SB pr clithic Concrete Silos Folk S; UC-NRLF AGRIC. DEPT. **lllV%/U I I LIBRARY, UNIVERSITY CALlFORNIAv Contents Frontispiece I Officers and Directors - 4 Introduction 6 Concrete Its Value 7-8 Short Story about Concrete . - 9-13 History of the Silo 14-16 The Value of the Silo 17-19 Table Dry Matter and Digestible Nutriments in Silage from Different Crops 20 Table Showing Acreage Required to fill Silo and Amounts to Feed - 2 1 Photograph Showing "Feeders" 22 Concrete in Silo . Construction 23-26 Silo Showing Water Tank 27 Photograph Showing Filling process - 28 Handling Ensilage to the Best Advantage 29-3 1 Photograph 32 Our System - 33-35 The Polk Silo Door 36-37 Capacity of Round Silos in Tons 38 Facts-^Not Fancies 39 Testimonials - 40-47 Remerrfher - . 48 . Monolithic Concrete Silos The Polk System OF RE-ENFORCED MONOLITHIC CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION Pat. Oct. 23, 1906 Pat. Dec. 29, 1908 C. F. WIELAND CONSULTING ENGINEER 914 Mutual Savings Bank Bld. SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. POLK-GENUNG-POLK CO. INCORPORATED FORT BRANCH, IND. OFFICERS: W. C. POLK, H. 0. CHERRY, H. T. GENUNG, W. A. POLK, President Vice President Secretary-Treasurer Assistant Secretary-Treasurer DIRECTORS: W. C. POLK, H. 0. CHERRY, H. T. GENUNG, R. M. STORMONT, W. A. POLK, Fort Branch, Ind. Indianapolis, Ind. Fort Branch, Ind. Springfield, 111. Fort Branch, Ind. In selecting the photographs for this cata- logue, we have made use of those v/ews that illustrate, to the best advantage, those points which we have endeavored to cover, and we have tried to arrange them with some pre- cision that their force may not be lost. The cuts of complete or incomplete jobs represent the work of our machines. The photographs from which they are made have never been re-touched, hence you see exact images of actual conditions. We wish to express our. kindest thanks to those who have furnished us cuts and to others for the interest they have shown in this catalogue. 272656 Introduction THE average American farmer is not one-half as rich as he ought to be. There are too many leaks in the business. The one greatest loss to-day is in the handling of the corn crop by the stockman and dairyman. The progressive man who is feeding silage is getting 100 per cent, of the nutriment out of his corn, while the other fellow is getting only about 60 to 65 per cent, and is losing the remaining 40 per cent. We are sending this catalogue to you because this is so. We want to give you straight facts in a straightforward manner. We want to show you that you absolutely cannot afford to be without a good silo. The unprecedented rise in land values means that a corresponding return must be got or failure and bankruptcy will follow. The scientific management of the big progressive stock- man means that his competitors will have to stop every leak or else get out of the business. The economy of the silo means that you must own one. We wish to show you that the best silo you can buy is the only one you can really afford to buy, that you are losing money when you build a silo that won't last you forever. We want you to read the following pages of facts, undisputable and to judge the proposition fairly. Then if you build anything but an im- perishable monolithic concrete silo we shall be surprised at you. But you won't surprise us you can't afford to. We have never had a single failure or a single complaint. Our efficiency is 100 per cent. Every silo that has ever been erected by the Polk system has given absolute satisfaction. Yes, there is a reason. Our machine and our methods don't allow any builder to go wrong. We hope that you will closely examine the following pages so that we may convince you that our assertions are true. THE POLK SYSTEM Concrete Its Value THE modern farmer would no more think of trying" to get along without concrete than the modern manufacturer would think of dispensing with electricity or steam. Not many years ago con- crete was an unknown quantity, the engineer and builder didn't know whether to use it or not. Today no- man builds that does not consider concrete, and no wise man builds that does not use it. Concrete has not only revolutionized our recent ideas of building; it has exploded them. Concrete is supplanting stone, brick, iron, and wood. The farmer, who some not over-wise people say is always Silo of Mr. C. W. Broughton, McGirr, III., diameter 16 feet, height 45 feet. Built by Polk System. backward about taking up new ideas, has been decidedly in the foreground here, and it is building "for keeps" in concrete, while his less knowing city cousin "burns wood." Why has concrete come to the front so rapidly? There are many reasons, but one is, sufficient. IT IS EVERLASTING. It has a cumulative strength and a 100 per cent, plus efficiency. The ''They are not built of pieces and they cannot go to pieces. " 8 THE POLK SYSTEM modern farmer has found it his greatest single agency in the con- struction of a farm on the business basis. He has circumvented deteoriation- he has no up keep his profits go into the bank: because, simply because he has used concrete in the building. Concrete is vauable on the farm because it can be put to an almost endless number of uses. From the basement to the water-tank, from the barn to the fence-post, from the silo to the cistern, in the corn-crib and the trough, on the floor and the sidewalk, we find concrete. No one WHO KNOWS builds with anything but concrete, it means sanitary conditions, puts the kibosh on the rats and mice, turns water at the roof and in the basement, laughs at fire and makes the insurance man drive on to the next place in hopes of finding an easy vic- tim. Build with concrete and don't mind the weather even if the wind ''do blow." What do you care? Build with concrete and build right and nothing but a double-geared, back ac- tion, hammerless, six-cylinder, earthquake could ever ruffle your peace of mind. BUILD RIGHT! We know how to do that today. A few years ago some mistakes were made by workers in con- crete, because they were care- less about proportions and mix- tures. These mistakes have been given wide publicity as Monolithic silo, nearly completed by the Polk-Ge- nung-Polk system, on the farm of John Creighton, Geneva, HI W. H. Warford, Contractor. suitable material for this kind of proof that concrete is not a construction, and