Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1904-08-11


Drag, Leoturing ON His Method
Of Improving Country Highways
Many Adopt the Plan.
The Missouri farmer. ID. Ward King,
who discovered that country highways
can be vastly improved by use OF IL
road drag, has Gecn engaged to ueiiv-
er a series Of lectures and has turned
over his farm 10 others and is devot-
fng all of his time to preaching the
gospel Of good roads. Good roads meet
ings have been held in various parts of
Missouri, and hundreds al converts
have been made. After every rain in
Missouri hundreds of farmers drag the
roads Ia trout OF their farms, and the
number of these volunteer good read
workers is increasing every week
MIR. Kings method OF preaching good
roads is similar to the methods of the
old fashioned Methodist preacher, says
,he Kansas City Tilnas He tells of the
awful possibilities for evil and for low
priced lands that lay in bad roads and
the inevita bic rewards for good roads,
He does not urge any change in the
road laws. but he does urge u change
in the attitude of all good citizens to-
ward the road question. He urges that
they make ii personal question ana
assume the responsibilities themselves
and instead OF blaming the road over
seers go to work themselves and fix
tho roads. Then he calls for converts.
AT each meeting over half the farmers
present promise - drag the roads,
Many Of them do, and others take it up
after they see their peishbors' success.
The good results Of the method are far
reaching aud there has been a greater
Improvement in the roads OF Missouri
during tie past year than there has
been IL ANY previous hSe years
Mr Kings theory, which practice
has demonstrated ~ be correct. is that
all clay and gumbs roads should be
dragged with light drag AFTER each
rain or wet spoil The drag srnooths
down the rough places and fills up the
ruts. When the sun dries up the road
it leaves roadbea a. smooth and per
feet as city street.
The discovery OF rhis method was
largely accidental. Five years ago he
lived on n small bn1 wall improved
farm near Maitland He was not par
ticularly interested in fhe good road
movement as a national or state Issue.
but the four miles OF road from his
farm to Maitland were of great interest
to him The road wss OF that soft.
sticky red clay that i'll wet weather
clings TO the wagon wheels in great
Jumps and IN dry weather is as hard
as rock and almost as injurious TO
wagon tires Passing wagons in wet
weather would dig deep ruts, and
when the road dried up the ruts would
remain. AT best the road was very
poor Many times when wheat was
selling ut good price and Mr.. King
had many bushels OF it the road would
be so bad that he could not haul ii to
tho market. and when the road finally
became passab tho market would be
low again.
After nsuy experiments he con
structed a small, light drag. using tive
cid timbers connected with light strips,
ana began to drag the road in front Of
his residence. After each rain he
would run the drag over it, and when
the sun came out aud the road dried up
it was in perfect condition. When he
began to drag the road many of his
neighbors told other neighbors that
King was crazy. Others told King
himssIf that he was crazy. The others
didn't say anything, but they believed
he was crazy just the same But the
experiments provel that kiig's meth
od was successful. and he extended his
operations until he WAS dragging all
the road IN front OF his farm. His
neighbors took il up, and IN few
months the road from his farm to
Maitland WAS as good as amy i'll the
state.