The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1906-12-20
Draes For Roads.

Glzlas95 E6GlallAa3s
The october issue OF Farm and
Fsireside. has most excellent article
ON road building, especially that Of
keeping the roads in repair. The
article treats with roads In Missouri
and shows conelusively how good
dirt-roads are maintained with very
small cost The road devices given
are free from patent and can be
made by any one without very much
labor. They are called drags. The
following is the explanation as to the
eject they have on the roads:
None need be told that the dishes,
bowls and other products of their
skill as clay-workers would hold
water. The mud used was of such
consistency and the soil particles
we're SO closely held together that it
was impervious. This mud repre-
sents the dust made by constant
trampIng and wear Of the road sur
face. When moistened this fine
dust forms paste similar to cement
And here IS where the drag suggests
IT'S use. All roads over black prairie
gumbo or clay soils have few
inches of puddled earth on their sur
face after considerable rains. BY
using the drag on these roads the
dust paste Is crudely troweIed or
smeared over the surface Wind,
sunshine and travel dry. harden and
beat down this mud mantle until It
becomes sort of shell which turns
water almost as freely as a slate
roof. Travel soon works up dust on
the surface again. Then another
rain forms puddled earth or dust
paste from this dust. Another drag
gfng spreads this coat over the first,
/, and the same processes dry, harden
and lamp It. We now have a double
s shell on the road. making 1t harder,
smoother and nearer waterproof
than before. Dragged after each
rain. when the mud works nicely and
does not stick to the drag, road
VIII acquire during the season such
a thick, compact hide that it Will
turn water, resist the action of frost
and remain hard and smooth
throughout the year. The more It
is travelled the better 1t viii be. pro-
.vided 1T is dragged after each rain.
Every time the dust paste Is spread
over the surface and then beaten
down and hardened the road Is I'M
proved. The writer has a piece OF
road that has been dragged for two
years. It's shell is so thick and
hard that 1t can scarcely be cut with
an ak. You can wager that the bot
tom will not fall out of the road, no
matter how wet the spring may be.
It was tested the past spring by
weeks of rainy weather, but 1t held
It's own. other roads were impas-
sable. Their bottoms fell out. and
they would mire man or beast In
stead of turning the water they abb
sorbed it.
barring sand. win make good roads
where the drag is properly used
clay and gumbo soils make idea
earth-roads. Most roads are nat; II
fact. many OF them are lower in the
center than at the sides. This con
dition should be altered either b!
the use OF the large road-worker'
found in many communities or b!
running the drag at an angle SO tina
1t will work a little earth towar'
the middle. 1t is essential to hav'
the middle of the road at least a foo
higher than the edges of the travel
ed way. AS the drag does not NOV
much earth it will take six or eigh
draggings to effect this change. blu
the job could be quickly performe
with big road-scraper.
"a good earth road must be hard
smooth and oval or convex.
road will acquire these fundamente
characteristics and retain them If
Is dragged after each rain. BY rio
ing the drag the driver can regulat
the amount of earth moved towar
the center. The first applications
the drag VIII merely knock off tn
rough edges, MI in the ruts and pr
vide for more effective work in Il