Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1909-11-24

FIG. IA WE'LL DRACED CORNER POST.
with two or three barbed wires on top.
This makes fence that will turn any
kind of stock from pigs to horses
There is little danger of horse get
ting into such fence and getting cut.
Where much stock is kept it will pay
to have the entire farm fenced with
this or some other kind of fence that
is hog or sheep tight. 1t is not a ques-
ton of whether you can afford it or
not; it is a question of whether you
can afford not to do it. 1t will prob
ably not be possible to fence all the
farm in one year. but the work should
be done as rapidly as possible. The
extra feed the hogs and sheep will
pick up will pay the entire cost of fenc-
ing in very few years.
Cement Posts.
The first part of the fence to be put
up is the posts. The time for putting
up cheap posts that will rot out and
need renewal in three or four years is
past There are two ways of secur-
ing lasting posts-making them of &C.
ment and treating wooden posts with
creosote. Cement posts are not hard
to make The first step is to make
wooden mold of the proper size. About
six inches square at the bottom. taper
ing to four at the top, is very good
size. Three cornered strips should be
placed in the bottom of the mOldS to
make the corners of the posts rounded
A number of molds can be built side
by side, so that several posts can be
made at once The best mixture for
cement posts is one part portland ce-
ment. two and One-half parts clean.
sharp sand and five parts gravel. The
sand and cement should be mixed dry.
Then add water and mix to a thick
mortar. After this is we'll mixed
spread it out in a thin layer and spread
the required amount of gravel over it.
Mix the whole mass we'll by shOveling
over several times.
The inside of the molds should be
creased with soft soap to keep the
cement from sticking. Spread about
one and one-half inches of concrete
over the bottom and lamp it we'll
Near each corner lay a steel wire
lengthWise of the post. These re-en
forcing wires should be fairly heavy
but will not need to be galvanized, a:
the concrete will keep them from rust
ing. They should be Topped at TIT
end to prevent slipping. Now adj
concrete up to within an inch of tn
\ top Of the mold. lamp again and pu
in two more reinforcing wires. FIJI
the mold to the top, lamp and roun
off the upper corners. Long staple
with the points bent little to kee
them from pulling out should he stuc
into the cement at the places wher
the wires are to be fastened. Afte
the posts are set the wires can b
fastened to these staples by a sma
piece of soft wire twisted throug
them.
After the cement has partially Sc
it should be covered with sand
keep it from drying out too rapid.
The posts should be sprinkled at leas
once day for a week. when they ma
De TAKEN IroLH tHe lnoiuS anu StoIe
away in moist sand to cure. 1t take
sixty days for a cement post to Gull
properly. and it should not be set b
fore that time. In the meantime tt
sand should be kept moist by occ
siona sprinklings. The cost of m
terial for cement posts the size me-
toned and seven feet long is n
more than % cents a post, not coun
ing the labor When once in pla'
they will last practically forever.
The method of treating wooden fenc