consequently some of the unwise fear the concrete is tricky. Today the fail- ures by inexperienced and expert are not one in a hundred. ' ' They arm not built of piece* and they cannot go to pieces. THE POLK SYSTEM 9 Short Story About Concrete T^GYPTIANS. On the top of the huge pyramids of Egypt I* there are enormous blocks of stone of such size that modern engineers wonder how they ever were put there. They are well preserved and show little effect of the 4,000 years weathering they have undergone. Recent investigation on the subject of this vast engineering feat seems to show that those huge stones were prob- ably carried there in water pails or some similiar contrivances. The Egyptians knew how to make a hydraulic cement, and pieces of wood found within these big blocks together with the conglom- erate structure seem to show that they made use of their secret in the erection of the pyramids. GREEKS and ROMANS. The Greeks also knew about cement. Many of their walls and slabs of stone which have until recently been supposed to be solid rock, have proved to be exam- ples of an enduring concrete construction. The Romans built the best roads that man has ever known. They dug to solid rock, filled in with crushed rock, bouldei's and pebbles, and then coated the top with a hydraulic cement. Over this they put paving stones. The paving stones have worn away and crumbled to dust, but the concrete mixture remains stronger than it was the day it was put there. Fallen columns, pillars and arches of concrete con- struction among Roman ruins show much better lasting qualities than the hardest marble that was used for mural decoration. In this connection the Architecture Record issue of February, 1909 says: "The Romans mixed their' concrete exactly as we mix ours- in a general batch that is, stones, cement and lime were mixed to- gether and thrown into a wooden form, precisely as we do it to- day. The marks of the wooden forms are at all times discernible, and especially is this so in the corridor of the house of Augustus on the Palatine (P. 10) where the grain of the wood can be clear- ly seen. These walls are some twenty-four feet above the ground ' 'They are not built of piece* , and they cannot go to pieces. 10 THE POLK SYSTEM level, and though the construction of the forms seems to have been carlessly done, as the photograph shows, yet the result is none the less interesting. Here is a splendid opportunity to see concrete and leisurely inspect it from every point of vantage. Above these concrete foundations rose the palace of Augustus, formed of these stupend- ous walls and vaults of brick, which here, as else- where i n Rome, thrust its arches through the air with such poise and pre- cisi on that they are t o this day the admiration of every behold- er and gave to the Romans their proud p o s i t i on HOUSE OF AUGUSTUS Notice impression of the wood forms as well as actual grain of the wood. among the master builders of the world. The structure of brick above these concrete walls have suc- cumbed to the ravages of time and to the hand of the destroyer, but the concrete remains without a crack or a fracture that could be discovered by careful and frequent examination. Its adhesion is perfect, and that there has not been the slightest disintegration of even the outside surface is attested by the fact that the grain of the wood from the old forms may still be seen on the concrete, though its imprint was made over two thousand years ago. The silent and sturdy witnesses in the Roman Forum and the Appian Way give convincing testimony as to the efficiency and durability of concrete. Looking back through the centuries in which the ''They are not built of pieces and they cannot go to pieces. THE POLK SYSTEM I I character has been so notably maintained, we must see that there is a material on whose merits we can form a definite and certain judgment, and the judgment thus formed impels us irresistibly to the conclusion that we have no building construction which, viewed from any standpoint, measures up to the incomparable standard established by concrete." Other evidences of the constructive uses of cement are found in various parts of the old world. In Ireland are old lookout towers, supposed to have been built by the Druid priests more than one thousand years ago. They are made of hydraulic cement concrete, and are cylindrical in form, about six feet in diameter, and 100 feet high. Some years ago one of these tow- ers was undermined and fell over. The shock was so great that the shaft was bur- ied one-half in the ground for its entire length, yet there was not the slightest fracture in the monolithic structure. Any natural rock would have been shat- tered to bits. In Spain and other countries with a flour- ishing early history all signs point to an early and exten- sive use of a rude sort of ce- ment and concrete. The pre-historic people of the New World also knew some- thing of the value of an artificial stone. The Mound Builders who inhabited the Ohio Valley some 12,000 years ago cooked and boiled in vessels that appear to have been made of a rock conglomerate held together by a cement. The Peruvian Incas built themselves houses of a crude concrete to prevent loss from earthquakes and volcanic tremors. So the Ancients worked in concrete. Of course they had noth- Ed John's Concrete Silo, 16x40 feet, La Fox, III. by Polk System. W. H. Warford Contractor. "They are not built of pieces* and they cannot go to pieces. 