Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-03-04
FENCE POSTS OF CEMENT
Necessary Form, Dimensions.
Re-Enforcements and Cost
How to Make Concrete.
BY FRED R. CRANE.

Concrete is one Of the most useful
and economic materials placed in the
hands Of the farmer the past decade
He can make his own fence posts
The greatest strain upou ......
comes at right angles to the fence and
not longitudnally with it, hence the
post should be provided with its great
est power of resistance at right angles
to the fence.
The fence post which is ex6 inches
at the base and Axe inches at the tor
should be REINFORCED three fourths o!
an inch from each corner with No
9 steel wire. Sometimes a quarter.
inch square rod twisted is used Thi.
is stronger but is more expensive.
cubic yard of concrete will make six.
teen Of these posts.
This post is strong enough AMI W.
can reduce the amount of concrete BY
making the post hollow in the center
the cavity three inches in diameter al
the bottom and two inches in diametei
at the top, and putting an inch face
on each corner. Chipping off the fou,
corners saves material and makes very
little difference in the strength. Twen.
ty-one such posts can be made from
cubic yard Of concrete.
The material used in making the
hollow posts will cost about 80 cents
per post when using the 1-2-4 mixture
as recommended These figures allow
Sl.75 per cubic yard for crushed rock
$l.5o for sand. 50 per barrel for Porto
land cement and s cents per post for
| reinforcement Of No 9 steel wire
Most of the methods of fastening
wire to concrete posts are more or lesS
unsatisfactory. To wire around thu
post is troublesome and requires con-y
siderable extra wire; wire staples rusi
or and break in time; the casting with
an enlarged head and expanded steel
staple spring which holds the wire is
fairly satisfactory but expensive. A
| slotted opening to the hollow center OF
the post allows the easy use Of spring
steel staples for fastening the wire.
Good Portland cement is finely
ground and uniform in color: yellow
streaks in it denote an UNDERWRITING
The sand should be sharp and not toe
fine, and free from, dirt and organic
matter. For the best results use dry
sand, and if necessary dry it out be-
fore using, because cement when ap-
piled to wet sand takes up tbs
moisture quickly, forming little balls
and causing weakness in the finished.
concrete.
Crushed rock is used largely In
making concrete The screen!ngs
should be separated from the crushed
rock before mixing to guard agains
/ pockets and irregular proportions ane
the cement should be first mixed witt
the screenings, adding the stone after.
ward. Wet the stone a few hours be.
] fore using, because dry stone will tr.ks
moisture too rapidly for the cemen'
mortar.
Gravel makes a coed concrete wheI
it is clean and has one part of sand tt:
two parts of rock The large stones.
should be discarded or crushed before
using. The gravel should be tested Sc
as to know the exact proportions o.
| sand and rock and used accordingly.
The four recognized mixtures of ce:a
crete, with their respective proportion.
Of cement. sand and crushed rock il
the order named, and the kinds of con
| struction for which they are suitable
are as follows:
No 1, rich, 1-2-4, floors, fence posts
i No 2, ordinary, 1-2h5, walks. tfiri
walls.
No 8, medium, 1876, heavy walls
l piers.
/ No. 4, lean, las, footings wher,9
little strength is needed.
In each case the rock is just twice.
the amount Of sand.
The complete mixing of all the ma
terials is a factor which decides. tn.
strength of the concrete. Measure eS
act amounts of each part.
Concrete will not resist entirely the
passage of moisture, although tn
richer mixtures will do this fairly well.
To resist moisture in Easements therf
should be a waterproofing materia
added to the outside.