Morris tribune., 1911-01-27
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. Method of Treat
ing FenCe=Posts.
BY 6. G. Cheyney, Division of
Forestry, Minnesota Univer-
sity Farm.
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Practically all the fence-posts now
used in Minnesota, hundreds of thou.
sands annually, are supplied by the
white cedar The growth of this
species is confined to comparatively
small area in the northern part of the
state, and the ultimate supply is con.
sequently limited The supply is fur.
ther limited by the fact that most of
the species go into telephone and tele-
graph poles, posts being only by.
product of the pole industry. The
cedar men themselves predict the ex-
haustion of the supply in fifteen years.
The prices, already high, will continue
to rise.
A substitute for the cedar post must
be found. In some sandy districts,
free from alkali, concrete will be the
post of the future, but it is too heavy
to ship to other districts; and the
same applies to iron. The local woods
grown on the farm offer another solu.
tion of the problem; but the life of
posts made from these, without special
treatment, is too short, and the cost
of replacement too high.
The only fit substitute, in most Sec
tions, will be the local wood treated
in some way to prolong it's life. This
treatment of posts on the farm is still
in the experimental stage and has
been applied only to small numbers
The great drawback, so far, has been
the cost Of the necessary apparatus
and its operation. The efficiency of
different materials has been sufficient.
ly tested in the treating of large guam
titles of railroad ties, both in this
country and Europe. It has been
found that good treatment with some
form of creosOte-the best preserva-
tive for most climates-Will increase
the life of willow or ''popple" post to
fifteen or twenty years. The cost of
this treatment, with a comparatively
elaborate equipment, was found in one
instance TO run as high as II cents a
post; but it is thought that this can
be reduced to 10 and possibly cents,
by the use of the apparatus here de-
scribed.
Since the post usually rots only at
the ground line, it is necessary to
treat only it's lower three feet. In er-
der to get the creosote into the posts,
it is necessary to subject them first to
hot and then to a cooler bath. The
following apparatus is suggested as
most economical for a small number
of posts. A round tank of fourteen
gage iron, reinforced with three-quar-
ter inch angle iron, three and a half
feet in diameter and three and a half
feet deep. In the side of this is in-
serted two-inch V-shaped pipe. A
thermometer registering 250 degrees
F. completes the outfit.
Fill this tank with posts, butts down !
It will hold about fifty fve-inch posts |!
Then fill the tank with creosote. Build |
fire under the V pipe, near the end, |
and keep it going till the tempera-
ture of the creosote reaches about 230
degrees. The fire can then be raked
away, and the posts allowed to stand |
till the temperature falls to 100 de- |
grees. The posts can then be re-
and the process repeated with
another batch.
For this process to be successful,
the posts should be carefully peeled
and thoroughly seasoned. They should
then absorb about three pounds of
creosote, which can be bought for
about Is cents per gallon. The appa-
ratus could readily be moved from
farm to farm, and made to serve a
whole community. Even if the treat.
ed post then lasts but ten years in.
stead of twenty, it is cheaper than the