Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1919-05-14
1EOSOTED
FENCE POSTS
Treat Your Own Posts OF
The Farm---Last From
Is to 20 Years.

Clemson COlle8e.-WlLh tne Q6Vei,
opment OF our livestock industry and
the resulting increased need for pas
lures, fencing becomes an important
problem. A troublesome phase OF
this problem is lasting fence posts.
Long-lived fence posts can easily be
made from most Of the common infer
Tor woods by a simple preservative
treatment on the farm. Properly
creosoted, these non-lasting woods
make posts good for Is to 20 years,
says w. R. Mattoon. Extension Spe-
cialists IN Forestry.
Kinds of Wood to Use.
Most of our common woods readily
take in creosote, product OF the dis
tillation of coal which makes wood
fiber very resistant to fungi, or rot, and
to practically all forms OF animal life
which injure wood. Sap pine, soft
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 pressrvativs
fluid. Because Of cross bands of It's
sue of the various white oaks, they
are unsuitable for treating. The more
lasting woods (black locust, red cedar,
mulberry, chestnut, black walnut,
Usage orange) do not justify the e1-
pense of treating for the slightly in
creased lasting qualities.
Woods differ in checking or split
ting when in ordinary use as fence
posts. This is important, since such
openings allow the entrance OF wood
rotting fungi to the inner portions OF
the untreated wood. For example,
black gum, due to its interlocked,
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 first to s years follow
ing treatment.
Method of Treating.
Posts 8 to inches in diameter are
sufficiently strong for line posts.
Small posts require less creosote, and
last practically as long as 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 e2-
posed to sun and wind. Peeling is
most easily done in the spring sea-
son, always Immediately after the tree
is felled, before cutting it up into post
lengths. Patches of the thin inner
bark, if left, retard or prevent 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.
Tops of the posts should be beveled
to shed rain water. Posts should be
cut to allow only about inches above
the top wire. Posts with long tops
are unsightly 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 3 feet in
diameter by 4 feet high, and one hori-
zontal rectangular steel tank by .
feet. The treatment consists OF soak
ing the butts in hot creosote (about
200 to 215 degrees F.) for one to two
hours, depending upon the density OF
the wood and time required to get a
deep penetration of the creosote, and
then immersing the. whole post in a
"cold" bath, at temperature OF 80
to 10 degrees F.
The butts should be treated for a
height of one foot above the ground
line. The tops thus get only a shall
low treatment but sufficient to
make them last as long as the butts.
Cost of Treatment.
A gallon of creosote will treat .
posts, 8 to 4 inches across the top, or
3 posts to inches. In ordinary
times high grade Of creosote can
be purchased for Is to 20 cents per
gallon in barrel lots delivered. War
time made it cost from 30 to IS cents.
Depending upon the size Of the post
and price of creosote, this is. cost
for creosote of from 5 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 on equip
ment about 2 cents, or If labor for
treating the post is included about 8
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
JoJor