The Somerset reporter., 1906-10-11
DURABLE FENCE POSTS.
Good Points That Are Claimed For
Re-enforced Cement.

Re-enforced Cement.
There Is constantly increasing de-
mand for some form of fence post
which is not subject to decay. The life
of wooden posts Is very limited, and
the scarcity of suitable timber in many
localities has made 1t imperative to
find Il substitute. A fence post TO prove
thoroughly satisfactory must fulfill
three conditions: First, II must be OBJ
tainable at a reasonable cost: second,
1t must possess sufficient strength to
meet the demands of general farm use;
third, IL must not be subject to decay
and must be able to Withstand success
fully the effects of water, frost and
fire. Although iron posts of various
designs are frequently used for orna-
mental purposes, their adoption for
general farm use Ia prohibited by their
excessive cost Then, too, iron posts
exposed to the weather are subject to
corrosion, to prevent which they should
be repalnted from time to time, and
this item will entail considerable ex-
pense In cases where large number Of
posts are to be used.
At the present time the material
which seems most nearly to meet these
requirements Is REINFORCED concrete.
The idea Of constructing fence posts
of concrete REINFORCED with iron or
steel Is by no means new one, but on
the contrary such posts have been ex-
perimented with for years, and a great
number of patents have been issued
covering many of the possible forms Of
reinforcement II Is frequently stated
that q REINFORCED concrete post can be
made and put In the ground for the
same price as a wooden post. OF
course this will depend In any locality
upon the relative value of wood and
the various materials which go to make
up the concrete post, but In the great
majority Of cases wood will prove the
cheaper material In regard to first cost
On the other hand, a concrete post will
last indefinitely, Its strength increasing
with age, whereas the wooden post
must be replaced at short intervals
probably making 1t more expensive in
the long run.
In regard to strength, 1t must be
borne In mind that 1t is not practical
BILE to make concrete fence posts as
strong as wooden posts of the same
size, but since wooden posts, as rule,
are many times stronger than Is neces-
sary this difference In strength should
not condemn the use of REINFORCED
concrete for this purpose. Moreover,
strength In many cases Is of little i'm
portance, the fence being used only as
q dividing line, and In such cases small
concrete posts provide ample strength
and present a very uniform and neat
appearance. In any case, to enable
concrete posts to withstand the loads
they are called upon to carry sufficient
strength may be secured by means
Of reinforcement, and where great
strength Is required this may be OBJ
tained by using a larger post with a
greater proportion of metal and well
braced, as is usual IN such cases. In
point of durability concrete is unsur-
passed by any material Of construe-
ton. 1t offers perfect protection to
the metal reinforcement and Is not
itself affected by exposure, 30 that a
post constructed of concrete re-enforc-
ed with steel will last indefinitely and
require no attention In the way of re-
pairs.-Farmer's Bulletin.