and efficient process of putting on a very much larger pressure, at the same time obviating the necessity for providing and 1 fting so much dead weight every time it is wished to remove the shutters for the pin pose of refilling the silos. Messrs Reynolds' system— which was also demonstiated by the help of a model— is as follows — A chain is attached to the lower part of the wall of the silo in any suitable manner, either by taking it through the wall with a plate and bolt outside, or by weighting it inthegiound with conci.ite or attaching it to a beam. Exactly opposite, on the other side of the silo, is a similar chain attached in the same manner. While the silo is being filled, the ends of the chains are thrown over the walls. After the material is put in the pit cosering boaids aie placed over it, and a stout transverse beam is laid on the top, stretched from side to bide of the hilo. In the ends of this beam are fked brackets to carry moveable 1 oilers, over which the ends of the chains fiom either side are led. A chain-tightener is then hooked into the links, and on turning the handle of the sciew the ends of the chains are drawn together, causing the beam and covering of the silo to sink, so to press the matenal. Pins are then inserted in the links of each chain across the beam to hold it down, when the screw-tightener can be made to take a fresh hold on tho chain for further pressure or be removed together. Any number of beams can be used, according to the length of the pit and pressure lequiied per square foot of surface, but the chain-tightener and rollers can be removed from beam to beam, so that only one set is sufficient for any number of silos. What arc really required for each beam aio the two chains and two brackets or bearings into which the chain rollers are placed when in use. If, for example, a silo of 15 feet long by 12 feet wide is to be pressed with a pressure of 200 ll>s. per square foot of suifacc, two beams would be required, each having its two chains. In tightening tho chains a pressure of 8 tons can l)j put upon each boim, or IG tons on both, and this force, divided by the area of 13 feet by 12 feet, equals 200 lbs. per squaie foot of surface. The silo may be any reasonable depth ; an extra length of chain being all that is wanted. Should a greater or less surface pressure be required, it is only necessary to place the beams neaier together or fnrther apart. So easy and powerful is the action of the chain tightener that it is found that one man, by exciting a power of about GO lbs. (thcoieticilly 40 lbs.), can put a pressure of 8 tons on the beam ; therefore, one man only should use the screw, or unnecessary pressure may be obtained. By extiting the pressure once daily for about a weeK, it is found that the ensilage cannot be compressed further, except at considerable intervals ; the application of continuous dead weight is theiefoie unnccossaiy. By these patent appliances the pressure can alao be instantly leleased, and the boards removed to complete the filling of the silo, or when the ensilage is to be cut ; the pressure can also be employed at any depth of the silo, cither at the extreme top or at any distance fiom the bottom. The coveting boards for the silo may be two inches thick, and the transverse beam for a silo of 12 feet wide should be about 0 inches wide by 7 inches deep. It is sotnew hat difficult to explain a process of this description without diagrams or models, but to use a familiar illustration, it will be seen by rcadeis who are able to follow the above explanation, that the whole mass of ensilage is thus bi ought into the condition of a tightly-bound paicel, somewhat after the manner of packing a bale of cotton, with the diftemice only th.it the compression is effected by the aid of screw contraction instead of by hydiaulic power.