The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1908-01-24
MAINTENANCE OF
EARTH ROADS
Sunshine And Air Valuable to
water Holding Soil
Soil Should be Left At Top OF
Road As 1t Naturally
Exists

We may recognize the value Of hard
and durable roads In all parts OF the
country, but still the fact remains
that for a long time to come the ma
jority of the roads will be composed
of earth. furthermore, in about nine
months out of the year, the earth
road, Improperly cared for, is reason
ably satisfactory. For many agricul-
tural districts, 1t is the only road at
present available. Hence, these COM
munities should set themselves SER
iously to work 10 learn the best meth
DDS of maintaining earth roads and
of getting the maximum service from
them. Prosperity comes to the country
to a great extent through the pros
perity of the farmers. This fact strong
ly suggests the Importance of giving
the earth road every possible care
and attention in its location, drainage
construction and maintenance.
An earth road composed of water
holding soil should be exposed 10 the
sun and air as freely as possible, as
comparison between the shaded and
sunny portions of such a road will
easily indicate. This should be accomp
lished by clearing a sufficient amount
Of trees and underground away from
the road. 1t must be remembered,
however that sandy and gravclly
roads require moisture, and in these
cases some shade should be retained.
Furthermore, trees are beneficial alon
river banks and on steep grades sub
ject to washing.
Drainage is one of the most i'm
portant points to consider in connec-
ton with an earth road. The majority
of earth roads in all mountainous and
hilly districts have too much drainage
Occasionally road will be found with
five bitches, three in the middle made
by the horses hoofs and by wheels
of the vehicles, and two on the sides.
All well-constructed earth roads are
supposed to have no more than two
bitches, one on each side of the trav-
eled roadway. Keep the water out of
the middle of the road by giving it
a crown or elevation in the center
of 7k inches above the top Of the
inner slope of the ditch for a20-foot
road and where the hills are little
steep make the crown 10 inches. With
crown of about l inch 10 the foot
from the center to the sides, the ditch
es which are often built across the
road on steep grades to defect the
waterwill not be needed. Instead of
carrying water across the road in
open bitches, tile or concrete drains
should, if possible, be provided. They
should have sufficient capacity and
fall 10 carry the maximum amount of
water that is expected to flow through
them at any time. The capacity is
increased in proportion to the fall
or grade; for instance, IL inch pipe
laid on a one per cent. grade will car
ry 1900 gallons per minute, while the
same pipe laid on a per cent grade
will carry $500. gallons per minute.
Furthermore, a culvert laid flat will
soon fill up, while one having good
incline will keep itself clear
In the maintenance of an earth road
avoid the mistake of changing The nat
ural order of things. Naturally the
soil is found on top and the clay on
the bottom. If this order is reversed
in constructing a road, the result will
be less satisfactory than If the soil
be left at the top oftheroad,for soil
makes a better surface 10 a road than
clay. If the road bed is largely clay
to start with,it will be well TO place
sandy soil or clean sand on top. A
! covering of to 10inches of sand upon
clay that persists in breaking up in
to deep mudholes will usually be sat-
isfactory, and if sand enough be add
ed, this clay will cease to make mud.
If the roadbed is composed of and it
can be improved by an application of
clay.
The rule for a serviceable earth road
then, is as follows: Make bitches on
each side and keep them open; haul
sand and gravel upon sections need
ing this treatment; use road machin
and a split log drag judiciously "a
full description of which will be con-
tanned in later article); follow the
stitch in time" rule and give an earth
road the same careful persistent at
tention you would give your prize
acre, factory or store, and it will pay
as large profit in proportion to your
individual outlay.
GA - II . u Z a.
IL ~ ~