The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1905-07-14
NEW SYSTEM OF
ROAD MAKING.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4. }

rod that way, when he took 1t |
out and poured a dipperful Of
water into the little hole.
Again he inserted the end of
the rod and began to chug it
down. The way it sank through
The moiStened soil made my eyes
open. A little more water and a
little more chugging, and in a
few minutes he had put that
rod down eight feet into the
earth without removing more
than half a shovelful of dirt.
Then it came to me-that'S dig
ging by mixing little water
with dirt. and it's precisely what
a wagon wheel does to muddy
road-a road where the water can
stand until something comes
along to mix it with the earth;
while, on the other hand, the
dragged road uses a coat of mud
to all practical purposes a ce-
ulGHl-LO lHuhV an Wv III AOOl NhOO
will not let the water stand.
SAT one of our meetings in
Nebraska a Road Commissioners
came to me very much troubled
about stretch Of gumbo high
way under his supervision. i
SUPPOSE said he, that, if yOu
had this road to take care of. as
soon as you saw hollow place in
it you would go and get dirt and
fill it ing
Ono Freplied, i would fill
1t in before there was any hollow
place there
apparently this statement
was a little beyond his grasp,
and so | tried to think of some
illustration by which | could
make it entirely clear to him. just
at that moment | happened to
notice that he had head of thick /,
wavy hair. This gave me the
inspiration | needed, and | said:
""How often do you comb your
hairT
"Why, three times day, of
course he answered, flushing
| slightly.
"Then | came back at him with
the question:
"Why don't you wait until
there are tangles, or at least in
dications of tangles in it before
you begin to drag it with comb
That's precisely the plan upon
which traditional road making
is conducted. You have been in
the habit of waiting until the
tangles were there, and, conse
quently, you had to use a much
heavier implement, with the
result that you moved great
deal more-earthp
Everywhere the rallying cry
of this movement is: From your
own front gate to your neighbours
front gate toward town. Thus,
the thing always starts with the
farmers own self interest, but
leads him directly beyond hi;
own line fence to the place where
he finds himself working for the
general good of the community
There are three considerations
that are especially powerful il
getting men interested in this
movement: Keeping the roads il
condition so that school an(
church privileges may be enjoyed
keeping the boys in touch Will
a certain amount of social life &
that they will not wish to leave
the farm, and keeping the rOaC
pasSable for work and heavy
hauling so that good markets
may be taken adv antage of, anC
work done at a time when it viii
count most and be accomplished
at minimum Of time, toll anC
expense.
"FrOm the outset of this work
so many questions have poured il
upon me indicating points con
corning which the public is prom,
to 90 astray in it's understanding
of how to build and use the split
log drug that l have prepared
the following road dragging 'cat
echiSm' as covering, with fai
completeness, the main working
facts in the problems:
Would it not be better to pillow
the road before dragging?
mo. Flowing gives a sof
foundation. Flowing the middl
of the road is relic of the oil,
dump scraper days.
"What do you do when the,
are deep ruts in the rOads
drag them. If you dra,
when the surface is quite loos
and soft, you will be surprised
how soon the ruts will disappear
chow do you get The dirt Il
the middle of the rOadl
"By hauling the drag slantwis
with the end that is towards thu
centre of the road a little to tn,
rear OF the other end.
But suppose the road is to,
narrow
First drag the wheel tracks