The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1919-02-28


day, March 9TH.
treatment to last as long as the butts.
Where only a single open drum or
tank is used, top treatment may be ac-
complished by means of thoroughly
painting the tops with a brush, or
pouring hot ~creosote over the tops.
A very satisfactory outfit for treat
ing posts consists of an upright CYL
indrical tank for the hot treatment and
a horizontal rectangular tank or vat
for the cold bath. For applying the
hot creosote to the butts one of the
large-sized gasoline or oil drums,
about 81 inches in diameter, is very
satisfactory for small operations, but
for larger or cooperative treatment a
cylindrical steel tank 8 feet in diam
eter by 4 feet in height should be used.
In either case there will be needed a
horizontal steel tank about 3 feet
across by 3 feet in height and 8 feet
in length, or large enough to accom-
modate the corner posts.
The equipment, as we'll as the meth
! cd of treatment, are described in de-
tail in Farmers Bulletin 744, "Pre-
sentative Treatment of Farm Timber"
Details Of Equipment.
A gasoline drum with one defective
head to be chiseled out can often be
obtained at a cost of 81 to SO. The
tank for the hot treatment obviously
must be of steel and in all cases fit
ted for heating either with a fire I'M
derneath in an earth pit or by means
Of steam pipes. Except in midsum-
mer, some heat must be supplied to
the cold tank. Where dressed lum-
Der is relatively cheap a satisfactory
cold vat can often be made at less
cost by being built up of dressed 2
by 4 pieces laid on a heavy flooring.
1t should be fitted for heating by
means of an iron pipe circuit either
extending over a fire on the ground
or connected with a steam engine.
1t is important to use a good pre-.
sentative, and coal-tar creosote has
proved by far the most satisfactory
substance. Ordinary gas or coal tar
has been occasionally used, but it is
too thick, even when heated, to give
a fair degree of penetration anc
teaches out more quickly than creo.
sote.
Present prices Of coal-tar creosote
range mostly from Is cents to 35 cents
, a gallon in barrel lots laid down al
the nearest railroad point. The pre-
+ war price was about Is to 20 cents
, a gallon. A gallon of creosote is sui
ficient to treat three posts from 3 tt
e 4 inches at the top, or two posts from
E 4 to 5 inches in top diameter, thus
: making the cost from 10 to Is cents
per post, or inordinary times 5 tt
10 cents. The other items would b
t the cost of cutting and peeling tn
i posts at perhaps 5 cents each, the la
e Dor of treating, which can be Figured
e at from 2 to 8 cents, and a share o
b the equipment cost, which would likel,
e average about . cents each, using
v 2-tank outfit. This makes a tota
: cost of from Is to Is cents each.
Joint Ownership Saves.
A saving in cost would be made b
two or more farmers jointly ownin
and using a treating equipment. Thi
method in a number of instances ha
proved a successful form of coopers
ton among farm owners.
Post timber for treating is yer
abundant in the dense old-field pir
stands throughout the southern state
The small trees which are bein
crowded out by the taller domlna1
trees are very often OF just the rlgl
size for making treated fence post
Cutting them for this purposes ut
Lies a forest product that would otl
erwise be wasted and improves tt
remaining stand by giving room #
growth needed by the remaining tree
A wood with an interlocked and twis
ed fibre, such as black gum or swe
gum, is of the very best sort for trea
ing, since it is little subject to tt
deep checking apt to occur in WOO
after S to 10 years of exposure in t
weather. The "seeds" or spores
wood-decaying fungi find entran
through such cracks or checks and b
gin feeding on the wood cells. The
ough treatment of w~ell-seasoned pos