The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1906-02-21

4
off, the sun to shine on it. and the
winds to blow over it, and carries
a small amount of dirt thoroughly
mixed together and puddIed into
the middle of the road, thus main
tanning and increasing the grade.
If this is kept up from year to year
the covering of puddled dirt will
become so thick that the wiater
raius and SHOWS will penetrate it
but two or three inches, and hence
there will be no frost to como out,
no "breaking up" of the road in
the spring. There will be no cold
storage of water under the road
bed, and hence there can be no up-
heaval of the roads, for this up
heaval, or what is called the going
out of the frost" is simply the re-
snlt of cold storage of water during
the winter season.
We have gone to some trouble
I to sscertain the cost Of maintains
ling by the use of the road drag
roads that have been previously
drained, graded. and travelled. The
annual cost of making the road
we have, except asphalt, during
eight and or nine months of the
year is from three to five dollars
per mile. provided the dragging is
done by farmers along their own.
farms. allowing them from thirty
to fifty cents per hour for the time
actually engaged. This is a msre
fraction of the cost of gravel or
macadem road, and is even less
than the cost of maintaining thsse
roads after you have secured them
The cost. as shown by government
Investigations of maintaining the
macsdem roads in the eastern
states is from ten dollars lie
upwards. The cost of maintaining
Irish roads 10 from thirty TO cne
hundred and five dollars per m.te.
This was a great surprise, but the
data furnished is from the contracts
actually made by the county au-
thorities for the maintaining of
these roads on a fve-year oontrsot.
The more a country is subject to
prolonged drouths the greater is
the difficulty of maintaining mschd.
amized roads, for the reason that
long continued dry weather during
the summer season shrinls the
binding from the rock, the wiad
blows out the finer portions, end
the result is what is called by our
government engineers a travelled"
road, that is, road covered with
loose stones, which must be re-
moved before it can be made fit
for travel. Therefore. except per
haps in the vicinity of large cities,
where there is a heavy hauling and
where it is possible to keep the
macadamized road made as above
described is not only the cheapest
road possible but the best.
There are many things about the
use of the drag which cannot be
taught by tongue or pen; they
must be learned by practical ex-
perience. In this, however, it
does not differ from anything else
worth having. Even the preoepts
of religion are entirely useless to
any man unless he puts them into
practice. The same may be said
of an agricultural education. The
same may also be said of the art
of farming or any other profession
known among men. No man can
possibly realize the benefits of
this method until he actually
makes his drag and then uses 1t.
and uses it from year to year
Wherever this method is adopted
provision should be made by lew
that the farmer who does the work
on the roads shall receive oompen-
sation.
The article in this issue entitled
"The a. B. O, of Road Making.''
was suggested by our friend Mr..
E. Barlow Jones. Ii is taken fro m
WaIIaoes Farmer, probably the
best farm paper in America.
1t is a practical idea-farmers
read it. Road overseers read it.
We would call the special atteu-
tion of the County Court to it.
This is no experiment-it hiss
been tried and has given good le
sults-it is Inexpensive feature
which especially recommends it