FENCE POSTS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 2974, 6 January 1881, Page 4

FENCE POSTS.

The sap of moisture goes up in the sap wood from the roots to the leaves of the treos. I found if the post is butt end down the pores are opened upward and water can go up and thus keep the post moist between •wind anti water, which must cause a rapid rh'.oay. It appeared probable that the pores were open only upward aud not downward i-- ;'• tree. To teat this I cut a small maple sin •ling (two inobes through) in May, leavine the limbs all on, and placed the butt evil in a pail o' brine. In 36 hours the leaver, wore saturated with this brine, the Uii'io of the sa.lt being strong. At the same time I had cut another maple sapling and cut olf the top branch, leaving the rest of the limbs on. After winding a cloth around tlie h'M, end, to prevent evaporation, I pmeed the top end in a pail of brine and allowed it to remain several days, but no cii-ii.s hud been absorbed at the top end. It k'd no'} p;L'i.;etrated the pores as far as the Md v."-* in the brine, for if the bur.- v..!..? s-.T.iped there was not the slightest :«;!• of sail to be found. This being the

c-v ■■■> iv the green tree, how much more viiist I lie pores of the dry tree be closed from the top end downward ? I have tried many bimiLir experiments, and think tbe qu-vtion settled that if a post is placed top Cud down, no moisture can ascend from the bolt: m <.f the hole up the post to rot it; t-t't when the butt end is down the moisture cm f;s::.viu! the pores very rapidly if green, rm! slowly if tivy. Seasoned posts are found to last much longer, because the pore 3 are more or less filled within the seasoned wood I should also infer that placing the top end down would make more difference in a green than in a dry post. In pursuance of tho fact that tho pores of green timber have been often saturated with different solutions to preserve it, by immersing the butt end freshly cut, in the solution to be absorbed, it will be also noted that burning or charring tbe posts only closes the pores and prevents the absorption of water. — Builder and Woodworker.