Oxford eagle., 1907-04-18
FOR BETTER ROADS.
What II Means TO Improve and Mar
tain Dirt Roads.

The chief thing to do in attacking
the road problem is TO thoroughly
drain and grade the roads and then
harrow 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 II 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.
od OF draining dirt road Is difficult
10 describe, because SO much depends
upon the surface Where water falls
/ upon a road. 1t must be carried on
the surface to one side or the other
/ Tor drainage
The first thing to do in starting to
/ improve a dirt road is 10 grade Il
with some of the machines now ON the
market for that purpose says Orange
Judd Farmer. II should be slight
| ~ higher In the middle than at the
sides, ~ 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 on runs
TO the open ditch on the side II is
undoubtedly most satisfactory to have
tile along either side to carry on
this water and also remove the water
from beneath the roadbod. This tile
should be three or four feet below the
surface and have sufficient fall To
Grain well. Some supervisors advise
putting tile down the middle OF the
road, but " side tiles are properly put
in. this will not be necessary There
IL, however. no objection To the form.
or PLAN but most roadmen find that
the side drain is sufficient. However,
occasionally "A 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
the road is exceedingly important
This matter has been before the pub
lie very prominently during the last
few 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 split log and
/ dragging this over the surface to re-
move inequalities. MI up ruts and
holes and keep the surface level, so
that all the water which falls upon II
viii run into the side drain. This
method has been practiced for many
years and where cunscientiously used
the drag is great benefit The
smoothing harrow answers the same
| purpose and drag. with strip OF
metal along the front. answers even
better.
The time OF treating the surface OF
the road is In the early spring. when
the frost is coming out of the ground.
| whenever the surface is sufficiently
dry so that the upper part Of the
/ ground is mellow. go over the road
with drag " harrow until the sur.
face is perfectly level. Repeat this
every day until the road is packed
! down solid. Continue the use of this
drag or harrow throughout the season
and just before the ground freezes
mp. and see that the top of the road is
level. SO that the water will run of
during the winter
It has been fully demonstrated In
Illinois. Missouri. Iowa and Nebraska
/ that this method of road treatment
will give good roads and removes the
necessity of taxing farmers heavily
for hard roads Farmers in this part
of the United States will never submit
/ to the hard road law and there is lit
tie danger of it being passed.