What is a silo? Usually this word is associated with agriculture. And this is the correct idea. However, there this concept has not one but two interpretations. In addition, the studied object is used in other areas. More details about the meaning of the word "silo" will be described in the article.
In agriculture
What is silage in agriculture? As already mentioned, in this area of human activity there are two different interpretations of this token.
- Firstly, it is a succulent feed intended for livestock, which is obtained by fermentation of fodder plants. This is done in special structures, such as pits, trenches, towers.
- Secondly, it is a storage for these feeds, which is often underground or in the form of a tower. In addition, a warehouse for the storage of other bulk materials may also be called that.
It will be further examined in more detail what silo is in each of the two cases mentioned.
Juicy food
This is a plant-based feed that contains approximately 70-90% water. One of its types is silo. It is obtained by fermentation, or silage. Silage is the process of preservation, which is carried out without access of air. This is the most common procurement method.
As a rule, a shredded green mass of such herbaceous plants is taken that is suitable for feeding birds and animals. Use, for example, vegetable tops, corn, sunflower, non-toxic weeds. In addition, industrial waste, such as pulp, pulp, and bard, also goes into business.
Silo is very nutritious, contains vitamin C, carotene, organic acids. It improves digestion, promoting the absorption of roughage. Suitable for all birds and herbivores.
Silo as a warehouse
Usually silos are used along with pits and trenches to store silos. It may also contain unprocessed grain, granules, animal feed, sand, cement. Silos are necessary in order to protect the materials stored in them from the effects of water, air, and freezing.
At the silo, the roof and the base are impervious to moisture, as well as resistant to heat and to the chemical effects of acids produced by the silo. The main building materials are brick, stone, concrete, reinforced concrete, metal. The capacity of the tower varies between 75-300 tons.
Smoking is strictly prohibited in the silo, as well as burning something. This is due to the fact that the silo releases methane, which forms an explosive mixture with air.
The origin of the word "silo"
At first glance, it may seem that it is primordially Russian. After all, the words that are associated with agricultural work, as a rule, are the most ancient in the language, as is the activity itself. But, it turns out, the lexeme being studied is not so ancient for Russian literature.
According to lexicographer I. A. Korolenko, the word "silo" is borrowed from the Spanish language. There is a noun silos. This is the plural of silo. The latter means “deep, dark, underground room”, or a hole for storing grain. It has its roots in the Greek language, where the noun σιρός is found, which is translated as “measure of volume” or “pit for storing grain”.
In Russian, in dictionaries, “silo” is seen at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century, and in the Russian-language press - from 1876.
Next, other values of “silo” will be considered.
Lake name
In the Leningrad region, in the Tikhvin region, there is Lake Silos. It is located at a distance of about 203 km from the city of St. Petersburg, if you go towards the east. Its coordinates are 60 degrees north latitude, 34 degrees east longitude.
This place is very picturesque. The lake is surrounded by pine forests mixed with spruce, alder, birch and aspen. It is a hilly plain, which in the south passes into a gentle, swampy in many places. To the west is a swamp massif called Clean Moss, and to the south is the Zamkhovskoy swamp.
About 88 species of birds live on and around the lake. The most common of them are ducks, especially mallards, and lake gulls. The society of hunters and fishermen organizes hunting and fishing here.
In conclusion, studying the question of what silo is, one more interpretation of this word will be considered.
The name of the camp
Silo is a camp near Sarajevo, which was organized by an army of Bosnian Muslims. It was intended for Serbs and Croats. It functioned from 05/11/1992 - 01/27/1996 and was located in the village of Tarchin.
In total, there were more than 600 people in this camp. As prisoners recalled, 11 of them were prisoners of war, and most of the remaining were civil Serbs. In addition, there were members of the Croatian Defense Forces, who refused to participate in the killing of Serbs.
The soldiers from the Bosnian Muslim army used prisoners as labor in the construction of military fortifications and digging trenches. They were subjected to bullying and torture. While in the camp, there were 20 dead Serbs.
It was closed after the Dayton agreement was signed. In 2012, the trial of eight accused of crimes committed against prisoners in Silos began. In July 2018, they were found guilty and sentenced to various terms of imprisonment.