The Green Forest tribune., 1909-03-19
Wooden Mold for Making Fence-Posts
 with Two Tapering Sides.

construction work about the farm. It ment of no expert labor The farmer and his ordinary farm help can sue cessfully handle cement Little ex- perience is needed, as the following of few simple directions is all that is necessary. The mixing is the i'm portant part. Proper proportions of cement, sand and gravel for the de- sired construction and thorough mix ing will give good results.
 In the making of fence posts the material should be about one part of cement, 2h parts sand and five parts gravel. The mixing is best done on platform of convenient size. The sand and gravel should first be placed on the mixing bed, well spread out, and on the top of this spread the ee- ment. Then mix with shovels or hoes until the whole mass exhibits uni form color. Next, form a crater of the dry mixture, and into this pour nearly the whole amount of water re- quired for the batch. Thoroughly mix from the outside toward the center until all the water is taken up, add
 ing more by sprinkling to give the desired consistency.
 Economy points to the use of a tapering post. which, fortunately, of fers no difficulties in the way of mold jag. All things considered, wooden
 molds will be found most suitable. They can be easily and quickly made
 in any desired size and form. Posts may be nodded either in vertical or
 horizontal position, the latter being the simpler and better method If nodded vertically a wet mixture is ] necessary, requiring longer time to
 set, with the consequent delay in re-
 moving the molds.
 1 The first of the accompanying illus 1 trations shows a simple mold, which
 cen be used with satisfactory results og. the farm. This mold has capacity 1 oS four posts, but larger molds could 1 easily be made if desired. It consists
 of two end pieces (a) carrying Jugs | (b), between which are inserted strips | (c) The several parts are held to- | gether with hooks and eyes as shown. l To prevent any bulgng of the side
 strips, they are braced as illustrated, | Dressed lumber at least one inch thick, and preferably 11a inches, should be used. When finished the | post measures 6x6 inches at the bot tom, 6X3 inches atthe top, and seven feet in length, having two parallel sides.
 If it is desired to have the posts square at both ends, the mold must be arranged as in the second illustra- tion. This latter form of post is not as strong as the former, but requires less concrete in it's construction. Great care in tamping is necessary to insure the corners of the mold being well filed and if this detail is not carefully watched, the metal, being exposed in places, will be subject to rust.
 Various devices have been suggest ed for attaching fence wires to the posts, the object of each being to se- cure simple and permanent fastener or one admitting of easy renewal at any time. Probably nothing will an- swer the purpose better than a long staple or bent wire well embedded in the concrete, being twisted or bent at the end to prevent extraction Galvanized metal must be used for fasteners, since they are not protect ed by the concrete. A piece of small flexible wire, about two inches in length, threading the staple and twist ed several times with pair of pliers, as illustrated, holds the line wire in position.
 Cement posts should be reinforced in order to give them sufficient