Space does not permit us to go fully into the construction of a concrete silo and we can only give the requirements for a good silo, and show how concrete fills them all.
Silos must be air-tight. The admission of air causes the fodder to mould, and the stock will not eat it.
Air cannot leak through a concrete silo.
Silos must be water-tight. If they are not, the juices, so necessary to keep the fodder green, will leak out, and the fodder spoils.
Concrete, properly mixed, is water-tight.
Silos must be smooth on the inside. A silo with a rough inside surface, catches the cornstalks, and prevents proper packing.
Concrete can be made so smooth that many firms building silos of other materials finish the inside with a coat of cement and sand.
The fodder lasts better if kept at an even temperature. Concrete does not conduct heat or cold. It keeps the heat in the fodder in winter, and keeps the heat out of the fodder in summer. Nature provides the fodder with the proper amount of heat to preserve it perfectly.
Rats nesting in the silage ruin it.