Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1908-03-27
PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS
AND HINTS ON ROAD WORK
U. S. Office Of Public Roads Tells How 10 Make
and Maintain Model Earth Road.
Trealmenls OF Different Soil.

those Of any country u: the old world ,
they have not beer us !o!:~ly supported
as the men Of those countries in main
tanning the highways after completion, e,
and Tie depluIabic state OF many humid
red thousand miles OF rund Is thus nc
counted for. County and township
officials mny at the outset stand the
expense Of having road built, but they
strenuously ohjGt when asked to pro-
vide funds t" II build the road TINT has
been allowed to go tu ruin.
IL is important tia: farmers learn OF
the bcuetits to be derived from good
earth read; that county boards be im-
pressed with the heed Of IL proper main
iance Of the same, and that road build
ers and Overseers learn how best to care
Tor the r. ads III their charge.
Tie persistent apd powerful enemies
OF earth roads are water and marrow
tirCs, and the constant effort Of the mel
III charge ~ the roads should be tO
guard against thG ir IL structlve effects
and r, mcdy all damage rs quickly rs
possible. The sin. pie implements whicb
have been t"nnd To be Of greatest assist
auce i'll thus work are tue p'ow, the drag
scraIer, the wheel scrapcr, the road
grader, and the splii-log drag.
With sandy soil and IA suhsoiI OF
lay, or clay aud gravel, deep plowing SC
rs to raise and mix the clay with the
surface soil and sand will prove beuefi.
cIal. Tho combination forms a sand.
clay rUad at irflDg expense. On the
sand a mistake will be made il it If
plowed unless clay can be added Such
plowlng gould merely deepeu the sand
and at the same time break up the small
may have formed. II the subso,l is clay
nnd the surface scant III sand or gravel,
pluwlug should not be resorted to, as 1t
would result i'll n clay surface rather
foreman must know not only what to
plow, bnt how and when to plow. If
the road ia Of the kind which according
to the above Instructions should be
p!owcd over its whole width, the best
method is tO run the first furrow in a
crown. Results from such plOwinR are
greatest III the spring or carly summer.
In diicLcs plOw cHu he used to good
advantage, but should bc followed by a
scraEcr or grinder. To make wide, deep
bitches nothing better than the ordipury
drag scrafcr has yet been devised. For
hauIe under 100 feet, or in making "iills"
mistake, however. to attempt to handle
long huul material with this scraper, as
the wheel scrarer is better adapted To
such work. For hn9ls ~ more than 500
feet, u wagon should bc used.
The machine mos. generally used in
the road work is the grader, or road ma
chine This machine is especially use.
ful IN smoothing and crowBing the road
aud IN opening ditChca. a clay subsoil
under u thu coating 81 soil should not
bc disturbed with Il grinder. Ii is also
mistake To use d grader indisrrimiu-
aiely AMI to pull material from bitches
upon snnd-clay road. No, iDfn-
qucntly turf, eri and sili from ditch
bni,cms are piled in the middle OF tn,
road ID ridge, making muJholes n
certainty. II Ia important in using u
grader to avoid building up the road too
much at Que time. 4 rond gradually
built up 10y frcqucnt uso OF the grader
will lat better than IL completed nt one
operation. Tho foreman frequently
thinks biz read must be high in the
first instance. ile pllCs up material
from 10 iurhco to II foot IN depth
only to lcwr, with tie arrival Of
tho first rpip, that he has turns he'd the
material Tor ~ many uchcs II mud
All material should oe brought Up H.
thin layers, each layer well puddlcd rnn
firmly pacHCd by roller or trnliic before
the next IL nj led. a common tuistak"
il to croan too high with the rOud
machine on ratrow road.
Tho epli, Iog drag should bc used Ia
I'LL iuru and nmt o II the road whCn moi
too badh WISHED. llIp drag pt ~. Rsce
vren, merit and is su simple III cunsiruc-
ton aud operation that ovety farmer
should have one. \ spccial article will
he published later telling how TO make
and use the drng.