Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1902-07-02
DRAINAGE OF ROADS
SOME POINTS BY PROFESSOR IRA O.
BAKER.
Tho ssccess OF Tile Drainage ON
Farm Lands and Highway.-some
Recent Experiments In Illinois.
How the work should He Done.

Nh hVouS cASept tnoSe on pure sand
can be materially improved by tile
drainage. says Professor Ira q. Baker
OF the Illinois agricultural experiment
station I'm Good Roads Magazine. This
IL the opinion OF many farmers i'm sew
eral communities with whom the writ.
er has conyersed ON this subject. In
each community this is universally the
opinion Of the farmers who have had
the best success IN draining their own
farms. The cost of tile drainage is not
$l6O per mile-and the Improvement is
permanent. with no expense for main
tenance. and the benefit is immediate
and certain.
Further. tile drainage is the very
best preparation for a gravel or a
stone road Gravel or broken stone
placed upon an undrained foundation
Is almost sure TO sink gradually, what
ever its thickness. whereas a thinner
layer upon an underdrained roadbed
will give much better service. Roads
tiled without gravel are better than
roads graveled without tile
The road should be underdrained so
as TO keep the water level well below
the road surface. In most localities
this can be accomplished reasonably
well 10y laying a line of farm tile three
or three and half feet below the road
surface along one side OF the roadway.
Ii is sometimes claimed that there
should he tile on each side OF the
road.
Some tests recently made by the I'LL
nois experimental station. not yet pub
lished. seem to indicate that one line
Will give fairly good drainage under
the most adverse conditions The ex-
pertinent consisted I'm the drainage OF
piece of land selected as the worst
that could he found i'm part OF the
state notorious as having n large area
OF hardpan which il was generally con
sidered could not be underdrained be
cause the soil held water like a lug"
Lines or tiles were placed two and a
half feet deep and fifty feet apart. The
water level at point midway between
the lines Of tiles WAS lowered eighteen
inches. when at the same time the WA.
ter level i'm The undraincd portion OF
surface. In this case the surface of
the ground water had a slope OF one
foot i'm twenty-five feet hut in a more
porous soil the slope would be much
less. Therefore single line OF tile
three or three ana half feet deep. il
OF adequate" size. Will give nearly per
rect drainage. and second line will
not materially improve il.
Some writer's on good roads advocate
the use OF line Of tile under the mid
die OF the travelled portion. aud some
advocate line on each side of the
wheelway. The object sought hv these.
Tiles Is rapid drainage. and therefore il
Is urged that they should be laid near
the surface. IL is doubtful whether
any water will reach the tile. since the
road surface when wet is puddled bv
the traffic, which prevents the water
percolating through the soil. and il is
certain that in clay or loan the drain
age thus Obtained is OF no practical
value. More than one farmer has tried 4
TO drain his barnyard by laying tile
near the surface. always without an
preciable effect.
While line OF tile on one side of the /
road Is usually sufficient there is Of
ten a great difference as TO. the side on /
which IL should be laid. II one side of
the road * higher than the other. Tie
tile should he OH the high side TO i'm. I
tercept the ground water that is flow. /
ing down the slope under the surface I
The tile should be laid I'm the bottom /
OF the side ditch below the frost line.
or course the tile should have a mi /
form grade and a sufficient fall and an /
adequate outlet. The size of the tile |
required Will depend upon the length /
or the line and the grade OF the ditch. /
but local experience in farm drainage I
Is likely To be a better guide than any /
general statement that can be made. /
Farm drainage is almost certain 10 /
precede road drainage in any particu- /
lar locality
Ihe side bitches are to receive the 4
water from the surface of the Travelled |
way and should carry ii rapidly and |
entirely away from the roadside. They |
are useful also to intercept and carry |
on the water that would otherwise
how from the side hills upon the road
Ordinarily they need not be deep and
II possible, should have a broad. FLAIR
ing side toward the travelled way 10
prevent accident If n vehicle should be
crowded To the extreme side of the
roadway. The outside bank should be
nat enough to prevent caving. The
proper form of ditch is easily made by
the usual road machine or road grad
er. The side ditch should have n free
outlet INTO some stream, SO as to carry
the water entirely away from the
road. No good road can be obtained
with side bitches that hold the water
until it evaporates.
Much alleged roadwork is a positive
damage for this reason. Piling ND the
earth In the middle OF the road Is per-
haps in Itself well enough, but leaving
UNFRAMED holes at the side of the road
probably more than counterbalances
the benefits OF the embankment A
road between long artificial ponds is
always inferior and is often impassa-
Die. 1t Is cheaper and better to make
lower embankment and to drain
thoroughly the holes at the side OF the
roads. OFTEN the public funds can he
more wisely used In making bitches
In adjoining private lands than i'm max
ing ponds at the roadside in an at
tempt to improve the road by raising
the SUFFICE.
How to Avoid Trouble.
. Now is the time to provide yourself and
FAMILY with bottle of Chamberlain's CoIic
Cholera and Diarrhoea Remedy. Ii i sal,
most certain To be needed before theSummer