Middletown transcript., 1905-06-03
THE KINGS ROAD DRAG

Ont in Calhoun County, Ia, consider
able interest is being worked up in the
good roads movement and at a meeting
held at Lake City not long ago, much
time was given to the working Of road
drag invented by a man named DR..
Ward King, Oh which there is no patent
and which anyone can make. Explain
ing its working, Mr.. King said:
"The operation is extremely simple.
merely 60 over the stretch Of road with a
drag after every rain or wet spell. The
drag is made by splitting log placing the
two pieces on edge about thirty inches
apart with the flat side both facing in;
the same is protected by iron; an old
wagon tire will do. The log should be
ten or twelve inches thick and from seven
to nine feet long. A chain or heavy
wire is fastened about foot or eighteen
inches from each end by which to haul
it. A team is hitcled SO that the drag
will move the dirt towards the center Of
the road. The hitch is next in import
ance to the time at which the dragging
is done. The right time is just as the
road dries after a rain or when it is thawed
on top during the spring and winter.
It should be dragged every time it rains.
"Of course smooth surface for travel
is thus produced, but more valuable re-
suit is that the road will shed the next
rain instead Of absorbing it. This is the
reason why the road should be dragged
after rain, so that it always will be
ready for tile next. The way to
make it good dirt road is to keep
it so the rain will not 60 into it. This
means dragging about once month on
an average. ! drag from my own front
gate to my neighbours front gate, half a
mile, taking about twenty minutes
don't make very many trips to town be-
fore | have regained the time expended
i'll dragging, to say nothing Of the gain to
by neighbors and to the general public.
''This method is very simple but to one
who is familiar with the ordinary dirt
road under all condition OF seasons and
weather, are little short Of marvellous.
Dragging every time it rains spreads a
thin layer of moist dirt over the moist
surface and travel packs and pounds it
together, every dragging adding just a
little soil and the whole being thoroughly
amalgamated and consolidated
"a horses foot print will hold from a
saucerful to quart cup Of water. The
neglected road presented surface Of
upturned cups and saucers in which the
water must stand until it either evapor-
ates or soaks into the road bed. Drag
ging every time it rains gets the road
ready for the next rain and there are
never any cups and saucers waiting.
This method also does way with the mud
holes and chuch holes at the bridges.
After being dragged few times, the sur
face of the road stays up with the level of
the bridges. One knows only by the
sound that he has driven on or off a
bridge. More dirt can be moved and
more Of show made by dragging the
road during thaws in winter than at any
other seasons. The soil is crumbly and
mealy and pushes to the center easily.
If the road is dragged in March or April
two or three times, it will show the cf-
fects all summer. The weeds do not
grow on the edge Of the road, as they do
on a road that has not been touched after
winter travel. But if one wants road
such as have described, he must live up
to the motto, Keep the road ready for
the next rain"