148 MISCELLANEOUS FARM SUBJECTS 



structive to concrete; and, while it is an easy matter to protect the 

 post from the first two agents, it is best to do no concrete work when 

 the thermometer is below the freezing point, unless inside a building. 

 Curing. It is a great mistake to believe that, when the molding 

 is done, a concrete post is finished. The quality of the post must be 

 determined by curing. The green post should be left in the mold 

 until thoroughly hardened; that is, usually for two or three days. 

 For square or nearly square posts the molds proper may then be re- 

 moved and used on another bottom board, but the posts must stay on 

 their bottom board in the shade and must not be disturbed for at least 

 a week or ten days. Posts in triangular molds may be carried out, 

 each in its own mold, after from five to seven days, and the post may 

 be gently slid from its mold to a smooth floor covered evenly with a 

 cushion of sand. While green the strain of lifting, or even a slight 

 jar, will cause cracks, sometimes invisible, which greatly weaken the 

 post. During the first two days of the life of a post it must be kept 

 wet and covered with canvas, burlap, carpet, or any clean material. 

 Sand will serve after the concrete has become hard, but manure will 

 stain green concrete and otherwise affect it. The sprinkling should 

 be continued up to the eighth day. After the tenth day, if the space 

 is needed, the post may, with care, be placed on end in the same 

 manner that wooden fence rails were formerly piled. A drop of only 

 6 inches often breaks a green post. Concrete posts gain rapidly in 

 strength for the period of one year; they should, therefore, be made 

 as long as possible before it is necessary to set them in the fence. No 

 post should be used until it is at least 3 months old, and, to meet any 

 contingency, a supply of well-seasoned posts should be kept on hand. 



Building the Fence. Posts should be placed so that the narrow 

 side will support the wire. This will give the greatest resistance to 

 breakage from animals rubbing against them or trying to get through 

 the fence between the posts. The depth to which posts should be set 

 varies with the character of the soil. Seven-foot posts are usually set 

 from 2^2 feet to 2 feet 8 inches deep. The earth about the post 

 should be thoroughly compacted by tamping. 



Methods of Attaching Wire. There are numerous methods of 

 attaching wire fencing to concrete posts. Some makers place staples 

 or wire loops in the green concrete ; others make holes in the posts. 

 The former method is not desirable because the fastener can not be 

 located exactly where the wire of the fencing will come when the post 

 is set in the ground; then, too, the fastener will eventually rust or 

 break off and will thus injure the looks of the post. On the other 

 hand, holes through the pasts weaken them and therefore this 

 method is, in general, unsatisfactory. 



The simplest, easiest, and cheapest way of fastening a wire fence 

 to a concrete post is by encircling the post with a wire one size less 

 than the corresponding wire in the fence proper and by twisting 

 this wire around the strand of the fence. This is done in two ways. 

 The fastening wire is placed around the post, twisted upon itself 

 and then to the fence wire ; or one end of the fastening wire is twisted 

 around the fence wire, and the free end is then carried around the 



