Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1910-09-28
FENCE POSTS in IOWA.
Some Interesting Facts Concerning
Important Factor i'm Farm Life.

culture estimates that the farmers
of the single state of Iowa use every
year $1,400,0O0 worth of new fence
posts, which cost the equivalent of
100000 for setting them in the
ground. Further the Department
officials believe that a part of this
expenditure might be saved.
The opportunity for economy is
found, first, in using the kinds of
posts which, taking into account
both cost and durability, are cheap
est in the long run, and, secondly,
by treating the posts to prevent
decay, particularly those which de-
cay most quickly. When a farmer
sets a pest which will have a COM
paratively short life, he loses not
only through having to buy a new
post but also because of the addi-
tional labor involved in setting it.
1t is true that in both cases no
money outlay may be involved, for
he may set the posts himself, after
getting them from his own wood
lot. OF the posts used last year in
Iowa, seventy per cent, it is esti-
mated, were grown on the farms
where they were used, or were OBJ
tanned from other farmers or wood
lot owners, and only thirty per
cent were bought from lumber deal
ers. Nevertheless, the farmer is out
his labor and the part of the pro-
duct of his woodlot which is used
up, even though he does not pay
out any cash.
The facts concerning the use of
fence posts in Iowa were brought
out by an investigation which the
Department of Agriculture has been
making through inquiries sent to
/ farmers. Several thousand replies
have been used in compiling tie
figures, which, combined with sta
tistics issued by the Iowa State
Board of Agriculture as to the num-
Der of farmers and the acreage,
| furnished the totals. According to
these totals about 100000 posts
are called for yearly to build and
repair fences on 209,163 farms, OF
an average sixe of 1881 acres each
The average life of a fence post
is stated to be fourteen years and
the average cost 1871 cents. There
is, however, great difference in the
lasting properties of different
woods. Usage orange lasts more
than five times as long as willow
does, and for length of service it
heads the list of post timbers in the
state. The comparative life of 9TH
er posts is shown in the following
list, ranging from the longest
period to the shortest: Red cedar,
locust, white oak, northern white
cedar Cor arbor vitae), catalpa,
black walnut, butternut, red oak,
and willow.
The average cost of posts varies
| for different woods, and for the
same woods in different localities.
Red cedar is most expensive, at an
average of 26& cents each, and
willow the cheapest, at cents.
Taking into consideration the
time a post will last, and the cost
of buying it and setting it in the
ground, the conclusion must be
drawn that the Usage orange is the
most economical in Iowa, followed
by white oak, locust, catalpa, red
cedar, black walnut, butternut, will
low, white cedar, and red oak, in
the order named.
Comparatively few posts of some
of these woods are used. Catalpa
and butternut together do not con-
stitute one per cent, while white
oak exceeds forty per cent. From
white oak, the highest, the numbers
uoCu iohSC uoNh III NV ioiio w III {,
order: White cedar, Usage orange,
red cedar, willow, black walnut, To-
Gust, butternut and catalpa. A few
posts are cut from other woods
Nearly or quite one-half of all the
posts were round, indicating that
most of the trees cut were too small
to split.
The low place attained by black
walnut and butternut, generally
rated high in lasting properties, is
probably due to the fact that the
posts were round and small, and
therefore largely sapwood which de-
Gays quickly. The life of such posts
would be much extended by giving
them preservative treatment. Pre-
sentative treatment increases the
life of all wooden posts and more
than doubles the period of useful
ness of those which are mostly sap
wood. The two million dollars
spent yearly by Iowa farmers in
buying and setting fence posts