12 THE POLK SYSTEM ing to compare with the highly developed Portland cement of to- day, yet they did imperishable work. Strange to say, the people of the medieval times lost the secret and all the fine architectural- work of the "dark ages" is fast crumbling into oblivion. Not un- til the opening of the nineteenth century did man again become in- terested in means of making artificial stone. The modern searcher after the secret, how- ever, turned his at- tention to the produc- tion of a fine powder that would do the ce- menting when mixed with rock and water. He wanted a much smoother and neater result than the ancient builder. In England, Germany, and France, chemists and engineers worked on the produc- tion of a dependable cement from 1790 un : til 1850 before they made one that fulfilled the requirements. In 1865 the first Portland cement was brought to the United States, and in 1872 the first home-made product was put on the market. In 1880 the output of all factories in our country was only 82,000 barrels. In 1896 it had passed the million mark, and in 1909 it was sixty millions. That's the way America does things. Today there is practically no foreign cement for sale on our markets. Today we stand on the threshold of the concrete age. The possibilities of a concrete construction are numberless from the sewer to the tip-top of the sky-scraper re-enforced concrete is displacing all other forms of masonry and building materfal. En- gineers are doing with concrete, things that we did not -dream Twin Concrete Silos on farm of Frank White, La Fox, 111., each 18x45 feet. Built by Polk System. W. H. Warford, Geneva, 111., Contractor. ''They are not built of pieces and they cnnnot go to pieces. THE POLK SYSTEM 13 about ten years ago. They go straight to dizzy heights with seemingly little attention to the laws of equilibrium; they bridge spans with no at- t e n t i o n to the laws of gravity. Concrete means just as much to the farmerp f; as the same -rapid stride s that characterize the engineering field are being made proportionate- ly of course, on the farm. Prin- ciples of conser- vation and per- manence are be- ing adopted in the agricultural field just as as- suredly as they are in the engi- neering fi e 1 d . i.. i6xio feet, capacity Concrete is more Built by Polk System |>flB J flr^n permanent; -m> Strength -is cumulative?* A^oncrete silo will be stronger 5 ten J^ars hence tKan it is now and "s'tiW stronger when your great-great-grandchildren are ready to use it. Concrete annihilates two words " and ".vpmrs." S. C. M. Saxby's Concrete Silo, Freeport, 111. 180 tc "They are not built of piece* and they cannot go to pieces. ' ' 14 THE POLK SYSTEM History of the Silo ALONG time ago, even before man had become accustomed to settled agricultural life, the primitive farmers were guessing at the secret of the silo. A "pit" was first used as a receptacle for dry grain. The Greeks called such a pit "siros" and the Spanish have a word "ensilar" meaning to store grain m a pit. From these two words comes our term "ensilage." The Roman farmers stored green forage in air-tight pits and fed the "silage" to their stock. That was two-thousand years ago. In 1786 we have our first authentic record of the actual prep- aration of stock food by the "silage" method when Symonds wrote of Italians preserving fresh leaves for cattle in casks and pits in the ground. In 1843 an Englishman named Johnston who had been observing Germans store green clover, grass, or vetches in pits, published an article giving his views on such a method for treating food. These pits the Germans used were ten or twelve feet square and about as many feet deep. The floor was of packed clay and the sides were lined with wood. The green food was well salted as it was thrown into the pit and the top was given an extra thick layer of salt and then a close-fitting cover of boards was put over it. Then enough dirt to make the pit air- tight was thrown over the top of the boards and the "silage" was allowed to ferment and settle for a few days. Then more green stuff was added to fill the crude silo, and the board and dirt cover was again added. The grass thus treated had the appearance of being boiled, was sharply acid, and was much enjoyed by the cat- tle. Between 1860 and 1870 Samuel Jones in England experi- mented extensively with tares or rye. He cut it green, chopped it up, and then allowed it to ferment in air-tight vats. To Adolph Reihlen, a sugar manufacturer of Germany, belongs the credit for first storing green maize in pits. He had lived a number of years in the United States and had taken back to the old country with him some large dent corn. Since the crop did not always mature in that climate he conceived the idea of treat- "They are not built of pieces, and they cannot go to pieces. THE POLK SYSTEM 15 ing- it the same way that he had successfully treated green beet leaves and beet pulp. The results of his works were published in the German and French papers at the time and the use of thesilo was strongly urged upon the people of France. The French farmers wisely heeded the good ad- vice and built them- selves many pits in the earth for the storing of green forage. In 1877 Auguste Goffart, a French farmer, wrote a book giv- ing the results of twenty-five years experience with the method of preserv- ing green forage in air-tight pits. He told little that was new, but what he told was so well put and so well ar- ranged that he now bears the distinction of being the Father of Modern Silage. Now, when America is not first at anything she is always a very close second, and in 1876 a progressive Maryland farmer named Morris built a structure to contain silage. Shortly after the intro- duction of the silo in America enthusiasts made many extravagant claims for its usefulness and effectiveness which early experiments failed to vindicate. These early experiments were crude and ex- travagant, and the silo did not become popular at that time. In Silo of George Dick, Sycamore, III., Size: Diameter 16 feet, Height 40 feet. Polk Syitem "They are not built of pieces and they cannot go to piece*. " 16 THE POLK SYSTEM fact in 1882 only 92 American farmers used the silo. Later and more careful investigations by agricultural schools and scientific farmers revealed the true worth of the silo until it is to-day an un- disputed fact that no man who raises stock for any purpose what- ever can afford to be without one. There are over 500,000 silos in the United States at the present time. 16 x 50 feet monolithic silo of State Hospital Farm No. 1, Fulton, Missouri, showing cutter in position for filling. Built by Polk System. "They are not built of pieces and they cannot go to pieces. THE POLK SYSTEM 17 The Value of the Silo SILO MEANS SAVE HPHE silo offers a quicker and larger return on the investment 1 than does any other improvement that is being considered by the dairy farmers and stockmen of America today. We assert this without fear of contradiction because we have the judgment and experience of the progressive, brainy American farmer to up- hold us. We have boiled down a great mass of facts here for your convenience and enlighten- ment. Our authority for the following statement consists of the experiments of Agricultural Schools and Stations and of the personal experiences of advancing, broad-minded farmers. We have no desire to burden your mind with rows of facts and figures that confuse you and make your head swim. We want to give you in tabloid form some informa- tion about the value of the silo. Here it is: Lewis McNutt's monolithic silo, Brazil, inu., showing cutter and blower in position ready for filling. Notice That Every Fact Cited Means a Saving. 