The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1909-11-05

PIG IA WE'LL 2RAcRD 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 1t will pay
to have the entire farm feuced with
this or some other kind of fence that
Is hog or sheep tight. IL is not ques-
ton of whether you can afford 1t or
not; 1t Is a question of whether you
can afford not to do II. 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. TIE
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 ce-
ment and treating wooden posts with
creusote. 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 goou
size. Three coruerpd 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 CO.
| meut. two and one-half parts clean.
sharp sand and five parts gravel. The
| sand aud cement should be mixed dry.
| Then add water and mix to thick
! mortar. After this Is we'll mixed
spread II out in thin layer and spread
the required amount Of gravel over IT,
| Mix the whole mass well 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 1t well.
Near each corner lay q steel wire
lengthwiSe of the post. These re'en-
forcing wires should be fairly heavy,
but will not need to be galvanized, as
the concrete will keep them from rust
ing They should be Topped at the
end to prevent slipping. Now add
concrete up to within an inch of the
top of the mold. lamp again and put
in two more reinforcing wires. Fill
the mold tn the top, tamp and round
off the upper corners. Long staples
with the points bent little to keep
them from pulling out should he stuck
into the cement at the places where
the wires are to be fastened. After
the posts are set the wires can be
fastened 10 these staples by small
piece of soft wire twisted through
them.
After the cement has partially sci
1t should be covered with sand tC
keep 1t from drying out too rapidly
The posts should be sprinkled at leas
once day for week. when they may
be taken from the molds and stored
, away In moist sand to cure. 1t takes
sixty days for cement post to cur,
properly. and II should not be set be
fore that time. In the meantime thu
sand should be kept moist by occa
sional sprinklings. The cost OF ma
terial for cement posts the size men
/ toned and seven feet long is no
more than % cents post. not count
, ing the labor. When once In plac,
they will last practically forever.
The method OF treating wooden fence
posts with creosote is very simple an
l Inexpensive. Any kind OF post Is sui
able for use with this treatment--ir
i deed. the poorest soft wood posts las
? the longest after being properly trea
Cd The apparatus needed consists G