Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-05-08
Kings Lectures and Demon
STATIONS Have Had Wonder
tul Effect In the Country
WAVE OF ENTHUSIASM
Farmers Not Only Talking Split Long
Drass, But Are Testing the Method
and Pronuonce 1t Great Success
Wilson Taken a squirt at the Re-
suits.
Special to Times-R Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Williams, May S.-There Is perhaps
no class Of people In this country who
make their work with it's attendant
conditions and prospects the subject OF
their thought and conversation to Il
greater extent than do the residents
Of the rural communities during the
period of growing and harvesting their
crops. On the street, In the road, or
ut the home, weather, seed, or soil
conditions. or progress In whatever
farm work is being done at that par
ticular season Of the year, almost In
variably furnish the topics for discus
sion, and anything short Of a profound
sensation that Is of sufficient interest
to upset the general rules has to be
matter Of prime Importance to those
concerned.
The recent good roads meeting held
at Jewell, however, supplied to the
people of this vicinity as other like
meetings seem to have done In other
localities, a subject on which they are
doing some hard thinking, a lot of
talking and also something in the way
Of practical application. and the lat
est plan of road Improvement. the use
of the road drag, may be said to be
at the present time the subject Of par
amount interest.
Owing to the level character Of tho
y ,,J nf the
soil, spring roads annually assume a
condition that Is anything but deslr-
able Deep ruts are worn, which I'LL
with water every time 1t rains. render
travelling or teaming dlsagreeable ana
tedious operations to be avoided as far
as possible. Heretofore these ruts and
deep worn tracks have been filled up
and the roads brought into tolerably
passable shape by the occasional use
of a road grader, which, however.
could not be we'll brought into use un-
til two or three days after a rain and
then only over q limited amount OF
road, and with no inconsiderable ex-
pense.
What follows is the result of occa-
sional observations and inquiries made
al odd intervals during a busy days
work on one Of the rural mail routes
leading from this town.
The first evidence of interest In the
matter was the case of a farmer who
had constructed a light contrivance
consisting of plank and rope so ar
ranged that 1t could be drawn at any
desired angle. He had his team hitch
ed to the drag" and was all ready to
experiment on the half mile Of road
bordering his farm.
A little farther down the line lived
one Of the township trustees. The
board of which he was a member hal
authorized one of the supervisors to
construct twelve foot four horse
plank drag and ascertain by trial what
could be done with 1t. He believed
that the new plan would result in tie
saving of several hundred dollars TO
the township each year. He did not
regard 1t us a matter of lessening e,:-
pense alone, as he favored contirl-
ued tax levy to the full limit, the SUI
plus funds to be used in further inl-
provements in the way of bridges,
grades, etc. Said he intended to use
a small drag on his mile of road and
would donate the work. He thought
every man In the vicinity would be
willing to do the same with his own
road. Asked as to the renters ata-
tude on that proposition, he said that
the renter would be willing to do his
part owing to the fact that he gener-
ally marketed more grain than the
landowner. and so used the roads
more. When I said, what about The
man that moves every year?" he ans
wered, "He'd be the most Interested
of any. He would want a good road
to move on"
About 5 o'clock I met the supervis-
or at work with his drag" He said
he had been over seven miles of road
during the day, part of 1t two times.
He asserted that he had accomplished
as much as he could have done with a
$3.50 grader, three men and four teams
in two days, that the work with his
SIS implement drawn by four horses
was more satisfactory than anything
he could have done with the grader;
that the expense to the township for
the days work would be $3.50, where
as by the other method it would have
footed Up about $21. Other men who
saw the work professed their conf
dence ir the efficacy of the plan and
believe that one phase of the road
making problem at least has been
solved.