1. THE SILO REDUCES THE COST OF PRODUCTION, (a). The cost of feed is reduced one-half. Chemists who have examined fodder as it goes in the shock and as it is when ready to be fed later in the winter find that often only half of the original nutriment re- mains. The weather and the air have made way with one-half of your feed. The Silo does not retain all of the food value, but the "They are not built of pieces and they cannot go to ot'eces. 18 THE POLK SYSTEM loss is never greater than ten per cent, (b) An acre of corn can be placed in the silo at much less cost than it can be put up as cured fodder. An experiment made in 1903, in filling a 100-ton silo, shows the cost of filling- to be only i > > 50 cents per ton. (c) There is abso- lutely no waste to any part of the corn crop, provided you exercise a fair de- gree of care in han- dling it. (d). Care- ful and fair experi- ments show that you can feed your stock on one-half of the acreage other- wise needed. II. THE SILO IN- C REA SES THE AMOUNT OF PRO- DUCTION, (a) Dai- ry cattle give more milk and cream when fed on silage than when fed on dry fodder and ear corn, (b) The in- crease in butter fat is enough to reduce the cost of produc- tion 9c per pound, from22c to 13c. (c) Steers fattened on silage show a saving of 50c for every 100 pounds, and bring an average of 20c per 150 better on the market; a total saving of 70c on every 100 pounds. III. MISCELLANEOUS ADVANTAGES. (a) Ensilage fed cattle have a good appetite are healthy, (b) Your stock does not have to be reduced during a dry season, (c) There is no exposure to bad weather in feeding ensilage, (d) There is great economy of Twin Silos, 16x40 feet, in process of construction by Polk System. Built for W. T. Robinson, Harrodsburg, Ken- tucky. Scaffolding and superstructure is unnecessary in this System. "They are not built of pieces and they cannot go to pieces. ' ' THE POLK SYSTEM 19 storage room. Ten tons of silage occupies the same space that one ton of hay does. (e). The food supply is constant. With the right kind of a silo there is no fear of fire, flood, drouth, lightning nor wind. A careful reading and a brief review of the foregoing will con- vince you that the most extravagant farmer in the business to-day ir, the one who is trying to get along without a silo. Ask yourself if, in the coming days of closer competition, you can stand up against your progressive neighbor who is producing the same goods that you produce at one-half of your cost of production. Be one of those progressive neigh- bors yourself and let the other fellows wonder where you get the money to keep your farm so well stocked and equipped, and your buildings in such good shape. Let him wonder how you can afford to pay cash for your fine touring car. As any business grows and iu- tensifies, as competition becomes fiercer, there is al- ways a struggle for a de- decreased cost of production and the man who solves the problem first is the man who makes the money. The silo solves the problem for the man who feeds stock. C. A. Baber's Monolithic Silo, LaFox, Illinois. Diam- eter 18 feet, height 45 feet. Polk System. W. H. Warford, Geneva, Illinois, Contractor. "They ore not built of piece* and they cnnnot go to piece*." 20 t THE POLK SYSTEM ea 1 "x <u <u o ^- ^ NoOfMOTCDO^KD^fs, u .cCX W ' fli N V IN c (D L"' j 5 1 |1 SS^SSSodSS CD .0 1 V- O O) 'J5 (ti 1* So HH Q 0) "DO v , i J2 i C c * ' ' . : ; (ft 1! ooi ' io- T* * oi *- J-H w ^ (A .<B "5 C - I *C < ^ (P O5OCT)tOON>OOOO +* 4-- >> o OOOKDIOOJOUD' <^ 3 ^ u . CNCNOJCNrOCMCNCNCN z 1 oj ^ D. I < In Q 0) TOD co IN Q D T3 KO I 0) to) S r* nJ ttf ^ 5 ^ c ^2 ^ 0) ID tn "^ "5 3 DQ t/3 a C C 5* w a "CD "^ ^ v o ^ S >> > I .S oo Q fc E > P > S ^ -o 11* - s s s 73^:^ co a- ^ g ^^i-c^f^g^l^^ OCC;CO<OOCOCQO "They are not built of pieces and they cannot go to pieces. THE POLK SYSTEM 21 USEFUL TABLE 2 Showing Acreage Required to Fill Silos and Amounts to Feed ! Inside Height Diameter p e |t Feet Acres to Fill 12 Tons per Acre Average Amount that should be Fed Daily Head Dairy Cattle Will Feed 180 Days 40 Ibs. per day Head Beef Cattle Will Feed 180 Days 25 Ibs. per day 10 28 3.56 525 12 19 10 30 3.92 525 13 21 10 32 4.25 525 14 23 10 34 4.66 525 15 25 10 38 5.42 525 18 29 10 40 5.83 525 19 31 12 28 5.08 755 17 27 12 30 5.58 755 19 29 12 32 6.17 755 21 33 12 34 6.66 755 22 35 12 36 7.25 755 24 38 . 12 38 7.83 755 26 41 12 40 8.41 755 28 44 14 28 6.91 1030 23 37 14 30 7.58 1030 25 40 14 32 8.25 1030 28 44 14 34 9.08 1030 30 48 14 36 9.83 1030 33 52 14 38 10.66 1030 36 56 14 40 11.5 1030 38 61 16 28 9. 1340 30 48 16 30 9.91 1340 33 52 16 32 10.91 1340 36 58 16 34 11.91 1340 40 63 16 36 12.91 1340 43 68 16 38 13.91 1340 46 73 16 40 15. 1340 50 79 18 30 11.58 1700 42 66 18 34 15.08 1700 50 80 18 38 17.66 1700 59 93 18 40 19.08 1700 64 101 18 42 20.5 1700 68 108 18 46 23.5 1700 78 125 20 30 15.58 2100 52 82 20 34 18.66 2100 62 98 20 40 23.41 2100 78 124 20 44 26.66 2100 89 140 20 48 30.08 2100 100 159 20 50 31.83 2100 106 169 "They are not built of pieces and they cannot go to pieces. ' ' Flashlight photo of 1 12 head of "feeders. ' ' Low overhead loft prevented good picture. "Da they l-.ke ensilage?' ' THE POLK SYSTEM 23 Concrete in Silo Construction THE REQUIREMENTS OF A GOOD SILO HPHE man who has owned the wrong kind of a silo generally knows 1 more about the requirements of a good one than anybody else does. Our broad experience in the silo business, our acquaint- ance with hundreds of users of silos, and our careful research in the results of experiments in the best agricultural schools in the land have put us in a position to know what the qualities of a good silo are. The Silo makes six cardinal demands before it allows the adjective "GOOD" to be coupled with it. I. THE GOOD SILO MUST BE DURABLE AND PERMANENT. A temporary silo has only one thingto recommend it it demonstrates the value of feeding silage. Otherwise it is a poor investment. Rap- id depreciation of value is one thing the seller of