Tarring Fence Posts

A correspondent or the Uountry (icntlemaii writes as follows: " I have tried tarriug fenoe posts, and seen it tried by olhers a RTMt uiany times, and my experience is that near the surface of the ground (the difficult place to keep sound) the preservative eftects of the tir are cotnpletely neutralizod iu froni one to two yoars by the action of the soil- wet and dry. I saw sninu ouk posts treated with a oovering of hot oal tar, set in July, 1869, which complctely rotted off, and the tence had to le rebuilt iu 1877. The location of thls fenee, however, was such that it was subject to tri'(uent changes of wet and dry. " It occurred to me, some years ago, that after applying coal tar it would be a good plan to burn it off, thus producing a charred surface, which will resist deeay under all oircumstances. I set some white cedar posts in this manner in 1875, and they are as sound to-day near the surfiice of the ground as when set, and since then I have füllowed the practice up quite gener illy. I cover the posts thoroughly with hut tar, bcing careful to cover to some inches above the surface of the ground, then pile up the turrad ends together, six or eight in a pilo, and set fire to thein, turning them over, if necessary while burning until the entire surfáco is thoroughly charred. It is botter to apply the hot tar, as it enters all the cracks and checks and also the pores of the wood, and some of it remains there under the charred surface. " It will not do to treat green posts in this mannor, as the conüned moisture soon rots the posts from the inside, but I can sea no reason why a dry post so treated will not last a great many years. " In the experiments whioh have been made with coal tar applied to woodwork exposed to earth and moisture, it has been ibund important to heat both wood and tar to cause it to enter the pores, and this is doubtless effected very effieiently by the charring desoribed in the preceding report of experimonts. Simply applied to the surfaco of wood exposed above ground, coal tar has been feund to do moro barm than good. Where we have used it f'or wood at the surface of the ground, properly driven into the pores, it has made it last in some instances twenty years, when without this protection it would not survive five years."