THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
9 
1906. 
AN INVESTIGATION OF FENCE WIRE. 
Why Is Modern Wire Inferior? 
PART T. 
AN IMPORTANT BULLETIN.—It is now about 15 monttis 
since we began to call attention persistently to the inferior 
quality of fence wire. Readers will testify that we have 
kept at it From the first we have claimed that this is a 
fit subject for investigation by Government chemists, either 
at the State experiment stations or at Washington. While 
it was evident to thousands of farmers that some samples of 
wire were far more durable than others, no one seemed able 
to tel', irhi/ this was so. Some of the wire fence makers who 
buy wire of manufacturers were louder even than farmers 
in their denunciations. They generally laid the blame upon 
defective galvanizing—in some cases going so far as to 
state that lead and pewter are used in place of zinc. The 
manufacturers generally dismissed complaints with the claim 
that the wire is as good as can be made. All this time 
farmers continued to send us samples of wire and nails 
that had been in use more than 20 years,! while by their 
side other samples had become nearly worthless in five years. 
As we went about the country we found many fences hanging 
Fn rusty strings after a few years’ service. The Department 
of Agriculture finally began an investigation under the 
direction of Prof. A. 8. Cushman, in order to help this 
investigation we called for samples of wire and our readers 
supplied a number, which were sent to Washington for an¬ 
alysis. The first.report of the investigation is now printed 
in Bulletin 230, “The Corrosion of Fence Wire." This is 
one of the most useful bulletins ever issued by the De¬ 
partment. and will lead to most important results if its 
suggestions are carried out. The trouble with fence wire 
lies deeper than the galvanizing and this trouble is not con¬ 
fined to wire alone. 
STEEL INFERIOR TO IRON.—Some 15 years ago steel 
became so generally substituted for wrought iron that many 
engineers believed that iron would go practically out of use. 
As time went on. however, it was found that steel would not 
entirely fill the bill. The test of use proved unsatisfactory, 
chiefly because the steel rusted so badly. For example, some 
years' ago iron nails were largely driven out of the maiket 
'by steei cut nails. A few years' use showed that the steel 
nails rusted off under tlie heads, and had less holding power. 
NoW a demand for iron nails has sprung up- again, and we 
are told that processes once abandoned are Doing revived in 
order to supply the demand. So thoroughly has the inferi¬ 
ority of steel for some purposes been demonstrated that men¬ 
tion is made of a steel manufacturer who will not have a 
steel tube in the engine boilers or a steel sheet on the roof 
of his buildings. Experience has shown that steel rusts far 
quicker than wrought iron, and therefore the latter is cheaper 
for this man even than his own product at a lower price. 
THE TROUBLE WITH STEEL.—But why should the steel 
rust more rapidly than the iron? Some of the fence manu¬ 
facturers started out by saying that it did not. but they 
have now largely abandoned that claim, for the rust has 
eaten it up. When ITof. Cushman started ids investigation 
the easiest part of it was to demonstrate that the modern 
steel wire will not wear as the old wire did. Over 10,000 
standing bits of evidence in the field proved it for him. If 
human testimony does not settle this point nothing can be 
settled by such testimony. The question why the old wire 
stands while the new goes down is a much harder problem. 
When samples of wire were sent to the Department many 
analyses were made. It was soon noticed that most of the 
old wires either contained none of the metal manganese 
or very little of it. When we describe the process of making 
wire we shall see why this metal Is used with the iron. 
