7o6 Journal of Agriculture. [lo Nov., 1910. 



BUILDING HINTS FOR SETTLERS. 



XIII. CONCRETE FENCING POSTS. 



T. J. Sledge, hiitructor in Carpentry and Joinery, Eastern- Suburbs 



Teclinical College. 



A number uf cuiurete J)0!^ts were made, on the lines described, by Mr. Sledge 

 and his pupils at the Eastern Suburbs Technical College for this Department. 

 Some of them were used at the Royal Agricultural Societ\ s recent Show to fence 

 in the stand of the Engineer for Agriculture. Much credit is due to the College 

 for the practical and useful work it is doing in training young men desirous of 

 going on the land. Concrete fencing posts made on much the same lines as de- 

 scribed have been in use at the Cowra Experiment Farm, New South Wales, for 

 over twelve months. The Manager, Mr. G. L. Sutton, writes that the concrete 

 fencing posts have been very satisfactory. — Editor. 



Farmers could utilize concrete in the construction of manv things on 

 the farm, that are noAV made of wood and other materials which break or 

 decay or are destroyed by bush tires. For instance, there is generally a 

 certain amount of fencing to be done; either old fences need to be re- 

 newed or new padi locks require to be fenced, and before doing either the 

 farmer should consider which is the best fencing post to u.se, and ask 

 himself the (juestion " Shall I use the old style of fence, or .some more 

 economical and up-to-date kind?'" 



Concrete fencing posts ha^•e many important features that should re- 

 commend them to the farmer. The wood posts rot and must be renewed- 

 from time to time, whilst they are always liable to be destroyed by bush 

 fires and in some localities are expensive. The concrete post will last in- 

 definitely, its strength increasing W'lth age. It is practically fireproof, 

 white ant proof, costs nothing for maintenance, and if there is a supply 

 of sand and gravel near at hand the expense of making it l)ut little. 



Construction is not difficult; probably the greatest difficulty at first will 

 be in judging the right i")roportions of sand, gravel and cement, but by 

 adopting a systematic method of measin-ing the different materials this 

 will be overcome. 



It is very important to ha\-e good clean gravel, and clean and sharj) 

 sand. These must l^e free from all loam or \-egetal)le matter, and the 

 gravel not too coar.se. 



A good place to get the gravel is from a creek, taking it from the 

 banks, rather than the bed as that from the latter is more likely to contaiiT. 

 vegetable matter. Any large pieces of gravel slvjuld be broken or re- 

 moved and nothing larger than would pass through a |-inch mesh should 

 be used as large pieces of stone woul|d cause weak places in the 

 posts. Any good brand of Portland cement will do-. Care must l:)e taken 

 to keep it in a dry place and well off the ground. If placed on the 

 ground it will absorli moisture from the earth and its strength will be im- 

 paired ; if in a wet place the cement will set and become u.seless. 

 Attention to what may appear to be insignificant details is necessary if 

 good posts are to- be made. 



The purpose for which the fence is to be u.sed should l)e taken into 

 consideration w^hen deciding the size of the posts. If a light fence for 

 sheep is required it would be a waste of material lo make heavy posts. A 

 good strong light post is obtained by making it 5 inches x 3 inches at 

 bottom and 3 inches x 3 inches at top and reinforcing it with four pieces 

 of No. 8 fencing wire. A stronger one would be 5 inches x 5 inches 

 at bottom and 3 inches x 3 inches at top. using the same reinforcement,. 



