[ Correspondents sending letters signed luith initials or fietitioiis names are 

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 cannot he inserted. Tcco or three interesting letters are held over this month 

 through want of space.'] 



PRESERVING or AVOOD POSTS. 



Sir, — I am much ol)liged to the two gentlemen for the healthy criticism 

 they have bestowed in your last number upon ray iron prongs. It is 

 evident they want more information on the subject before they can be 

 satisfied about the advantages claimed for them. I now take the oppor- 

 tunity of conveying that information. 



I hope " M. R." will give me credit for having entertained a scepticism 

 analogous to his own about departing from the old orthodox method of 

 fencing. I can assure him that the step was not taken until I had made 

 it quite certain to all concerned that the adoption of these prongs would 

 result in a saving of labour and material. 



I was also aware that iron had a deteriorating effect upon wood when 



brought into contact with it, but the point to be decided was this : 



Whether a stob driven into the ground in the usual wa}', or one nailed to 



an iron support, would last the longest ? Now I think all experience goes 



to show that you may drive " nails, staples, &c.," into a stob, and after the 



lapse of fifteen years or so find that they have made but a very slight 



impression upon it, while that part of it which has come in contact with 



the soil will be found to be quite rotten. So that as far as this comparison 



goes the advantage lies with the iron and wood, as against soil and wood. 



Observe also that the stobs which I operated upon had stood their allotted 



time, and in the usual course of events would have been knocked off as 



firewood, whereas they are by this additional support made to do duty 



for other ten years at least. Then as regards their power of resisting 



pressure from wind or stock, I can only say that for several months in the 



year there is a herd of AVest Highland cattle kept in the field, and the 



fence is standing as erect to-day as it was when repaired nearly 



three years ago. Our fields here have certainly one great advantage, 



namely, good solid turf on both side? of the fence, which gives to the 



prongs great staying power. 



