The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1919-03-20
USE cRE0S07ED
FENCE POSTS.
Treat Your Own Posts CD
The Farm.-Last From
Is to 70 Years.

Clemson COllege.-With the devel
opment of our livestock industry and
the resulting increased need for pas
tures. fencing becomes An important
problem A troublesome phase OF
this problem is lasting fence posts.
Long-iived fence posts can easily BE-
made from most Of the common infer.
Tor woods by q simple preseryatiys
treatment on the farm. Properly
creosoted. these non.lsstinS woods
make posts good for Is to 20 yearA
says w. r. Mattoon. Extension Sps
cialists in Forestry.
Kinds Of Wood TO Use.
Most OF our common woods readily
take in creosote, a product OF the dis.
tillation of coal which makes wood
fiber very resistant to fungi, or rot. and
to practically al forms OF animal life
which injure wood. Sap pine. son
or red maple. black gum, sweet gum,
beech, red and black oaks, cotton
wood. willow. the poplars, are good
examples Of non-lasting woods which
are easily treated, the wood becoming
the container for the preseryatiye
fluid. Because OF cross bands Of tis
sue of the various white oaks, they
are unsuitable for treating The more
lasting woods (black locust, red cedar,
mulberry, chestnut, black walnat
! osage orangs) do not justify the ex
pease Of treating for the slightly i'm
creased lasting qualities.
Woods differ In checkiAg or split.
ting when In ordinary. nse ~ fence
posts. This 10 important, since. such
openings allow the entrance Of wood.
rotting fungi to the inner portions OF
the untreated wood. For example,
black gum. due 10 IL interioeked.
twisted fiber, has proved an exceed
ingly satisfactory wood for treatment.
The bay of the southern swamps
checks" badly, giving poor results
even in the frst to yeers follow
ing treatment.
Method Of Treakins.
Posts 3 to 4 inches in diameter Are
sufficiently strong for line posts.
Small posts require less creosote, and
last practically as long IS large ones.
Round posts are better for treating
than split posts.
1t is very important to have the
wood thoroughly seasoned. The posts
should be cut, completely peeled. and
: open piled in a dry situation well ex-
, posed to sun and wind. Peeling is
most easily done in the spring sea.
son. always Immediately after the tree
4. felled, before cutting it up into post
lengths. Patches of the thin inner
bark, il left, retard or prevsot locally
the desired .impregnation Of the wood
with the preservative liquid. A spade.
forms one OF the best tools for peel
ing. In late fall and early winter.
especially in dry situations, it may be
necessary to use an ordinary draw
knife.
Tons of the posts should be beveled
to shed rain water. Posts should Do
cut to allow only about inches above
the ton wire. Posts with long tops
are unsizhtly and more costly in
wood used and treatment. A light
crosscut saw avoids waste in chop
ping. and makes smoother ends.
A satisfactory treating equipment
for farm use consists Of one cylindri-
cal galvanized steel tank feet in
diameter by 4 feet high. and one hori.,
xontal rectangular steel tank. 3 by .
feet. The treatment consists of soak.
ing the butts in hot crsosote (about
200 to 215 degrees F.) for one to two
hours, depending upon the density OF
the wood and time required to get
deem penetration OF the creosote, and
then immcrsing the whole post in
"cold" bath. at temperature OIL ~
to 10 degrees F. y.
The butts should be treated for q.
height OF one foot above the ground
line The tops thus get only a shall.
low tseatment but sufficient to-
make them last as long as the butts.
Cost OF treatnSht.
A gallon OF creosote will treat 8
posts. 3 to- 4 inches across the top, or
Q posts 4 to inches. In ordinary
times a high grade Of creosote can
be purchased for Is to 20 cents per
gallon in barrel lots delivered. War
time made it cost from 80 to 35 cents
Depending upon the size Of the post
and price Of creosote, this is a cost
for creosote Of from to Is cents per
post. or average Of 10 cents. Other
ITEMS OF cost for the peeled post
Should not be over 5 cents apiece.
and for overhead charge OH equip
ment about cents. or il labor for
treating the post is included about
cents. bringing the. total cost to an
average of about 20 cents. This
would fall to about Is cents under or
dinary pre-war prices for material and
labor.
True Cost