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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. 
«IT 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.” 
