The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1891-08-14
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
EXCELLENT RULES FOR THE
CARE OF CLAY ROADS.
There Is Not Enough Attention Paid to
Our Western Roadside Gentle
With Your Animals-Dairy
Dots and Household.
clay Roads and Their Care.

Clay Roads and Their Care.
LIST. The road-bed should be COM
posed only of surface soil. This top
soil contains the largest per cent of
vegetable matter, sand, gravel and
mineral substances. A combination
OF these elements, with the clay that
is naturally in the to 6 inches of
surface soil, forms into compact vet
elastic mass, not unlike building paper,
that will not poach up into great ruts,
holes and piles, to hold water when
wet or bake and freeze hard, as CLAW
that lies below th,1 ;. e:s.e earth does.
Whenever you see clay roads that
are either so wet and sticky, or rough
and hard as to be impossible, it is safe
to wager that some one has gone deep
into the earth after something that
will spoil a road every time. Truth
lies nearest the surface in all things.
1t is the false that requires the great
est exertion to obtain and truth is
often covered out of sight in the strug-
gle. The easiest way is oftenest the
best. which is elninently true of the
road question.
End. The grass must be kept grow
ing on all but the road-bed. This
keeps the road from spreading and
washing. No wash-outs will occur on
road well sodded up to the road-bed,
and it adds much to the appearance
OF roads and value of farms.
Sd. The bed must be 20 to 40 feet
wide, determined largely by volume of
travel, and nearly level. On wide,
level road traffic Is not confined to one
track; it is therefore less liable to rut
badly, and where the bed is composed
of surface earth only. being friable
and easily disintegrated, the ruts fill.
naturally, to a large extent; it is also
much more easily honed, because of
its friability, and will not hold puddles
of water like the impervious clay pixies
do. A good surface once obtained, it
should not be interfered with either by
adding clay or blowing.
4th. On the regulation clay pike
the earth is taken from the sides to
the depth of one to two feet and
dangerous, deep bitches and ponds of
water result. There is only one track
and that in the middle of the road; in
fact there is no good track. At the
approach of moisture it ruts badly and
heavy rains wash loads of earth away.
The little burrows cut from center to
side of road Indicate this washing, and
these cause holes by the action of the
wheels in passing along. Good farm
ers take every precaution against the
washing of their tillable land; but no
one thinks of the roads.
ment are kept up for so years the
roads will simply be great canals.
Many that have been often piked, are
approaching that condition now, as
any one can verify by noting level
across from side to side, out by the
fences. What has become of the earth
that once made the land level, if it is
not washed away? The object in
rounding them up and deepening out
side bitches is to ''get the water off,
but the result is very unstable con-
dition, just the opposite to that de-
sired. They rut easily and water
follows the ruts, washing as it runs;
they are uncomfortable to drive on,
with the load on two outside wheels.
They freeze deeper in winter and are
always worse in the spring. Loaded
teams cannot readily pass; in fact there
is everything against and nothing in
favor of them. have never claimed,
as some of my critics seem to think,
that level clay road would be as
good for all seasons, as properly
constructed stone road, but that level
road composed of surface soil is better
under all conditions than rounded
up, deep-ditch, clay pike and the
facts are abundant proof.
9Th. Roads should be smoothed as
early in the spring as possible and
kept smooth and level during the year.
In doing this only the least possible
depth of earth should be disturbed, as
it is most desirable to keep the sur
face of the road-bed in a stable condi-
ton. Tho hone should have some
carrying-ahead capacity and not too
much shove sideways.
9Th. The roadside bitches must be
shallow so as not to interfere with the
stability of the road, and also allow of
being readily drained into the adjoin-
ing lands, by the natural courses.
9TH. Every natural water course
ought to be kept open; because water
has an affinity for low lands and will
not run up hill, all efforts to the con-
trary notwithstanding. A benign
creator has mapped out path and it
is usually best to keep the surface wa
ter flowing in it. In nine cases out of
ten. trying to run the water along a
road IS only another name for stagnant
ponds in all the low places, or great
washing of the roads, 1t is against
nature, and generally disastrous 1t
is not the water that falls on the road
which does the harm; it is that which
is drained into the road from the ad
joining farms, because of deep side
bitches. Water must not be allowed
to stand or run along the road because
that powerful agent, capillary attrac-
ton, will draw it to the top. A bridge
or sluice should be put in every low
SPOT to carry the water across the road