CHAPTER IX 

 FENCES AND YARDING CHICKENS 



Note to Teacher : Visit farm showing fencing material in use. 



107. Kinds of Posts. The kinds of posts used for fencing are 

 wood, steel, and cement. 



108. Kinds of Wood Posts. Wood posts are round, split, or 

 sawn. Round wood posts are made from small trees or from 

 the tops of larger trees. Round posts should be peeled. Split 

 posts contain more heart wood than round posts and will last 

 much longer. Sawn posts contain more of the heart wood than 

 either of the other two. They are sawn five inches square. 

 Heart wood lasts longer than the outer portions. 



109. Durable Wood Posts. Certain woods last longer than 

 others. Among these more durable woods are hedge, white oak, 

 cedar, and elm. 



110. Posts Not Durable. Among the posts that are not so 

 durable may be mentioned hickory, black oak, and pine. 



111. How to Make Posts Durable. If the posts are round or 

 split, peel off the bark. This can be done with a draw knife. 

 Soak with creosote the part that goes into the ground and twelve 

 inches above the ground line. Such woods as pine and hickory 

 can be made tojast for more than ten years by this treatment. 



112. Steel Posts. Steel posts are the most durable, but are 

 quite expensive. The end posts and the corner posts are set in 

 a block of cement eighteen inches wide and two feet long. The 

 end posts have a steel brace, which is likewise set in cement, 

 and the corner posts have two braces, both of them set in 

 cement. The wire is stretched tightly from one end post to the 

 other and held by line posts. The line posts are driven about 

 eighteen inches into the ground and are used to hold the fence 



