COST OP FENCING IN NORTH CENTRAL STATES. 21 



known as four-minute wire, and may be had at a slight advance in 

 price. When the common commercial copper sulphate is used in 

 performing the test, there is a very slight excess of acid present in 

 the copper sulphate solution which, if not neutralized, may cause 

 the solution to act more strongly on the wire than it should. The 

 acidity may be neutralized by adding a small amount of copper 

 oxide; 2 ounces to a quart of solution should be sufficient. On 

 account of the nonsolubility of the copper oxide it must be added a 

 long time, at least a month, prior to the time the solution is to be used. 



POSTS: LIFE, COST, PRESERVATION, AND MATERIALS. 



In the construction of a fence the question of the selection of posts 

 is a very important one. The cheapest post to use will vary with the 

 conditions found in the locality where the fence is to be built. The 

 kinds of native timber and their costs must be considered. It is not 

 advisable to construct a permanent wire fence on posts that will not 

 last as long as the wire. When this is done the fence has to be re- 

 stretched on a new set of posts, the cost of repairs will be considerably 

 increased, and the full efficiency will not be gotten from the wire. 



Table 6 shows the average life of the different kinds of fence posts 

 in use in the localities studied, and the cost of these in the different 

 areas. Upon examination of the table it will be noted that the ratio 

 of cost to life is approximately 1 cent per year for most kinds of 

 posts. These figures represent the life of fence posts of approxi- 

 mately 4 inches in diameter, under average conditions. There are 

 many factors influencing the life of a fence post, and these factors 

 have not been considered in this table. The size of posts, the amount 

 of seasoning they receive before being set in the ground, the quality 

 of timber from which they are cut, the kind of soil, the climatic con- 

 ditions to which they are subjected, and the kind of stock that are to 

 be fenced against, all influence the life of the post. The figures in 

 this table serve to compare one kind of wood with another as to their 

 relative value for fencing purposes. It is shown that Osage orange, 

 locust, red cedar, mulberry, and bur oak are the only kinds of timber 

 that last on an average of more than 15 years when used for fence 

 posts. The supply of practically all of these timbers is limited, and 

 most of them are relatively high priced, especially in areas where 

 they are not native. Osage orange posts are to be obtained com- 

 mercially in only a small area of the country. This timber is native 

 to northeastern Texas and Oklahoma. There has been much Osage 

 orange hedge built in the past, and many of these hedges have been 

 allowed to grow up into trees and posts have been cut from them. 

 However, this practice is not a profitable one on high-priced land, as 

 the hedge row consumes fertility from too much land which would 

 otherwise go to crop production. The supply of locust timber has 

 been a fleeted by the depredations of the locust borer, and is constantly 

 decreasing, while the price of this timber is increasing. Most of the 



