Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1905-05-18

seed leaf. II ALEC does away with
the bumps at each side of bridges
and culverts. Regular dragging
fills them and they become az solid
as the rest of the road. AS the
wheel tracks are wiped out the wa
ter does not run 10 the bridge after
every shower, 90 you can drive as
swiftly over the culverts as over
any other portion Of the road.
WHEN TO USE THE DRAAG
At fret you will have to draw
when part of the road is too wet.
But after a while it will dry evenly,
and the fret few times you drag il
will be better for you to merely
drive down one wheel track and
back, moving the dirt toward the
center of the wagon track. Gradu-
ally widen as you get chance.
This will give solid foundation.
If the wagon track is at one siee OF
the highway, begin right there. The
rest will follow in time. Don't be
in a hurry. Remember you cannot
successfully make a fine crop by
blowing the corn four times day.
Fist, make drag; second, use il
every time you can improve the
road by dragging.
The hitch ia next in importance
to the time at which the dragging
lie done. The right time is just after
the road dries after rain or when
il is thawed on top during the win.
ter and spring, and it should be
dragged every time.
OF course, a smooth surface for
travel is thus produced, but a more
valuable result is that the road will
shed the next rain instead of alb.
sorbing it.
This is the reason why the road
should be dragged every time, 30
that il will always be ready for the
next rain. If I do not say anything
else that is remem bered-and If the
reader does not get any other
thought, I want him to get that
idea-the way to make good road
Ia to to keep it 30 that the next rain
will not 60 into it.
DRAGGING ONLY ONCE A MONTH
Ihave kept track of it as to the
amount of time, and find that the
average is twelve times year, that
is only once month; not much to
secure a good road. ] dragged from
my own front gate to my neigh
boris front gate, half a mile. 1t
takes about twenty minutes. I
don't make very many trips to town
before have regained the time !
expended in dragging, to cay moth.
ing of the gain to my neighbors
and the general public.
Somebody says that we can not
get men or teams in May or June.
Now have given this matter very
careful study, having been a road
crank for eighteen or twenty years,
and have learned that If you will
keep your road ready for the next
rain you can do the pending a good
deal on the season and your lati-
tude. Then you will find much
more to be done in May and June.
In February, March and April, now
notice, in February, March and
April, you can get out and
WORK ROADS BEFORE FIELDS
The reason we do not get out and
work our road 10 because II has not
been touched since last autumn, 1t
you kept your road good last fall
then il ls in shape so that you can
drag II when you can do nothing
else with your team, because tbe
road dries before your field does.
In spring and winter you will find
IL best to drag the road when the
surface is dry, but while the part
just beneath the surface-that part
reached by your drag-is still quite
mo;st: Ia summer and early fall you
will End 1t best to drag when the
surface gets a little bit wet, be-
cause after the summer rains the
soil niuch orsan inch and half
below shs surface gets very dry be.