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Show UTAH STATE EXTKNS10N SERVICE AGOICULTURK BOMS ECONOMICS COUNT YAGENT By Louis A. Jensen, County Agricultural Agent Those who are finding cedar or steel fence posts hard to get and expensive, will be interested in a new method of treating lodge pole pine and aspen. The following information is a result of tests conducted at the Utah Experiment Station and furnished furnish-ed to us by Raymond R. Moore, Extension Forester. By treating lodge pole pine or aspen using this new preservative preserva-tive solution, the posts can be made as durable as the best cedar or juniper, and should stand a minimum of 15 to 20 years. Cost of the solution for effective treatment treat-ment is about 15 to 20 cents per post for pine and about 30 to 35 cents for aspen. The recommended wood preservation pre-servation is known chemically as Pentachlorphenol and may be purchased under trade names from companies as follows: Lau-w1 Lau-w1 L.' P' Lucks,-Co.. Seattle, Washington; Permatox - - A D Chapman Co., Portland, Oregon-' Duracide - - Wasatch Chemical Co. Salt Lake City, Utah. Here are the important steps: Cut and peel the posts, being sure that all the inner and outer bark is scraped from the part of the post to be treated. Season the posts at least six weeks if they are cut from May to September and six to eight months if cut after September. To provide sufficient suf-ficient penetration in aspen a saw-cut Vi inch depth should be 7J??e ?.und the Pst at a point 10 to 12 inches from the bottom. Prepare the solution by mixing mix-ing one gallon of the 36 per cent concentrate with nine gallons of fuel or diesel oil. Soak the posts approximately 24 hours being sure that the ends are covered to a sufficient height so that at least six inches of the treated level after the posts are set. With this preservation a farmer can place his posts in one or more 50 gallon drums in the morning fill the drums to the necessary level with the preservative solution. solu-tion. Return the following morning to remove the posts, place a new batch in the drum and add enough solution to' bring it up to the desired depth. This is little work and small expense for the 15 to 20 years of serviceable life the treated posts will give. This method of treatment replaces re-places the old system of using cresote which had to be heated. If the posts have been properly seasoned, sufficient preservative will be absorbed by the outer layer of wood to form a protective protec-tive sheel about V to 1 inch thick. The preservative is permanent per-manent and will not bleach or wash out of the post. It is toxic to wood destroying fungi and termites. |