The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1905-07-14
New System of Road
Making,
THE SPLIT LOG DRAG.
Inexpensive Methods of Max
ing Fine Dirt Roads Without
Use ofStone-R Road Machines
Unnecessary.


MissOuri--in the SATURDAY Eoen-
ing Post, tells in a most convinc,
ing way the practical benefits of
the ''split log" system of road
making. which he developed and
used with so much success that it
has attracted widespread atten.
tion in other states. 1t seems
| perfectly reasonable and like other
improved ideas, has to undei 90
its set backs and overcome preju-
dices before the world will ac-
knowledge its value. He says
that the North Western Railroad
ran "dirt roads specials last
spring, similar to t h e "corn
specials" in this state this year
to introduce new method of Sc
lecting seed corn to the farmers.
We should like to hear of any
results gained by the use of this
novel road making scheme. Any
one can use it and it is very cheap
both as TO construction and the
/ labor attached.
The article which follows tells
its own interesting story:
"There is something startling, .
says MIR. King, Sin the statement
that a drag made of a split log
and costing only the price of a
] pocket knife is the implement that
is going 10 revolutionize the wagon
roads of this country and save
many millions of dollars to the
rural population of the United
States-yet | make this statement
and put upon it all the emphasis
of which [ am capable.
"'Downright absurd do you ex-
claim? | have had hundreds of
farmers greet with jeers a less
sweeping statement of the case
and then go home and prove to
themselves its absolute correct.
ness. Have you any idea of what
it would mean to the people of the
United States to change the bad
wagon roads of the country into
good roads? Such a revolution in
transportation would climb so high
into figures that the sum total
would be absolutely startling and
almost beyond comprehension.
Not very long after had made
the first complete demonstration
of the split log method of road
making on my farm in Missouri,
Col. G. w. Waters, Secretary of
/ the Missouri Good Roads Associ-
alton. said to me:
"'If the road commissioners of
| the State of Missouri could stand
here and see what | see, the re >
suit would be worth a hundred
thousand dollars a year to this
Commonwealth
sit is impossible to express in
figures even the most general esti-
Innate of the value of such a revo-
luton i'll road making as must re
suit from the general use of this
new and 'absurdly simple method.
However, it is we'll to keep in
mind the fact that in almost all
States the mileage ofcommon dirt
roads is many times double that
of macadamized or other expen
slve roads intended to be perma
nent.
'ln a State so long settled. so
progressive and prosperous as
Ohio, for example, more than fifty
per cent of the roads are of earth.
and the interest shown by Massa
] chusetts, Pennsylvania, New
/ York and other Eastern States in
the work of the split log drag in
dicates that the dirt roads of these
( ComnOnwealths still constitute
very important and perplexing
element in the problem of trans.
portatiOn by team. Fully ninety
nine per cent of the highways of
Missouri and Iowa are earth roads.
and a State official of Iowa once
said to me that to have fifteen per
cent OF the main travelled roads of
his State macadamized would be
to realize the most ambitious
dreams of those men of the State
especially interested in improving
the condition of its highways.
$50 much by way of suggesting
1.-THE size of the problem winch the
split log drag has come to solve.
What has already been accom-
1 plished, so far as the spread of
the movement is concerned. NAV
be put in few words; 1t has been
backed and pushed by the Mis-
souri, Board of Agriculture; one
railroad, the Northwestern, has
sent out a Good Roads Special
for the purpose of evangelizing
the farmers of it's territory; other
roads are eager to install the same
kind of a broad gauge, public
spirited campaign; thousands of
miles of wagon roads have been
| permanently reclaimed from had