Preserving Fence Posts. 2 1 7 



and had these decaj'ed the result must have been plainly visible ; but a 

 leaning wall is hardly to be seen in the city. And I am informed that 

 there still exists in England piles driven by the army of Julius Cgesar. 

 My neighbour has tried filling around his posts with cobble stones instead 

 of earth. They are thus kept comparatively dry, and he has found them 

 to outlast those set in the ordinary way, and to keep their places better. 

 Those who have no stone might accomplish the first result by draining, it 

 they could thereby remove all the water from the soil. But the Countrij 

 Gentleman teaches that land suffers less with drought after being thoroughly 

 drained : that the soil not being solidified by a superabundance of moisture 

 is enabled to retain more for a time of need ; that the air permeating the 

 soil accelerates the decay of organic matter for the use of the roots, 



"Again, it will be admitted that the conditions sought to be obtained 

 by draining are found in greater degree at the surface of the ground than 

 at a deptli of two feet ; yet it is well known that a post rots off at ihe 

 surface, leaving the lower end comparatively sound. A practical ditcher 

 informs me that it is common in cutting through wet land, though long 

 since cleared of timber, to find even small roots and bark entirely sound ; 

 and my own experience has uniformly confirmed his statement. I have 

 also noticed that on a sandy, porous soil, with perfect natural drainage, 

 posts have to be replaced oftener than on any other part of the farm. 

 Indeed, I might multiply facts, all seeming to teach that the more solid 

 and wet the soil the better it is for holding posts ; that the conditions 

 favourable to the growth of plants are also promotive of the decay of vege- 

 table matter, and that the one disadvantage of drainage is that it lessens 

 the durability of our fences. " James Allinsok 



" Mercer County, N J." 



Our correspondent is right in his general principles, but it is important 

 that they be properly applied. TheA\orst condition that a post can be 

 placed in, is where it is alternately subjected to water-soaking and drying. 

 Some fine sandy soils afford just such unfavourable conditions, and it rots ; 

 other soils of coarse sand or gravel, which have a bottom drainage, allow 

 the water to pass down freely, so that the posts arc never soaked, and 

 remain perpetually dry. These will obviously last a long time. Holes 

 filled with cobble stones, as mentioned by our correspondent, if not drained 

 at bottom, would subject the posts to speedy decay, by soaking them with 

 water at every heavy rain ; if well drained, they will be always dry inside. 

 The bottoms of posts which have been set in clayey ground, and the earth 

 solidly beaten as the hole is filled, will be excluded from the air and remain 

 sound ; but the trouble is that the portion near the surface is repeatedly 

 wet and dried, and decays rapidly. If the posts could be kept perpetually 

 under water they would last indefinitely, but this can occur only in rare 

 instances. The forester should exercise judgment in the proper application 

 of the above mentioned principles, according to the nature of the case, and 

 the character and condition of the ground. — Ens. Country Gentleman. 