any kind of a non-permanent silo says nothing about. Since there are silos that last forever, no silo is good that does not. II. THE GOOD SILO MUST BE FREE FROM THE NEED OF REP AIRS. This is merely corollary to the first requirement. Anything that is truly permanent never needs repairs. Any farmer knows how much bigger his bank balance would be if he never had to spend anything for "repairs" on his house, his barn, his thresher, his binder, his mower, and his other implements. Just think of own- ing one thing on the farm that never calls for repairs! III. THE GOOD SILO MUST BE FIREPROOF. Insurance with ex- tra high rates is the bug-a-boo of the American farmer. The farm building that gets on fire generally burns down. Of course the insurance companies have to protect themselves by making their rates higher. A silo that contains six months or more valuable food supply that is absolutely safe from the fire demon certainly deserves the honor of being called good. IV. THE GOOD SILO MUST BE AIR-TIGHT AND WATER-TIGHT. Si- los that allow air or water freely to pass through them are value- "They are not built of pieces and they cannot go to pieces. ' ' 24 THE POLK SYSTEM less. If the air gets in, the silage molds and the cattle refuse to eat it. There is enough air for fermentation left in when the silo is filled. Any silo whose material expands or shrinks with heat or cold, wet or dry weather can not keep from developing air and water leaks. Silage that be- comes dry quickly spoils. V. THE GOOD SILO MUST BE SMOOTH ON THE INSIDE. Si- lage must be packed tight in order to exclude air. Rough sides, edges, corners and other obstructions to the free set- tling of silage cause imperfect packing and ruin your valuable food. VI. THE SILO MUST BE VER- MIN PROOF. If the rats can get into your silo they will do ^so. Build out of something that the rats can not gnaw through. The rat is the fore- runner of too much air and consequently damaged ensilage. CONCRETE THE PERFECT MATERIAL FOR THE SILO Recall the foregoing require- ments of a good silo. Read this sentence with them in mind. The monolithic concrete silo is durable, never needs repair, is absolutely fireproof, is air-tight and water-tight, is smooth on the inside and defies the ravages of all vermin. The concrete silo will never warp, rot, crack, burn, leak, blow over, nor waste away. It will never al- low your silage to spoil by freezing, WILL NEVER COST YOU ONE CENT FOR REPAIRS, and will make you quit worrying about fire. Not a single good argument has ever been brought against a prop- erly built concrete silo. No man who has owned one has ever con- sidered the erection of any other kind afterward. There is one false objection that is sometimes raised: It is said Twin Silos, diameter 16 feet, height 60 feet, near- ing completion. Built by Polk System on Peter Emge farm, Fort Branch, Indiana. "They are not built of piece*, and they cannot go to piece*. ' ' THE POLK SYSTEM 25 that the cost is too great. We wish to meet this objection square- ly in the face by saying that the monolithic concrete silo is the cheapest silo that can be built. In the first place there is only one cost to the monolithic concrete silo, and that is the first one. When you have paid that, there is nothing more to go out for repairs or a new silo. A nonpermanent silo is a constant foe to a bank balance; you are never through paying for it until it has burned up, fallen down, or been thrown away. Any article costs as much as you spend for it and on it plus 100 per cent, when you have to re- place it. The mono- lithic concrete silo never costs but once, and there is absolutely no depreciation in val- ue. For it, total cost and first cost are one and the same thing. If you build a permanent silo the satisfaction of having been wise and far-sighted will re- main long after you have forgotten the price you paid. We do not advise the building of a roof because, with our con- crete silo the roof is not necessary for the preservation of ensilage, except in extremely cold climates. Moreover the elements have no damaging effect on the interior of our silo a claim which other types of construction can not make. We have seen less 18 x 45 feet Silo under construction. P. A. Quanstrong, Genoa, Illinois, Contractor. Polk System. "They are not built of pieces and they cannot go to piece*. ' ' 26 THE POLK SYSTEM damaged ensilage in silos without roofs than we have where roofs have been used. Especially where the corn has been put up a little dry the rains will keep it moistened so that there will be no danger of it drying and spoiling. However we are well equipped for building concrete roofs and have an excellent proposition for the man who wishes a good everlasting water tank on his silo. "They are not built of piece* and they cannot so to pieces. THE POLK SYSTEM 27 Floor Line of Tank Two monolithic concrete silos, built by the PoIk-Genung-PolU Company, right hand silo has a water supply tank 4 feet in depth on top. The silos are 16 feet in diameter by 45 feet in height. The The above illustration shows twin silos built by the Polk System. These structures are 16 by 45 feet, the upper four feet of the one on the right being given to a concrete water tank. This shows one of the excellent possibilities of our machine. Here is the stand for a tank of sufficient height to give good pressure a stand that would otherwise be a great cost given to you absolutely free of cost when you pay for your silo. WE HONESTLY CONSIDER THIS THE BEST OFFER WE ARE MAKING TO THE AMERICAN FARMER TO- DAY. "They are not built of pieces and they cannot go to pieces. THE POLK SYSTEM 29 Handling Ensilage to the Best Advantage NO matter how excellent a silo one may have, it is necessary to use good judgment and great care in the handling of ensilage before one secures the best results. SIZE OF SILO. Strange to say, the first thing to consider in the handling of ensilage is the size of the silo. Two things will deter- mine the diameter of your silo the number of cattle you have and how many pounds per day you intend to give to each animal. The statement, that the diameter of a silo should be one-half of its height, has no basis in reason, but is made only by people that can not conveniently build them very high. The weight of a concrete silo makes it possible to disregard wind pressure so that height is not a drawback on this account. The