The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-09-06
GREAT DAY AT
 MAPLESVILLE Three Thousand People
 at Barbecue. MANY PROMINENT SPEAKERS Practical Demonstration of Creosot-
 ing Pine Posts. Commissioner wiII<inson and His Corps of Experts Assist in En-
 tertaining the Thousands
MANY PROMINENT SPEAKERS
BY WILL T.. STEPHAN.

Maplesville, Sept. 5.-(Special Cor respondence. e.)-Maplesville had today the greatest gathering in its history. Blob, Dallas. Chiffon. Perry and Au- tauga Counties gave their people for the day to make one of the greatest farmers holidays that the State has had in recent years.
 To Commissioner J. A. Wilkinson right hearty greeting. The Commits sioner in the years of his service may not again be vouchsafed such an audience. More than 5000 people as- sembled at the Map1esviiie barbecue grounds. The town was covered with buggies and wagons. Every train that pulled in was crowded to the win- dows and every train that went out, went out with young men hanging to the steps.
 The people of Maplesville did their full duty. They not only prepared the barbecue. with all It's attendant ex- penses, and widely advertised it throughout Middle Alabama, but to show their good faith. every merchant closed his store that he might help entertain the great influx of visitors. Maplesvilie did not propose to make money off its guests That was not the purpose of the day. So that clerks and bosses might help make the day the success that 1t was, all store doors were closed and the townpeople min. gled with their guests at the grounds.
 Core Of Interest.
 The core of the days interest was the demonstration by c. l.. Hill, an expert from the National Department of Forestry, of the easy methods where by old field pine could be so preserved with creosote that they would last twenty years instead of twelve months Mr. Hills demonstration of creosoting was complete success, 1t was shown that the pine posts could be given an application of creosote which would prolong their lives nineteen years and at cost of 10 cents a pole.
 Mir. Hill was brought to Alabama through the efforts of Commissioner Wilkinson and after the Maplesville- engagement had been made for the. demonstration. Mir. Wilkinson deter mined that the day should be made so big that 1t would be long remembered by the farmers who would Ro to Maplesville to see the work with the old field pines. Hot got J. l.. Burgess, the soil and cotton expert, who went over the Sixth District and so the far msrs heard today a splendid lecture on seed selection and soil adaptabiIity. Prof B. B. Ross of the Alabama Poly technic Institute, contributed to the days importance by @ splendid lecture on fertilizers and their suitability for certain types of soil. Commissioner Wilkinson himself delivered an in- structive talk and Senator Herbert Reynolds and State Treasurer Walter SD. Seed, entertained their fellow citi- gems with addresses on topics of the day. So no just complaint could be made of lack of Instruction and ora tory.
 To aid Commissioner Wilkinson and Mir. Hill, Judge W. F. Wilkinson and c. H. Billinsley of the Department of Agriculture, went to Maplesville and lent willing hand. And the day was so big there was work for all hands. As Commissioner Wilkinson said, 'Tt was the greatest barbecue occasion I ever saw"
 The days pleasure and profit was due largely to the industrious efforts of local committees headed by Messrs. T. U. Crumpton, R. H. Martain and c. N. Parnell. They superintended the multitudinous details that resulted in the excellent barbecue.
 CreOsOting Demonstration.
 For his demonstration, Mir. Hill had established a temporary creosoting plant at the Martin mill, a short quar- ter of a mile from the barbecue grounds. To this spot the crowd ed- died throughout the day. The interest manifested in the work of creosoting pine posts was astonishing even to those who were responsible for the Maplesville demonstration.
 The apparatus consisted of an iron tank in which the first application of creosote was boiled and a square tank filled with cold creosote. A large number of posts of old field or lob Jolly pines had been gathered and piled near the apparatus. The rapid ity with which such posts rot when put in the ground has become pro verbal.
 The posts were first put in boiling creosote in the tank and given hot application for two and a half feet from the bottom. This drove the air and moisture out of the posts not only in the two and @ half feet covered by the creosote, but through the entire length of the post. They were kept in the tank for an hour. but MT. Hill found that old field pine was wonder fully absorbent. the most absorbent wood with which he has ever had to do. The posts were then taken out and placed in the vot of cold creosote, where they were kept for two hours, aid where, through the open pores of the wood they absorbed the preserving creosote clear to the center.
 In explaining the process to the crowd Mir. Hill said that all decay was caused by fungi. and that the cre- osote killed all fungi germs and pro- tected in every way the post from the evil effects of dampness.
 To his surprise the Washington man found that old field pines were so absorbent that they could be creosoted by allowing them to remain in cold creosote for twelve hours. He had never seen any other wood which could be so creosoted.
 He explained to his hearers, that a small plant effective enough for a farm or a small copmunity could be made at a cost of $50. Any large farm ket- tie, such as syrup is boiled fin, would be suitable for the work. An old smoke stack could be cut in tow and a bottom put In. In this the creosote could be boiled and an application made to the posts of which millions in Ala bama were considered vaIueless because they routed so easily. If 1t was thought safe to use the cold creosote method, | any vat or receptacle long enough to