Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1908-12-02
CRACK ROAD MACHINE
When Best to Use the Split
Log Drag.
FOLLOWING EACH HEAVY RAIN

Finest Work Done When the Soil Is
Moist, Not stioky-clay Hghw@,
Dragging Needs Special Attention.
Economy of the Device.
The best results with the split lot
drag have been obtained by dragging
roads once each day after each heavy
rain. In some cases, however one
dragging every three or four weeks
has been found sufficient to keep a
road in good condition.
When the soil is moist but not sticky
the drgg does its best work. says n bul-
letin from the government office of
public roads. AS the soil in a field viii
bake If plowed wet. so the road viii
bake If the drag is used omit when il
is wet If the roadway is full of holes
or badly rutted, the drag should be
used once when the ground is soft
and slushy This is particularly APP
plicable before q cold spell in winter,
when it is possible to so prepare the
surface that it will freeze smooth,
Not infrequently conditions are met
which may be overcome by a slight
change in the manner of hitching
Shortening the chain tends TO lift the
front slab and make the cutting slight,
while a longer hitch causes the front
10 sink more deeply into the earth and
act on the principle of a pillow.
II a furrow Of earth is to be moved.
sl % al
close to the ditch end of the drag and
the driver should stand with one foot
on the extreme forward end Of the
front slab
Conditions are so varied in different
localities. however that 1t is quite
impossible to lay down specific rules
Certain sections of roadway will re
quire more attention than others be-
cause OF steep grades, wet weather
springs, soil conditions, exposure 10
sun and wind washes etc. There is
one condition, however, in which spe-
cial attention should be given Clay
roads under persistent dragging fire.
quently become too high in the center
This may he corrected by dragging the
earth toward the center OF the road
twice and away from ii once
There is no question as TO the econo-
my OF this roadmaling implement.
either in first cost or in operation In
six counties in Kansas in 1906 the cost
of maintaining ordinary earth roads.
without the aid of the split log drag.
averaged S425o mile These figures
were furnished BY Professor W c.
Hoad Of the University of Kansas,
who secured them from official recon .
Of the counties.
Some figures furnished by f. =. SAN
born and r. Il Ashton, general man
ager of the Chicago and Northwestern
railroad, have revealed the wonders
Of this simple device Mr. Sanborn
said: The least expense per miic per
anrum for split log dragging was $f.50
! tLe greatest a little over So and the
average expense per mile for liye and
half miles little over So. have
lived along this road all my life, aud
never in forty years have / seen it
freer from mud and dust, despite the
fact that during the season we have
experienced the extremes of weather
conditions.
The testimony OF Mr.. Ashton is
equally strong. Learning that town
ship in Iowa lad been making an in
vestigatior of the split log drag ard
had been experimenting with it Tor a
year on twenty-eight miles If high
way, he sent an agent to secure infor-
nation II was reported That, al
though the town board had paid the
cost Of making the drags and of hir-
ing men to operate them, the total
expense Tor one year averaged but
$40 a mile, and the roads were re-
ported to have been like a race track
the greater portion Of the year