Gardening and Animals

1860

Fence Posts, to Prevent Rotting

Another correspondent of the American Agriculturist says: "I think it would be well to call the attention of farmers to the use of coal tar as a paint. The tar produced in coal gas works is extensively used in England for painting fences, Outbuildings, &c. and is being introduced in this country, also. It never alters by exposure to the weather, and one or two good coats will last many years. It is the cheapest and best black paint that can be used. Our buildings are painted with it; all our apparatus also, and even the wrought-iron pipe we place in the ground is coated with it I think if its advantages were fully known, it would be generally used throughout the United States. The Government soak the brick used in building the fort at Throg's Neck in this tar, which renders them impervious to water, and posts painted with it are protected from rot, even in the ground, as effectually as if they had been charred," I believe much more so.

Mr. S. Botsford, 3 miles from this city, applied a barrel of this tar to about 500 posts, 9 years ago. I have examined them thoroughly above ground. The tar still forms a perfect coat as if just applied. He dug up one post when 8 years under ground, and found all as perfect as when first set. He has now posts on hand with the tar applied ready to set in the spring, and would not; think of putting down a post without it. The only objection to it as a paint above ground, is its offensive smell, from the heat of the sun. No persons should allow themselves to set a single post without its application, and farmers' who are putting out much fence, cannot possibly be so short-sighted as to neglect it after it once comes to their notice.

And Railroad Companies, who have such immense strings of fence to make, will certainly make a sufficient saving by adopting its use, to justify them in sending me a Life Pass over their roads, for getting this information together, and calling their attention to it. It is doubly important to Railroad Companies from the fact that these roads run through the most level portions of country, and consequently the most swampy and wet, therefore fence posts are the more liable to rot.

The mode of application is as follows:-Have a large iron kettle so arranged that you can make and keep the tar hot then, after having removed the bark, if any, set the end of the post into the tar, and if the tar is not sufficiently deep to take the post into it as far as you wish to tar it, have a swab of cloth tied upon a broom handle or other stick, and swab it up at least 6 to 10 inches above the ground when the post is set; then lift up the post, letting it drip a minute, and lay it away upon rails or poles placed for that purpose, to dry, not allowing them to touch each other until dry.

Two men will tar about 500 posts in one day, and one barrel of tar will be sufficient for about that number. Who then will hesitate to adopt its use?