Claiborne guardian. [volume] (Homer, La.) 1877-188?, 1882-04-26
Country Road Making.

can be- u success without good drain.
age, whether natural OF artificial,
surface or underdrain. The latter
is preferable, for comparatively
short time only on Travelled road.
The accommodating dust and dirt
soon prevent free drainage. Water
should not he allowed to accumulate
ut any time, or for any length of
time, on the road bed or in the side
bitches. The road.bed can not be
kept dry with stagnant water in the
side bitches. These bitches should
never be so deep as to cause wag.
on to tip over if the wheels on one
side should accidentally run into it.
If the grade is such as to require a
deeper ditch it should be in the form
of an undcrdrain. A three.inch tile
laid through the center of the road.
bed in the direction of its length, at
a depth OF three feet below the sur.
face, with an outlet every forty rods,
would be beneficial to almost all
roads, 10 matter through what soil
they run. In spring and fall, aud
in open winter, the benefit of cen.
ter underdrain is beyond question.
The inclination should be one TO 125
in the direction of it's length to Sc
cure effectual drainage. A similar
drain under each side ditch would
he money we'll Invested.
In most soils it is a detriment to
roads TO use the surface soil in their
construction. 1t would he better TO
scrape it of TO be used tn fill up hot
lows, or il the country is level, il
had better be used hy the adjoining
land owners as top-dressibg Oh
their lands. Almost any other use
that can be made of it would lie bet
ter than TO have it OH the road TO
form of mud with every shower. Id
grading road, and after it has re-
ceivcd the desired convex form, the
bed should he thoroughly piowed
number of times in order to thor.
oughly mix the material and have 1t
settle evenly. This is an important
feature, though seldom practiced.
Gravel is the best dressing for coun
try roads, if of uniform material,
free from soil, though light mix.
ture of clay helps to bind it. All
stones larger than hens egg should
be carefully removed. lion n much
Travelled road, the gravel should be
at least one foot deep in the center,
carefully leveled of by means OF
shovel and scrapcr. Rolling with
heavy rollers is very beneficial. IL
the gravel is put on in fall, the rains
will help to settle it more efcctnal'
IL than if put on in summer, when 1t
often remains in loose state for
months.
Liz estone or hintstone chips, cob
bic or large stones of any kind are
unfit for top.dressing ofroaGs, to fill
/ shallow holes or ruts. They can be
used by first excavating the road
bed from one aud half TO two feet
deep in the center, gradually rising
toward the bitches, this can be filed
ap with stones, the larger ones set
Oh edge, until the bed has the de-
sired form, when the upper layer
should he broken up tine, tue largest
not TO exceed two inched in diane
ter. A thin dressing Of gravel may
be added, aud the whole thoroughly
rolled with a heavy roller. This is
one way of using stone in road max
Jog, though in most cases too expeb'
sive tor country roads. Large
stones scattered through road-bed
are sure to come to the surface in
time by the frost raising them, and
allowing sand or soil to deposit it.
self beneath; or if struck on one side
by a wheel, the opposite side is rails
ed, and in time it is on the surface,
an impeachment to every passing We