FARM MANAGEMENT 145 



If manufactured as usual and cured for three months, concrete 

 posts are as good as the best wooden posts of the same size. After 

 three years' service wooden posts possess only from one-third to one- 

 half of their original strength, whereas concrete grows stronger with 

 age and needs no repairs, for neither weather nor fire injures it. 

 Under ordinary circumstances, good concrete posts will last forever. 

 Concrete posts are attractive in appearance because of their uniform- 

 ity of size and color and, because of their durability, they effect a 

 saving in giving greater life to the fencing material used, so that 

 the permanent value of the property is increased. (F. B. 403.) 



Molds for Line Posts. Molds for concrete line posts are made of 

 both steel and wood, and are built for single posts or in sets or 

 gangs. In deciding the size of the top and bottom of the post, and 

 consequently of the mold, one should take into consideration the 

 nature of the ground in which the post will be set. A very loose soil 

 requires a post with larger ends and wider sides or a greater length 

 for deeper setting in the ground. A careful observation of the small- 

 est wooden post found satisfactory will help in deciding the size of 

 the concrete post. 



Steel Molds. It is advisable to buy a form simple in its general 

 shape, for in such a mold the reenforcing can be placed more exactly 

 where it belongs. Steel has some advantages over wood, since it is 

 lighter, less cumbersome to handle, and gives the post a neater finish 

 and any shape desired. Where the appearance is important, steel 

 molds are to be preferred to wooden. Neighbors can club together, 

 when this is desirable, in order to buy steel molds and so economize 

 in this expense. 



Wooden Molds. "Wooden molds good enough for ordinary de- 

 mands are very easily made. White pine is the best wood for this 

 purpose. Cheaper kinds of lumber, which are easy to work with, 

 may be used. Molds made of 2-inch planks, dressed on both sides, 

 form neater posts, but lighter lumber may be used, if the forms are 

 well braced. In imitation of the manner in which tree trunks grow, 

 concrete posts are usually made tapering in size from butt to top. 

 While this method may add a little to the appearance of the post and 

 effect a slight saving in concrete, this saving is largely offset by the 

 additional cost of the carpenter's work and of the lumber used in 

 making the molds. Theoretically, the tapering post has a better 

 design than the one with straight sides, but for ordinary use one is as 

 good as the other. In making these molds, dressed lumber, planed 

 from the rough, should be used. The proper dimensions for rough 

 timber are 1 or 2 inches thick and 4, 6, 8, 10, or 12 inches wide ; for 

 dressed lumber they are % or 1% inches thick and 3%, 5%, 7^, 

 9^2, or Hi/2 inches wide. 



Molds for Square Posts. Molds for posts that are square or 

 nearly square in cross section are simple and easy to make. They 

 are built in three patterns: (1) For posts without taper; (2) for 

 posts tapering on two sides; and (3) for posts tapering on all four 

 sides. In order to avoid a sharp, 'irregular edge, neater posts are 

 made by fastening a narrow strip of canvas or leather on the inside 