tall silo is really much more economical of space. By reference to table No. 2, page 21, you can determine the size you will want. For instance, a 10 by 28 silo will feed 12 head of dairy cattle 40 pounds per day each for 180 days, or 19 head of beef cattle 25 pounds per day each for the same length of time. It will have a capacity of 43 tons, and will require 3^ acres of corn to fill. You will notice that the amount to be fed daily varies directly with the diameter. This is because silage must be fed in even layers of a thickness of about 2 inches deep each da^ during the winter season and slightly more in the summer time on account of increased fermentation. We have pre- pared this table at much expense and the greatest care, and we want it to be of value to you. TIME TO PUT UP SILAGE. Corn should be put up when it is at its prime when the ears are beginning to glaze and the indenta- tions are becoming well marked, and just after the husks are be- ginning to die. This takes place a short time after the roasting ear stage. Corn should be put into silage when the amount of nu- "They are not built of piece* and they cannot go to orece*. " 30 THE POLK SYSTEM trition in it is at its highest bafore that 40 per cent, of food mat- ter that is not in dry fodder has escaped. Frequently in catting up corn for fodder the farmer runs across patches that are too green. If, when the corn is shacked out, the grains are loose on the cob, the corn is too green for silage. It is better to put up si- lage too dry than too green, for green silage is always too sour, while a small stream of water thrown on corn a trifle dry will make good ensilage. PLACING SILAGE IN THE SILO. Put- ting the corn in the silo is perhaps the most important single step in making good ensilage. In fact most users of silos personally supervise this work or have perfectly trust- worthy men to do it for them. - Slip- shod work here means spoiled silage. The chopped fodder must be well packed in even layers of about two inches thickness. There must be no large bunches or ' 'knots" of it any- where, for these check regular set- tling, form cavities for air spaces, and consequently endanger the si- lage. It is a good idea to keep the silage slightly higher in the middle in filling, because the wall, be it ever so smooth, will have a tendency to retard the settling. An experienced silo man told us recently that he got excellent results from having his silage tramped a lit- tle around the edge each day for five or six days after it had been put in the silo. This, you see, overcomes wall friction and insures solid packing. How TO FEED SILAGE. Silage may be fed just as soon as the silo is filled. It is not necessary to wait a few days for the "cur- ing process" to set in; and in our Monolithic Concrete Silo it may be fed at any time after storing that you may wish. The average dairy cow will eat about 40 pounds a day. The silage should be kept Polk System Silo on George Fox farm, Sycamore, Illinois. Size, 16x40 feet. "They are not built of pieces and they cannot go to piece*. " THE POLK SYSTEM 31 at a level in the bin. This does not leave any part exposed to the air long enough to render it unsuitable for feed. The practice of dig- ging into ensilage and allowing it to remain exposed to the air for a day is bad practice. It deteriorates more rapidly from much ex- posure when the weather is warm. From one and one-half to two inches should be fed each day. Silage should not be fed in the room where the milking is done, nor should it be fed just before milking time. No more should be given than the cattle will eat up clean, because what is left around carelessly will fill the air with acid odor that is readily taken up by milk. The complaint, that milk will smell if silage is fed, is due entirely to careless and unsanitary handling, and never to an intrinsic fault of ensilage. ''They are not built of piece*, and they cannot go to piece*. ' ' il THE POLK SYSTEM 33 Our System IN the development of our machine we have kept two things in mind ease of ^Deration and the erection of an absolutely flaw- less structure. Neither pains nor expense has been spared to produce a machine that will enable you to put up as good a silo as our best workmen can erect. Our machine automatically keeps the walls plumb, it does away with an elaborate, complicated, risky system of scaffolding, it imposes no strain upon the section of wall already built, and it so unifies and simplifies the work that any intelligent man, after seeing one silo constructed, can easily erect the best silo on earth. As usual, the thing that makes all this possible is a very simple thing after all. So simple indeed is it, that you will wonder why other builders of concrete waste time, money and labor on costly dangerous scaffolding. The great unifying, simplifying principle in our machine is the use of a centermast. This centermast is erected in the center of the silo floor and is guyed to a perpendi- cular at the top by means of wires and turn buckles. It is a four inch pipe, provided with a series of transverse openings adapted to receive a key which supports a widely flanged collar, the latter serving to support jacks by which the forms are lifted. Resting upon the jacks is a hub, consisting of a flanged base collar and a top dished collar connected by a central pipe of sufficient bore to work easily over the centermast. On the base collar of the hub radiate T irons which are supported from the upper collar by tension bars. The T irons are rigidly clamped to the top edge of the inner and outer forms, which are made of sheet metal. Each form is composed of separable sections which have angle iron edges. The separable sections are connected by threaded studs which pass through alining apertures formed in the opposite angle irons. The outer forms are bolted together and the inner forms carry a wedge between each segment, the lifting of which will allow the forms to swing free. They are not built of pieces and they cannot go to piece*. ' ' 34 THE POLK SYSTEM Detachably connected to the outer forms is a series of stanch- ions provided with an inwardly directed overhanging- arm which has an aperture for receiving and retaining verticle reinforcing rods. These rods, as the building of the wall proceeds are twined about transversely by horizontal reinforcing. Polk System machine with two sections of forms