MANGANESE PARTLY RESPONSIBLE.—Nearly all the 
bad wires contained manganese, yet some of the good wires 
contained this metal and in one case a good wire and a 
bad one gave practically the same chemical analysis. It 
began to appear as if this manganese had something to do 
with the trouble, and yet it was evident that ordinary 
chemical analysis would not show why the steel would rust 
quicker than tlie wrought iron. For some years chemists have 
been studying this question, because all over (lie country the 
general destruction of steel has been noticed. Prof. Cushman 
quotes a number of authorities—two brief extracts being 
given below : 
"In connection with the question of oxidation I may in¬ 
stance the experience of a large tube works carrying a con¬ 
siderable stock of iron tubes and accustomed to take from 
and add to the top of the stock pile without regard to the 
tubes in its lower part, knowing that these, when ultimately 
reached, would be found to be corroded uniformly over their 
whole surface, but could be rerolled to a lighter gauge, 
producing perfect tubes. After beginning to make steel tube-? 
they followed the same practice: but these tubes were found, 
after rerolling, to be pitted through, and therefore valueless. 
1 have had recent occasion to realize with surprise and con¬ 
sternation the imperative necessity of frequent repairs to 
roofs, pipes, etc., of tinned or galvanized iron. My trusted 
mechanic declares that all his customers are similarly 
affected, and protests that he can no longer obtain anywhere 
materials of this class as durable as they used to be. lie 
thinks that something is the matter with the processes of 
coating with tin or zinc; but I shrewdly suspect that the 
trouble lies in the manganese of the metal coated and in 
the series of reactions which its easy oxidation initiates. 
It seems to me that the pitting of steel to which you refer 
is directly due to manganese." 
It is known that a certain per cent of manganese dis¬ 
solved in iron will resist the passage of electricity. Now 
in case this manganese were not uniformly distributed all 
through the iron, not only would a passage of electricity 
through it be hindered, but electrical currants would be 
started in the wire when wet, and this would lead to rust¬ 
ing. This action of dissolving substances by electrical 
action is known as electrolysis, and as it is apparently the 
chemical foundation for the fight for better fence wire we 
should undestand what it means. 
ELECTROLYSIS.—It has long been observed that chemical 
compounds can lie decomposed and new ones formed by 
passing a current of electricity through them. The old- 
time alchemists, in their efforts to transmute the baser 
metals into gold, knew that strange changes took place, 
but they could not explain them. Our modern system of 
plating ware is based upon this action of electricity. Ileal 
“galvanized” wire would be treated in this way—that is by 
dissolving zinc in an acid, thou putting the wire in this 
solution and then passing an electric current through it. 
The result would be this very electrolysis that we are trying 
to explain, for some of the zinc would leave the solution 
and form a coating on the wire, like the silver coating on a 
piece of plated ware. As we shall see later, “galvanized" 
wire is not coated by electricity hut simply run through a 
mass of melted “spelter," which is wiped down to a thin 
film on the steel. T’rof. Cushman gives the following simple 
illustration to show what this electrolysis does to metals : 
“If we wish to generate in a house small currents of elec¬ 
tricity with which to ring an electric bell it is necessary 
to purchase or make a simple form of electrical cell or 
battery. Reduced to its simplest terms, this usually consists 
of a strip of zinc and a strip of some other metal immersed 
in a more or less dilute solution of some salt. Common 
table salt would do, but for special reasons some other solu¬ 
ble salt, like chloride of ammonia, is usually selected. If 
now by means of a wire or other metallic conductor the 
zinc strip Is connected with the other metal, an electric 
current Hows through the circuit. Whenever this is able 
to happen, we say that there is a difference of potential 
between the zinc and the other metal. In georal, when¬ 
ever a difference of potential is established between 
two points in a metallic conductor or circuit a 
current of electricity will flow. If in the case of the 
battery referred to the current is allowed to How through 
an especially constructed electro-magnet, it can be caused 
to ring a bell. In the same way If the current were strong 
enough it could be used to saw wood or to run a street 
car. In other words, electric currents, however small, 
represent energy and can be made to do work. There is a 
great and well known law'of nature which tells us that it 
is impossible to get something for nothing. If work is 
being done in one place, something is being, so to speak, 
undone.in another place to exactly balance it. Every person 
who climbs upon a street car pays a fare which repre 
sents, at least in some degree, the cost of the coal or 
carbon which has to be burned (oxidized) at the power house 
in order to move him. Every time the bell rings in the 
house the zinc in the battery is corroded or oxidized or 
burned up to represent, the work done. Whenever, through 
the agency of a liquid conductor like a salt solution, a 
current of electricity moves in a circuit, this is known as 
electrolysis. Whenever electrolysis goes on, some chemical 
reaction takes place, which, for all practical purposes, can 
be likened to the oxidation or burning of some metal, if 
a battery were to be made, as could easily be done, in which 
iron took the place of zinc, then iron would be oxidized 
instead of zinc. If two pieces of iron of different chemical 
analysis—-that, is to say. containing different amounts of 
impurities—are dipped into a dilute solution of salt and the 
ends connected, it will be found that a difference of potential 
exists, an electrical current will flow, and, if continued, 
at least one of the iron pieces will be destroyed by oxi¬ 
dation.” 
