Pickets

Ah, the white picket fence! As American as apple pie. Actually it's a little broader reaching than that, more like world wide -- but you get the picture. The picket fence has been a way of enclosing outdoor space for centuries. First it was limbs, then boards, and then finally evolved into the 2 1/4 inch picket with decoratively cut top. The top however, is far from only decoration. Its true purpose is to shed water from the end grain of the wood thereby eliminating an environment for rot and decay.