removed showing interior, by patents in United States and Canada. Fully covered Both inner and outer scaffoldings is swung from the radiating T irons, as can be seen in the illustrations. For filling in between the forms a V shaped dumping bucket is provided. It is pivo tally supported by a crane above the hub so that it can readily be swung to any part of the wall space. The bucket is hoisted by means of a rope and series of pulleys so arranged that the hoisting force is applied horizontally from with- out the structure. A small opening is cut in wall at the bottom of the first setting of concrete through which the hoisting rope works. When the bucket is hoisted it is coupled to a carrier on the crane by the means of a hinged hook. "They are not built of pieces and they cannot go to pieces. ' ' THE POLK SYSTEM 35 The operation of the machine is simple. The forms are set, the reinforcing bars arranged, the concrete is mixed, hoisted, dumped packed between the forms, and allowed to set. On the next morn- ing the nuts connecting the separable sections of the forms are loosened and the forms swing free from the wall. Then by means of the jacks the whole mechanism is lifted until in a position for a new ''fill" when the forms are again tightened. The raising of the forms for a set of 3 feet, 10 inches does not require more than ten minutes work. It takes three men only fourteen days to build a 16 x40 silo, everything complete. This includes excavating, erecting, taking down and cleaning machine. 'Thy are not built of pieces and they cannot go to pieces. " 36 THE POLK SYSTEM The Polk Silo Doors THUS far in our discussion of silo construction, no mention has been made of doors, openings for which must be left in the walls. The cut below is an outside view of our door closed and sealed. The openings which receive the doors are 20x30 inches. They are usually spaced 30 inches apart but the number and location of Polk System Silo Door doors are optional with the builders. We have chosen the oval shape in order to avoid sharp angles which invariably cause air cracks both in the jamb and in closing the doors when filling. We use a sheet steel door form, set between the shells of the ma- chine as the work progresses. This form molds a concrete jamb one inch wide and one-half inch in depth from the inner surface "They are not built of pieces and they cannot go to pieces. THE POLK SYSTEM 37 of the wall. Owing to the shape and draft of this form the jamb is left in perfect condition for sealing- the door when the form is removed. Immediately after the machine has passed the opening the form is removed, leaving the opening in perfect shape. The door itself is made of heavily galvanized No. 12 gage sheet steel cut to fit snugly in the concrete jamb made by the form, flush with the inner wall and bent to the radius of the silo. On the out- side of the door are fastened four malleable clips in which hook bolts engage and make a flexible fastening. Across the opening on the outside of the silo wooden bars are placed, through which these bolts pass. The desired stress is obtained by malleable tail nuts. This combination gives you a LIGHT, DURABLE DOOR that is air-tight. In sealing the door, a thin gasket of moist clay is smeared around the inner surface of the jamb; the door is then set in place and drawn tight by turning the tail nuts by hand. When the silage is fed down past the doors, they are replaced in the openings and it is necessary when refilling the silo only to smear the mud gasket back of the door and draw it tight. It is then always in the place in which it is going to be used. Can you conceive of a simplier operation that will solve the silo door problem? The door is closed quickly, easily, lightly and se- carely year in and year out without any trouble and expenses other than that bit of clay. It fits as well and tight on the 10th or 20th year as it does on the first. It is the IDEAL DOOR for the IDEAL SILO. "They are not buitt of piece* and they 38 THE POLK SYSTEM Capacity of Round Silos in Tons Height in Feet Inside Diameter of Silo in Feet 10 Feet 12 Feet 14 Feet 16 Feet 18 Feet 20 Feet 20 25 3? 50 . 67 83 102 21 28 41 54 71 89 109 22 30 43 58 76 96 118 23 31 47 62 80 103 126 24 34 49 67 85 110 134 25 36 52 71 91 116 143 26 39 56 75 97 123 159, 27 40 58 79 102 130 160 28 43 61 83 103 137 169 29 45 64 . 87 . 114 144 178 30 ' 47 67 91 119 151 187 31 49 70 96 124 158 196 32 51 74 100 131 163 205 33 54 77 105 136 174 215 34 56 80 109 143 181 224 35 58 84 11.4 149 189 234 36 61 87 118 155 195 243 37 63 91 123 161 204 259. 38 65 94 128 157 i 212 262 39 68 97 133 173 220 272 40 70 101 138 180 229 231 41 72 105 143 187 233 291 42 74 109 148 193 243 300 43 77 113 154 9.J] 252 310 44 79 1 17 159 2J7 231 320 45 82 121 165 215 239 330 46 85 126 170 223 2tt 340 47 88 131 176 229 235 350 48 91 136 182 236 293 361 49 94 142 183 243 301 371 50 98 148- 195 250 311 382 "They are not built of piece* , and they cannot go to piece*. ' ' THE POLK SYSTEM 39 FACTS NOT FANCIES wood silo is a good thing; so is a board walk while it lasts. ^|The practical silo is the high silo; better ensilage, more capacity, cheaper per ton capacity. <IThe Polk System concrete silo can be built as easily high as low. We are bulding sixty feet high, and predict even higher silo building. tJThe Polk System monolithic silo lasts so much longer that it is cheaper than a wood silo would be as a gift. "They are not built of piece* and they cnnnot go to pieces*" Testimonials In compiling this booklet our object has been, not the produc- tion of a literary selection, but a thorough, concise and honest exposition of the monolithic silo and our system of building it. Our aim has been plain straight forward facts, which we take pleasure in endorsing. We know, of course, just what the Polk System is, and what it will do, and we back all our statements concerning it, with all the facts and figures that the reputation and reliability of our company guarantee. Of course we may be prejudiced so we wish to conclude our booklet with the opinions of just a few of our well pleased customers, whose reliability we gladly vouch for. Lack of space precludes the possibility of a long list, so we have chosen a few representative endorsements that sub- stantiate our position. THE POLK SYSTEM 41 610. A. FOX 1 ^i & bet f4 for all llv.rtock. A Concrrt* BUo wlU EndUga