But how can fence wire hung in the field act like an 
electric battery? We can see what might happen if the 
iron and the manganese were not evenly distributed. They 
would be like the two connected metals in the battery. All 
rain water contains small amounts of salts, and the water 
collected during thunder showers is rich in substances that 
conduct electricity. Thus we have the conditions which 
cause electrolysis to take place—in tiny discharges it is 
true, but going on all through the wire. Whenever this 
occurs some part of the metal is used up—either the iron 
or tlie zinc of the “galvanized" covering. Prof. Cushman 
thinks this accounts for the deep pitting noticed in some 
rusted wires, and he thinks it will explain why rusting 
of steel is hastened near the seashore. In this case the 
extra amount of salt in the water makes a more favorable 
condition for the electrical discharge. To show how slight 
a difference in the chemical composition of wire will result 
in this electrolysis. Prof. Cushman says it is almost im¬ 
possible to take two steel needles from the same package 
which, when tested with delicate instruments, will not show 
a difference in their ability to conduot electricity. The 
difference in the chemical composition would hardly be de¬ 
tected. 
FARM AND GARDEN—Sydney Fisher. Canadian Minis¬ 
ter of Agriculture, after consultation with his colleagues, 
has decided that the order in council prohibiting the impor¬ 
tation and slaughter in bond of hogs from the United States 
must go into force. The order took effect on January 1. 
The Minister of Agriculture has reached this decision after 
hearing the views of the pork packers and pork raisers. Two 
reasons chiefly have influenced him in the policy he has 
adopted. One is the necessity for preserving the health of 
Canadian hogs. The second reason is the importance of 
maintaining the high reputation of Canadian bacon in the 
markets of the United Kingdom. 
The Iowa State report makes the corn crop 345.800,000 
bushels, the largest the State ever raised, against 303,000,000 
bushels in 1904 and 229,000.000 in 1903. The oat crop is 
also the largest raised—140,000.000 bushels, against 122,- 
000,000 bushels last year and 84,000,000 two years ago. The 
wheat crop is only 0.400,000 bushels, against 11,200.000 a 
year ago and 12.500,000 two years ago. The hay crop is 
second in value to the corn crop. 
The Pennsylvania Live Stock Breeders’ Association will 
hold its seventh annual meeting at Monongahela House, 
Pittsburg, in co-operation with the Pennsylvania Dairy 
Union, January 17 and 18. Speakers for the Dairy Union: 
Hon. W. D. Hoard. Wisconsin : Prof. .1. L. Hills, Vermont: 
Prof. H. E. Van Norman, the new dairy instructor: E. M. 
Bailey, of the McJuukin Dairy Co.; Rev. Mr. Detrlch and 
others. Speakers for the Breeders’ Association : Governor 
Hoard. B. O. Cowan, assistant secretary American Short¬ 
horn Breeders’ Association: John P. Ray, the famous New 
York Merino breeder: Joseph E. Wing, the apostle of Al¬ 
falfa in the East: Prof. B. E. Carmichael, Chief of Animal 
Industry at Ohio Experiment Station; Prof. .1. L. Dills. 
Director Vermont Experiment Station. 
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