CHAPTER XXV 



TREATMENT OF FENCE POSTS 



WHETHER trucking on a large or small scale, fence 

 posts are always used to protect the crops from pas- 

 turing animals or undesirable marauders. In buy- 

 ing fence posts, the aim should be to secure those 

 which naturally last longest. Posts of willow, 

 cottonwood, or soft maple will last far less than those 

 of red cedar, osage orange, or the mulberry. Posts 

 made largely of sapwood will rot much faster than 

 those made of heartwood. All posts, before being 

 used, should be rid of all their bark. The latter usually 

 harbors insect and fungi which when active hasten 

 destruction or decay. In order to preserve the life 

 of fence posts longest, they should be treated with 

 some good standard preservative. Creosote is the 

 most important preservative for fence posts (fig. 72 e, 

 I to 5). On a moderate scale, tanks (fig. 72 f) 

 four feet high, three feet in diameter, and capable 

 of holding thirty-five 4>-inch posts should be 

 used. The tank is raised about one foot above the 

 ground to provide room for the fire box. The creo- 

 sote is poured in the tank and the posts are allowed 

 to remain in the hot preservative for a period of from 

 two to six hours. The posts may then be allowed to 



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