WE PLAT THE FARM 51 



have to bunk in the hay for the present, for I am 

 going to send out a woman to help your wife. 

 Six men can do a lot of work, but there is a 

 tremendous lot of work to do. We must fit the 

 ground and plant at least three thousand apple 

 trees before the end of November, and we ought to 

 fence this whole plantation. Speaking of fences 

 reminds me that I must order the cedar posts. 

 Have you any idea how many posts it will take to 

 fence this farm as we have platted it ? I suppose 

 not. Well, I can tell you. Twenty-two hundred 

 and fifty at one rod apart, or 1850 at twenty feet 

 apart. These posts must be six feet above and 

 three feet below ground. They will cost eighteen 

 cents each. That item will be $333, for there 

 are seven miles of fence, including the line fence 

 between me and my north neighbor. I am going 

 to build that fence myself, and then I shall know 

 whose fault it is if his stock breaks through. Of 

 course some of the old posts are good, but I don't 

 believe one in twenty is long enough for my 

 purpose." 



" What do you buy cedar posts for, when you 

 have enough better ones on the place ? " asked 

 Thompson. 



"I don't know what you mean." 



" Well, down in the wood yonder there's 

 enough dead white oak, standing or on the 

 ground, to make three thousand, nine-foot posts, 

 and one seasoned white oak will outlast two 

 cedars, and it is twice as strong." 



