24 BULLETIN 321^ U. S. DEPAETMEXT OF AGEICULTURE. 
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 fixe 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 m 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. '\"\Tiether 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. 
