The Rural Voice, 1992-02, Page 7FEEDBACK
DISAPPEARING DIRT
Of the many puzzling situations
that crop up on the farm, I am writing
about one that occurs when digging
post holes!
I was up at the back a [while] ago,
digging a few holes, and rather enjoy-
ing myself. It was a beautiful sunny
day; the breeze off Georgian Bay
kept the sky clear of that brown haze
that often drifts up from the south.
Looking across the valley I could see
the fresh green of the grain fields
scattered among the pastures and
hayfields. The leaves of maple, bass-
wood and ash hid most of the farm
buildings except for the occasional
silo and tin roof catching the moming
sun. The ground was in that ideal
transition between wet and dry — just
enough moisture to make it pliable
but not enough to stick to the shovel.
It was one of the rare places on the
farm that is free of stones. To feel the
shovel slice smoothly through the
rich sandy loam was soothing to the
soul. In seconds, it seemed, I had dug
a hole of the prescribed depth. (It is
moments like this when one thinks
that farming isn't so bad after all!)
I apprenticed with one of the mas-
ters of post -hole digging. I relig-
iously adhere to the principles of the
trade: carefully pile all the dirt on the
uphill side of the hole; achieve a 30"
hole, 6" deeper for comer posts; place
post tightly against the straight side of
the downhill edge; slowly backfill,
firmly tamp dirt (and stones) in the
bottom third of the hole; align post in
vertical position by viewing from a
minimum of five paces in two quad-
rants; backfill and tamp rest of dirt.
This finally brings me to the, puzzling
situation that I am writing about. No
matter how carefully I follow these
procedures, and despite filling half
the hole with the post, there is rarely
enough dirt to refill the hole!
Given enough time I can usually
solve most problems that arise on the
farm, but this situation has me baff-
led. Perhaps you or one of your read-
ers has a solution and can fill me in.0
Greg Brown
ffeathcote, Ontario
HILL & HILL FARMS LTD.
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FEBRUARY 1992 3