The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1902-04-01

the ground is frozen and a heavy rain or
only means of getting rid of the surface
water, for no matter how sandy or pOr-
Gus the soil may be, when filled with
frost 1t is practically water tight, and
the water which falls or forms on the
surface must either remain there or be
carried away by surface bitches at the
sides OF the road.
"A side ditch should have a gradually
falling and even grade at the bottom,
ana BROAD, ffarlng sides tC prevent the
caVlng IN of its banks. 1t can be easily
cleared OF snow, weeds and rubbish; the
water will run into it easily from each
side, and it is not dangerous to wagons
and foot travellers.
Where the road is built on a grade
some provision should be made to pre-
vent the wash of the cutters into great,
deep gullies. This can be lone by
paving the bottom and sides OF
the cutters with brick, river
rocks, or field stone. In order TO make
the flow in such side bitches as small as
possible it is advisable to construct out
let's into the adjacent fields or to lay IN
der ground pipes or tile drains with
opening. into the bitches at frequent in
tervals.
The size of side bitches should depend
| upon the character of the soil and the
amount of water they are expected to
carry. If possible they should be located
) feet from the edge of the travelled
roadway SO that if the latter is IA feet
wide there will be 20 feet of clear space
between bitches.
To make a ditch with even. haring sides
so as to produce a neat job, it is good
policy to use a rough gauge. The gauge is
like that shown IN fig. s. The gauge is
made of light strips of wood about 3
inches in width and / inch thick. The
Upright strip should be about 4 feet long
OF the horizontal strip should be | foot
inches IL length, measured from the left
side of the upright piece to the point of
the gauge Oh the extreme right. The top
Of the horizntal strip should be 1 foot
from the bottom point of the gauge. This
gauge should be provided with a plumb
and line, and by means OF the upright
strip is held vertical while the slope is
made TO correspond With the edges of
the diagonal strip.
The bottom of the ditch may vary If
width from 3 to Il inches, or even more.
as may be found necessary in order to
carry the largest amount of water which
10 ShpSCteQ ~ HOW through 1t at any one
time. Sometimes the only bitches neceS-
sary to carry off the surface water are
those made by the use of the road ma
chimes or road graders. The blade OF
the machine may be set at any desired
angle, and when drawn along by horses
cuts into the surface and moves the
earth from the sides toward the center,
forming cutters alongside and distribu-
ting the earth uniformly over the trav-
eled way Gig. 23). Such cutters are
liable to become clogged by brush
weeds and other debris, or destroyed by
passing wagons, and it is therefore bet
ter, when the space permits, to have the
side bitches above referred to, even if the
read be built with a road machine.
SUBDRAINAGE.
In order to nave a good road it is jus,
as necessary that water should not be al.
lowed to attack the SubStructure from
below as that it should not be permitted
to percolate through it from above. Els;
pecially is the former provision essentia
in cold climates, where, if water is al
lowed to remain in the SubStructure The
whole roadway is liable to become
broken up and destroyed by frost an
the wheels of vehicles. Therefore,