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Next, find a length of heavy galvanized wire (either barbed or plain), run it around the top of the end fencepost, staple it there, and twist it back on itself. Carry the strand down around the deadman stake, post, or rock and back up to the starting point. Puff the wire as taut as possible with a wrecking bar (as shown in MOTHER NO. 33), and staple and twist it as before.

You now have two parallel strands, which should be twisted together with the aid of a strong stick (not your wrecking bar . . . you may not be able to extract it from the grip of the wire when you're done). The fence will tighten up just like magic, and the piece of wood can be left in place and used from time to time to take up any slack that may develop.

[5] Be sure to treat all posts and deadmen against rot. Used motor oil mixed with creosote makes a good preservative. Either soak your timbers in a barrel of this mixture, or apply it with an old paintbrush. Be very careful not to splash any in your eyes . . . it burns.

Creosote is added to this homemade preservative, partly because animals dislike its odor and taste and will let treated wood alone. Never soak posts in straight crankcase oil! Cattle which lick this substance may contract X-disease from the chemical additives which have been in use for the last 40 years or so . . . and may even pass on the condition to their offspring. For the same reason, never park any vehicle where livestock (or young children) can get at it.

[6] The rounded end of your shovel handle, an old mop or broomstick, or a wooden closet pole makes a good tool for tamping sod into a posthole. Anything much larger won't pack the dirt firmly . . . and don't use an iron crowbar for such a purpose unless you're young and strong and have a lot of excess energy to work off. The rest of us find this technique very tiring.

The secret of tamping is to add a very little earth at a time. The post will then go in so tight that it becomes part of the ground itself.

[7] Posts can be set immobile even in gelatin-soft mud if you'll simply scrounge a supply of old bricks or rocks and tamp them in a few at a time all around the upright. To do this, of course, you'll need a much larger hole than usual.

[8] When you drive an iron post, keep water handy and pour a little at the base now and then to make the job easier. Stand on the back of your pickup truck to swing a sledgehammer at the upright, which is held vertically by your partner or gripped between your knees. (And swing carefully!—MOTHER)

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