Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1908-09-02
HIGHWAY DRAINAGE,
Tiles Are Best For Gravel or
Stone Roads.
SOME POINTS ON THE WORK

underdrainsgs Below Surface With
Farm Tiles Great Protection-Sids
bitches That Hold Water Make an
Inferior Roadw.y.
Tile drainage, says Professor Ira @
Baker, is the very best preparation foi
a gravel or a stone road. Gravel VI
broken stone placed upon an Underlined
foundation is almost sure 10 sink grad
ually, whatever its thickness. whereas
a thinner layer upon an undeTdrained
roadbed will give much better service
"Roads tiled without gravel are better
than roads graveled without tile
The road should be undetermined sc
as to keep the water level well below
the road surface. In most localities
this can be accomplished reasonably
well by laying line of farm tile three
or three and half feet below the road
surface along one side of the road
way. 1t is sometimes claimed that
there should he tile an each side OF
the road.
Some writer's on good roads advocate
the use of line Of tile under the mid
die of the Travelled portion, and some
advocate a line on each side of the
wheelway. The object sought by these
tiles is rapid drainage, and therefore II
lis urged that they should be laid near
the surface. X is doubtful whether
any water win reach the tile, since the
road surface when wet is puddled by
the traffic, which prevents the water
percolating through the soil, and 1t Is
certain that In clay or loan the drain.
tage thus obtained Is of no practical
value. More than one farmer has tried
Ito drain his barnyard by laying tile
near the surface, always without APP
preciable effect.
While line of tile ON one side of
the road is usually sufficient, there Is
often a great difference as to the side
on which it should be laid. If one side
OF the road is higher than the other,
the tile should be on the high side to
intercept the ground later that l.
flowing down the slope under the sur
face
The tile should be laid in the bottom
of the silt ditch below the frost line.
OF course the tile should have Il uni
form grade and sufficient fall and an
adequate outlet. Tie size of the tile
required win dcrend upon the length
of the line ana the grade of the ditch,
but local experience in farm drainage
Is likely to be better guide than any
general statement that can be made.
Farm drainage is almost certain to
prectde road drainage in any particu-
lar locality.
TIE side bitches are to receive the
water from the surface of the travelled
way and should carry 1t rapidly and
@.:tirely away from the roadside. They
are useful also to intercept and carry
Off he water that would otherwise
fiow from tie side hills upon the road
Ordinarily they need not be deep and
IL possible should have a broad, far
ing side toward the Travelled way to
prevent accident If vehicle should be
crowded TO the extreme side of the
roadway. The outside bank should be
fiat enough to prevent caying. The
proper form OF ditch Is easily made by
the usual road machine or road grad
er. The side ditch should have a free
outlet into some stream so as to carry
the water entirely away from the road
No good road can he obtained with
side bitches that hold the water until
Il eyaporates.
Much alleged road work Is n posi-
tive damage for this aason. Piling up
the earth in the middle of the road is
perhaps In itself well enough. but leav-
Ing undraIned holes at the side of the
road probably more than counterbal-
ances the benefits of the embankment.
A road between long artificial ponds Is
always inferior and is often impassa-
BILE 1t is cheaper and better 10 make
lower embankment and to drain
thoroughly the holes at the side of the
roads. Often the public funds can be
more wisely used in making bitches In
adjoining private lands than ia max
ing ponds at the roadside In an at
tempt to improve the road by raising
the surface.