The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1902-04-15
Living Issues.
ECONOMICAL METHODS OF ROAD IN
PROVRNKNT IN THE SOUTH.

Has 68u experience In &@@SSAA ASA@
Carolina.
Through the courtesy Of the pub
HRheFs Of the New York Engineering
News, THE PROGRESSIVE FARMER ie
enabled to present TO it's readers this
week q timely and thoughtful article
on economical road building. It is
from the pen of Chas. 81 SCOTT, G.
T., and should be of special interest
TO our readers, since it is based on
Mr.. Soott's experience in our own
State. Hesays:
While enjoying a vacation a few
years ago, the writer was for a short
time employed as Supervisor of Pub,
lilo Roads for Warren County, n. G.
A road law specially enacted for the
county had abolished entirely the
old plan of "cslling out the hands"
so do free work on the roads, sub
stituting therefor a tax on poll and
property. This tax was very small,
netting not quite "a, 900 per annum
during the two years of my service.
There were about $50 miles of roads
to be cared for in q territory of
about 500 square miles. Of this
mileage a considerable percentage,
of COURSE was not much used.
CONDITION OF THE ROADS.
Of the main roads, some parts,
lying on sandy or gravelly surface,
were never very bad. A large part
of these roads, however, lay on a
surface which was either wholly
composed of clay, red or yellow, or
of clay covered with a thin layer of
light sandy loan which when not
drained was easily cut through or
washed of, exposing the clay.
These parts of the roads in winter
and in wet weather generally became
unspeskably bad, the clay QUITTING up
TO a depth of from 1 to 2 feet, and
some stretches of road becoming
wholly impossible.
WHAT THE wRTTER LEARNED.
The very limited money available
for road work led TO a careful study
of the conditions of the case, with
the following results:
Is was observed that many parts
of the roads which yer always good
had a bed surface covering of sand
or gravel, often very thin, covering
clays, red or yellow, beneath. Care
full examination of the thickness and
nature of this covering and it's rela
ton to the underlying clay disclosed
several interesting. and important
facts.
It was found that the covering of
sand, gravel or sandy loan vas often
very thin, on sections of road that
were hardly ever out up or in bad
order In some cases, in which there
was no noticeable deterioration Of
the roadway in seasons that were
quite favorable, the sandy covering
was not over an inch thick ove- a
yellow and rather porous clay. Is
was also noted that an ordinary
sandy loan, CT ''soil, as it was com
monty called, often made as good a
covering as any other-the varying
hneness of it's materials causing a
closer packing. This appeared TO
make il superior TO a fine sand of
uniform grain, which was o apt
TO out up when dry.
Many parts of the roadway had
alternate sections of denuded clay
and of sand or gravel surface, while
others in which the clay was more
generally exposed, had sand, or
gravel, or sandy soil, nearby. Is
was determined to try the plan of
SHAPING UP THE CLAYEY PARTS OF THE
ROADS
into a good surface, either by hand
or machine, and then covering the
roadway with the best materials pro
durable, by the use of wheel scraDers.
This plan proved signally successful.
Parts of the roadway thus repaired,
which had been for years no5ori.
ously bad, and almost impossible
during winter and wet seasons, have
been 90 entirely changed in charac
ter that a team may be driven over
them at a trot any day in the year.
The material, when properly selected
and applied, has compaoted into a
firm, hard surface, which sheds water
freely and rapidly, is dry soon after
rainfslls, and is scarcely ever out TO
any ~appreoiable depth, and often
hardly marked by the passage of