The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1907-04-19
FOR BETTER ROADS.
What II Means to improve and Main.
tain Dirt Roads.

The chief thing to do in attacking
the road problem is TO thoroughly
drain and grade the roads and then
narrow or drag the surface. so that
the water will not stand. This being
done. the roads will be more satisfac-
tory during nine or ten months in the
year than If they were coated with
gravel or broken stone. As is well
known, water is great destroyer OF
dirt roads and this must be removed.
side bitches are nearly always pro-
vided, but experience shows that
these are inadequate. The best meth
Cd OF draining a dirt road is difficult
TO describe, because so much depends
upon the surface. Where water falls
upon a road, il must be carried off
the surface to one side or the other
for drainage.
The first thing TO do in starting to
improve a dirt road is TO grade il
With some of the machines now on the
market for that purpose, says Orange
Judd Farmer. IL should be slight
~ higher in the middle than at the
sides, so that when the water falls
upon 1t this will run to one side or
the other. OF course, this grading
should be done early enough in the
season to permit the surface becom-
ing packed and hardened before
freezing weather sets in in the fall
The water which is carried off runs
tDh
undoubtedly most satisfactory to have
a tile along either side to carry off
this water and also remove the water
from beneath the roadbed. This tile
should be three or four feet below the
surface and have sufficient fall TO
Grain well. Some supervisors advise |
putting q tile down the middle of the |
road, but u side tiles are properly put |
In, TINS will not be necessary. There |
is, however, no objection to the form |
er plan, but most roadmen find that |
the side drain is sufficient. However. |
occasionally road supervisor insists |
that the middle drain should never be |
omitted. II the outlets are of the |
right kind. and the tiles have the
proper fall, all the surface and sub
surface water should be removed and
the road will remain in good condition |
most OF the year.
With the drainage looked after
properly, the care of the surface of
me road is exceedingly important.
This matter has been before the pub
nc very prominently during the last
Iew years by those who advocate the
use OF the split drag log. This is sim
ply an instrument made by fastening
together two pieces of a split log and
iragging this over the surface TO re-
move inequalities, fill up ruts and
loles and keep the surface level so
hat all the water which falls upon it
VIII run into the side drain. This
method has been practiced for many
'ears and where conscientiously used
ne drag is a great benefit. The
harrow answers the same
purpose and a drag. with a strip of
metal along the front, answers even
,etter.
The time OF treating Lhe surface OF
he road is in the early spring, when
he frost is coming out of the ground.
Whenever the surface is sufficiently
Try SO that the upper part of the
round is mellow, go over the road
With a drag or harrow until the sur
ace is perfectly level Repeat this
very day until the road is packed
own solid. Continue the use of this
rag or harrow throughout the season
nd just before the ground freezes
p. and see that the top of the road is
evel. so that the water will run off
uring the winter.
IL has been fully demonstrated in
illinois. Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska {
hat this method of road treatment I
ill give good roads and removes the I
ecessity of taxing farmers heavily
Or hard roads. Farmers in this part I
the United States will never submit Y
the hard road law and there is lit
e danger of IL being passed. J