Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1908-03-23
THE MAINTENANCE OF EARTH
ROADS.

ing and maintenance, which will be
published from time to time. Our
subscribers are urged to give this mat
ter careful consideration, and are re-
quested to forward to this office for
transmission to the Office of Public
Roads any practical question which
they desire answered relating to road
construction and maintenance. Cues
tions and answers will be published by
this paper at suitable intervals.
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 majority
of the roads will be composed of earth.
Furthermore, in about eight months
out of the year, the earth road, if prop
erly cared for, is reasonably satisfac-
tory. For many agricultural districts,
it is the only road at present available.
Hence, these communities should set
themselves seriously to work to learn
the best methods of maintaining earth
roads and of getting the maximum
service from them. Prosperity comes
to the country to a great extent
through the prosperity of the farmers.
This fact strongly suggests the impor-
lance of giving the earth roads every
possible care and attention in it's loca-
tion, drainage, construction and main
tenance
An earth road composed of water
Lo1I 70 fhc
sun and air as freely as possible, as
comparison between the shady and
sunny portions of such road will
easily indioat This should be accom-
plished by clearing a sufficient amount
of trees and underground away from
the road. 1t must be remembered,
however, that sandy and gravelly roads
require moisture, and in these cases
some shade should be retained. Fur
thermore, trees are beneficial along
river banks and on steep grades sub
ject to.washing.
Drainage is an important point to be
considered in connection with an earth
all mountainous and billy districts
have too much drainage. Occasion
ally a road will be found with five
bitches, three in the middle made by
the horses hoofs and by the wheels
of the vehicles, and two on the sides.
All well-constructed earth roads are
TO fyyyo
bitches, one on each side of the trav-
elled.roadway. Keep.the water out of
the middle of the road by giving it a
crown for elevation in the center of y
inches above the top of the inner slope
of the ditch for a 20-foot road, and
where the hills are little steep make
the crown 10 inches. With crown of
about one inch to the foot from the
center to the sides, the bitches which
are ,often built across the roads on
steep grades to defect the water will
not be needed Instead of carrying
water across the road in open bitches,
tile. or concrete drains should, if posi-
BILE, be provided. They should have
sufficient capacity and fall to carry the
maximum amount of water that is eX-
pected to flow through them at any one
time. The capacity is increased in
proportion to the fall or grade; for in
stance, 12-inch pipe laid on one per
cent grade will carry 1900 gallons per
minute, while the same pipe laid on
two per cent grade will carry 2, 500 gal
Ions per minute Furthermore, a
culvert laid fiat will soon fill up, while
one having good incline will keep it
self 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 road the result will be
less satisfactory than if the soil be
left at the top of the road, for soil
makes better surface to a road than
clay. If the road bed is largely clay
to start with, it will be we'll to place
sandy soil or clean sand on top. A
covering of six to 10 inches of sand
upon clay that persists in breaking
up into deep mudholes will usually be
satisfactory, and if sand enough be
added, this clay will cease to make
mud. If the road bed is composed OF
sand it can be improved by an applica-
ton Of clay. The rule for service
able earth road, then, is as follows
make bitches on each side and keel
them open; haul sand and gravel upol
sections needing this treatment; use ;
road machine and split log drag judi
ciously Ia full description Of which will
be contained in later article) follow
the "stitch in time rule and give a.
earth road the same careful persisten
attention you would give your priz
acre, a factory or a store, and it vii
nav as large a profit in proportion t