24 BULLETIN 321, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



The equipment necessary for the first process is a single tank 

 which is large enough in diameter to hold the number of posts it is 

 desired to treat at a time, and it must be high enough to support the 

 posts and to allow the creosote to stand about 6 inches above the 

 mark that will represent the ground line on the post when set. The 

 creosote in the tank may be heated by several different methods — 

 by placing the tank over a fireplace so that a fire may be built directly 

 under it, by attaching a U-shaped pipe to the lower side of the tank 

 so that a fire may be built under the pipe, or by placing steam coils 

 in the tank in such a manner that they will not be in the way of the 

 posts. The cost of the equipment will vary, but should be very 

 small. Maryland Station Bulletin No. 163 estimates that the cost of 

 the double-tank equipment should not exceed $50. It should cost but 

 a small part of this amount to equip a single tank capable of treating 

 two lots of posts each day. 



The cost of treatment will vary with the kind of wood used. It 

 has been found that it does not pay to treat a naturally durable wood, 

 because its fibers are so hard to penetrate with the preservative that 

 the operation is a very expensive one, and after treatment a wood of 

 this type is of no more value than a cheaper wood properly treated. 

 Experiments have shown that beech, birch, gums, soft maple, poplar, 

 sycamore, willow, and pin oak respond very readily to treatment. 

 The cost of treating these timbers is approximately 10 cents per post. 

 Creosote may be had in the Central States area for approximately 

 15 cents per gallon. It may be obtained from hardware dealers. 



There is a large area of country, however, where even cheap tim- 

 ber is not to be had. In these localities the fence builder is wholly 

 dependent upon the commercial supply of posts. The increased cost 

 of wooden posts has brought substitutes upon the market in the 

 form of steel and concrete. Posts of these types are coming into 

 extensive use in certain areas and will no doubt be used in far 

 greater numbers in the near future. Table 6 gives the estimated life 

 of both steel and concrete posts, but it must be borne in mind that 

 these figures are only estimates, as neither steel nor concrete posts 

 have been in use long enough to determine their actual life. The 

 estimate of 48 years of life for concrete doubtless does not take into 

 consideration the number of posts that are broken off by accident 

 and otherwise. Whether or not it is advisable to use either wooden, 

 steel, or concrete fence posts will depend to a great extent on local 

 costs of these materials. Until more is known of the service to be 

 had from steel or concrete posts it will not be possible to compare 

 their relative value with the more serviceable types of wood. It 

 may be well to mention a few of the qualities of steel and concrete 

 posts which commend their use. 