perfectly. WlU Hot BUHN, BLOW DOWM, OB ?T NO ADJUSTING HOOPS. Cb.pt Of AU la The End. OZT OVB FBICES. mtorete . BUILDERS OF RE-IN FORCED CONCRETE SILOS 421 DlKALB Avi. SYCA , 12/7A1 Polk, Genung, Polk Co. , Fort Branch, Ind. Gentlemen: Replying, to your favor of Dec* 4th. we beg to advise that the Polk System Silo Machine which we bought of your company has given us splendid satis- faction. We built ten silos with It this season and they are a fine lot, not one of them showing any defects whatever, and every one of our customers are well pleased with our work. The machine is substan- tial and apparently as good AS new. Further beg to advise the silos you put up a year ago as well as the one you put up two years ago in this vicinity are giving fine satisfaction and are keeping ensilage as well, if not better than any of the other silos in this vicinity. We know Uenolithic Concrete Silos are all right and are more than pleased with our Polk System Machine. Respectfully, FOX-TIBBITS COMCRifiTE SILO CO. "They are not built of piece* and they cannot go to piece*. " 42 THE POLK SYSTEM Genoa, Illinois* October 12th. 1911 Polk, Genung, Polk Co., Port Branch, Ind., Q^entlemen:- The cement silo you built for me last year we filled during the month of Sept. 1910. On December 1st. we commenced feeding forty head of steers after removing the cover from the silage which consisted of cut straw with a bushel of oats scattered over the top. The oats sprouted and grew to form a sod. After removing the straw we found only about two incheo of silage spoiled. All the rest of the whole surface was in perfect condition and cattle ate it with great relish. We continued to feed silage with a ration of corn and cotton seed meal until May. I will say that we never secured as rapid and cheap gains on dry feed. We thought so well of the cement silo that we engaged your local Agents here Messrs. Pox & Tibbits to build us another this season of the same dimen- sions 16* x 40'. You can rest assured that the CEMENT ,SILO is all you claim for it. Yours respectfully, "They are not built of pieces and they THE POLK SYSTEM 43 W. H. WARFORD TELEPHONE CONTRACTOR ""c'EK' GENEVA GRAIN STORAGE. ,201 Usin* The Polk System Of STAN DOPE'S G S^O. HE-ENFORCED CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION ANDJBSTANOUUA! ALSO ALL KINDS OF GENERAL CEMENT WORK Geneva, Illinois Nov. 29. 1911. Polk ,Geriug, Polk Co., Port Branch, Ind. Dear Slrs:- Replying to your letter of 28th inst. relative to the Buocese and operating expenses of your system, I an glad to state that I have been successful far beyond expectations, my machines having been busy from the start until too cold to do more work. My expenses for a year's work has not been a cent on the machine proper except for a few cheap bolts to replace those worn out and it is in first class condition, ready to do another year's work. After having had a years experience with your system I would not trade for anything I have seen yet. Yours truly "They are not built of pieces and they cannot go to piece*. ' ' 44 THE POLK SYSTEM CHAUNCKY W. BROUOHTOI* OARCTON ILL., P.O. MoOiRH, It,t. January 10, 1910. Polk, Genung, Polk Co., Fort Branch, Indiana. Dear Sirs: 1H regard to the cement silo that you built for me will say that I am well satisfied with it and think it is all right in every respect, hut I have not as yet opened it so I cannot say as to the condition of the ensilage. Just as soon as I open the silo I will write you. again but I have not the slightest doubt but that it is all. right. Yours very truly, "Th*y arm not built of piece* and they cannot go to oiecm*. ' ' THE POLK SYSTM,. Seward, 111. f Dec. 5, 1911. Polk, Genung, Polk Co., Ft. Branch, Ind. Gentlemen: Have had a very successful year with yv>ur silo machine. Built six without any expense as to repairs, and don't look as if there was much wear on the machine. *t Everyone that I built for was well pleased and thought it was a great labor saver. Yours truly, "They arm not built of piece* and they cannot go to piece*." POLK SYSTEM STATE OF ILLINOIS. 7 NORTH LAKE STREET AURORA, ILLINOIS J P MASON PRESIDENT t to >N A N ABBOTT VICE PBES.OENT MORR.SON FRANK H HAIL. SUPERINTENDENT H A M C KEENE SECRETARY F I MANN. AUDITOR January 2, 1910. TO WHOM IT MAY COHCERJJ: In the spring of 1909, the Polk, Genung, Polk Co. of Port Branch, Indiana, built for me a reinforced concrete silo, 1 ft. by 40 ft. The structure seems to be perfect in every respect, and the men who built it, so far as I can Judge from my dealings with them, are courteous, competent, reliable business men. They know their business and promptly do as they agree. They are not built of piece*, and they cannot go to piece*. THE POLK SYSTEM LKWIS McNUTT -*-, MWBR HII'K j^jjfg^^ IXI>KPK.XI>*NTWO. B u9uirrti WALNUT rr. BRAZIL. IN l>.. August 10, 1909. Messrs. Polk, Genung, Polk Co., Fort Branch, Indiana. Gentlemen: Let me commend you for the workmanship and the square dealing on the silo that you built for me, 14/40 ft. it ex- ceeded my expectations. I could not realize that a silo that tall could be built perfectly 'Straight both in the radius and the perpendicular, and the manner in which it ie re- enforced I think it is impossible for it to ever give way in any particular, I do- not know when I have had anything done that gave me as little anxiety and trouble as this job did. Everything, went along smoothly; the contract was carried out to the letter and settlement made without the least hitch. I do not believe I could consent to have it removed for considerable more than t cost me. I also want to speak a word for the gentlemen that did the work, for they were everything that the word gentleman means. With kindest regards, I am, respectfully, "They are not built of pieces and they cannot go to piece*. " 48 THE POLK SYSTEM R e m e m b e r 1 That the Polk System mono- lithic silo lasts forever. 2 That "they are not built of pieces and they can not go to pieces/' 3 That there are no bands or any wires to adjust and re-ad- just. 4 That they are rat proof. 5 That they are "insurance agent proof." 6 That the wind has never yet blown strong enough to blow one down. 7 That high silos are the prac- ticable silos and easy, high con- struction is the Polk System's "long suit." "They are not built of piece*, and they cannot go to piece*. ' ' 272656 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY