22 BULLETIN 321^ U. S. DEPARTMEXT OF AGRICULTURE. 
red cedar posts which are used in the corn belt area have to be shipped 
from the Southern States, and their cost to the farmer is steadily 
advancing. To sum up the fence-post situation, it would seem that 
the decrease in the supply of timber suitable for use as posts and the 
increase in cost of this timber to the farmer will in the near future 
make it advisable to use a substitute for wooden posts or to treat the 
cheaper woods with a preservative material that will serve to prolong 
their life. 
Table 6. — Average cost by areas and the average life of various kinds of fence 
posts. 
Average 
Average 
Average cost 
in each area 
life. 
cost in all 
areas. 
Area No. 1. 
Area No. 2. 
Area No. 3. 
Area No. 4. 
Kind of post. 
CO 
fe ® 
bor c 
ated. 
ber e 
ated. 
g 
>^ 
IS 
!z; 
1 
O 
1 
fa 
1 
O 
1 
O 
|i 
03 
Osase orange 
789 
29.9 
774 
22 
105 
25 
326 
24 
320 
17 
23 
18 
Locust 
464 
23.8 
465 
24 
501 
26 
21 
22 
29 
18 
14 
18 
557 
20.5 
574 
29 
346 
29 
97 
31 
104 
27 
27 
21 
Mulberry 
88 
17.4 
82 
19 
17 
45 
15 
20 
17 
25 
17 
12 
15 
Catalpa 
48 
15. 5 
45 
17 
17 
13 
18 
10 
18 
Bur oak 
97 
15.3 
90 
15 
10 
16 
15 
54 
15 
26 
15 
Chestnut 
94 
14.8 
91 
15 
91 
White cedar 
1,749 
14.3 
1,709 
18 
642 
18 
459 
18 
374 
19 
274 
16 
Walnut 
60 
11.5 
56 
13 
6 
15 
11 
13 
39 
12 
1,242 
11.4 
1,218 
12 
333 
14 
389 
11 
421 
12 
75 
13 
Pine 
41 
11.2- 
37 
18 
12 
23 
22 
3 
11 
15 
12 
67 
10.5 
64 
9 
6 
16 
26 
8 
7 
9 
25 
9 
Cherrv 
9 
10.3 
9 
8 
7 
8 
2 
8 
Hemlock 
10 
9.1 
9 
12 
3 
20 
6 
8 
Sassafras 
19 
8.9 
17 
15 
14 
11 
6 
15 
6 
10 
9 
Elm 
15 
8.8 
12 
10 
5 
4 
15 
Ash 
69 
8.6 
58 
10 
17 
11 
2 
10 
15 
10 
24 
10 
Red oak 
22 
7.0 
24 
7 
6 
7 
10 
8 
8 
4 
41 
6.2 
33 
7 
1 
12 
2 
7 
25 
7 
5 
9 
Concrete (estimated) 
42 
48.0 
121 
30 
53 
30 
48 
29 
19 
31 
1 
35 
Stone 
11 
36.3 
15 
35 
4 
38 
11 
35 
Steel (estimated) 
131 
29.9 
219 
30 
82 
30 
71 
29 
54 
30 
3 
30 
PRESERVATION OF FENCE POSTS WITH CREOSOTE. 
Decay of wood is brought about by the presence of fungi which 
live on the tissues of the wood. For the development and growth of 
these fungi certain conditions are necessary. Their growth requires 
heat, air, moisture, and a supply of food. It will be noticed that in 
the rotting of a fence post that part of the post which is at the 
ground line and just below the surface of the ground is the most 
affected. This is due to the fact that at this point all conditions are 
favorable for fungus growth. There is an abundance of air, moisture, 
and heat. In order to prevent decay it is necessary to remove one or 
more of the conditions necessary to the fungus growth. 
The purpose of treating timber is to remove the conditions favor- 
able to the growth of the fungi which cause decay. The moisture 
content of the timber may be reduced by placing a waterproof coating 
over it. Many experiments have been carried on, both by the Forest 
