FENCING 



231 



and the wagon driven along the line on which the posts 

 are to be set, the posts put in place, and driven from the 

 rear end of the wagon. A driven 

 post does not stand solidly, and 

 more or less injury is done to the 

 upper end by driving. This method 

 is suitable only for temporary fences. 

 There are various tools on the market 

 for setting posts by digging, known 

 as "post-hole augers" or "post-hole 

 diggers." The variety used will 

 depend upon the soil, as one satis- 

 factory in clay would not be in sand. 

 The rate at which posts can be set 

 by digging is dependent upon the 

 hardness of the ground, the depth ]ftl*^ | 

 to which the posts are set, the ability fj ■ 

 of the man doing the work, the 

 topography of the land, and the dis- 

 tance apart of the corner and gate 

 posts. In dry hard soil four posts 

 per hour for one man is the limit. 

 In easy digging sixteen posts per 

 hour can be set. It is generally 



,. j , , • , , ., Fig. 194.. Method of bracing 



estimated that eight posts per hour posts b y the use of concrete 

 is a fair average under ordinary farm conditions. 



Corner posts. A post set as described is satisfactory for 

 a line post, but it does not have sufficient rigidity to serve 

 as a corner post. For a permanent fence the corner posts, 

 posts at the end of each 40 rods in a straight line, and gate 

 posts should have a ground anchorage and top bracing as 

 shown in Figure 193. The corner posts should not be less 

 than 6 inches in diameter at their smaller end, and 8-inch 

 posts are preferable. They should extend into the ground 

 from 3 to 4 feet. The posts should be set long enough before 

 the construction of the fence to permit the earth around 



