85 



The Osage orange hedges served a double purpose. During their 

 initial period of growth they were substituted for fences. Later, when 

 land became more valuable and many rods of hedges were grubbed out, 

 these old hedges yielded large quantities of posts, averaging from 16 

 to 20 per rod of hedge, thus furnishing posts for a fence 16 to 20 times 

 as long as the original hedge. 



Of late, the supply of post timbers of these more durable species, 

 such as mulberry and white oak, in the wood-lots, has been nearing the 

 point of exhaustion. White oak grows more slowly than trees of the 

 red or black oak group, and on wood-lots which have been extensively 

 cut and grazed is less numerous than red and black oaks in the repro- 

 duction which springs up. The close selection of mulberry for posts 

 tends to exterminate this species in mixture. The white or burr oak 

 land in the northwest counties is of a better grade than black oak soils 

 and tends to pass under cultivation. This has increased the use of 

 several less durable species for posts, principally red or black oak, elm, 

 and even such trees as Cottonwood, willow, ash, and maple. All these 

 species are short-lived in the ground, and it does not pay to set them 

 unless first treated with preservatives. When so treated, their average 

 life compares favorably with that of untreated posts of the better species. 



To determine the average length of service of the more common 

 post-timbers for Illinois conditions, replies to inquiry on this point were 

 tabulated, and the results compared with the standards of durability 

 published by the U. S. Forest Products Laboratory at Madison, Wis- 

 consin. On the basis of the actual experience of over 400 farmers, cor- 

 rected when the data which they furnished were insufficient and not in 

 agreement with those of the Laboratory, the following (p. 87) standards 

 of durability for posts of these species untreated, were arrived at. 



The most striking fact brought out is the remarkable durability or 

 indestructible character of the hedge or Osage orange posts. Hedge 

 has been used for so long in Illinois, and so many replies were received, 

 that this fact, of which abundant corroborative evidence is available, 

 can be accepted as proved. The only question is the length of this period. 

 As with any species of post, this depends somewhat on the size or di- 

 ameter. But in Osage orange posts this has less effect than for any other 

 species. The sapwood is narrow, and changes to heartwood in 3 to 4 

 years, and small posts 2 inches in diameter have frequently given service 

 for 50 years. In fact, these small posts wear out by splitting through 

 the driving of staples, before they decay. 



