The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1908-07-29

earth roads, that county boards be I'M
pressed with the need of proper
maintenance of the same'and that road
builders and overseers learn how best
to care for the roads In their charge.
Tho persistent and powerful enemies
of earth roads are water and narrow
tires, and the constant effort OF the
men in charge OF the roads should be
to guard against their destructive eff
! fects and remedy all damage ns quickly
as possible. The simple implements
which have been found to be OF great
est assistance in this work are the
plow, the drag scraper, the wheel scrap
or, the road grader and the split log
| drag.
with a sandy soil and n subSoil OF
clay or clay and gravel, deep blowing,
SO as to raise and nd1 the clay with
the surface soil and sand. will prove
beneficial The combination forms
sand. clay road at trihing expense.
| On the other hand, II the road be en-
tirely of sand mistake Will bo made
II 1t Is piowed unless clay. can be add
ed. Such pIowing would merely deep.
| en- tho sand andIat the same time break
up the small amount OF hard surface
! material which may have formed. II
tho subsoil Is clay and the surface
scant In sand or gravel. blowing should
not be resorted to, as 1t would result In
clay surface rather than one OF sand
or gravel. A road foreman must know
not only what to pillow and what not TO
pillow, but how and when to pillow. II
the road Is Of the kind which. accord.
1 ohnI1II ln
plowed over It's whole width, the best
method Is to run tho first furrow In the
middle of the road and work out to the
sides. thus forming crown. Results
from such blowing are greatest In the
spring or early summer.
In bitches pow can be used to good
advantage, but should be followed by
scraper or grader, To make wide, deep
bitches nothing better than the ordi-
nary drag scraper has yet been de-
vIsed. For hauls under hundred feet
or in making fills 1t is especially
scrvicCablo. II Is n mistake. however,
to attempt to handle long haul mate
rial with this scrapcr, as tho wheel
scraper is'better adapted to such work.
For hauis of more than 300 feet
wagon should be used. o
The machine most generally used In
road work b the grader or road ma
chino. This machine Is especially uso'
full in smoothing and browning the
road and In opening bitches. clay
subsoil under a thin coating of soil
should not DO, disturbed with grader.
1t Is also mistake to use grader
lndiscrlmmately and to pull material
| from bitches upon q RGnd-clay road.
Not infTequenuy turf. soil and silt
from ditch bottoms are piled in the
middle Of the road In a ridge. making
mudholes certainty. 1t Is important
In using grader to avoid building up
the road too much at one time. road
gradually built up by frequent use Of
the grader will last better than IL com.
pleted at one operation.
The foreman frequently thinks his
] road must BIO high In the first In.
stance. He pixies up material from
ten inches TO foot In depth only to
learn with the arrival of the first rain
that no has fmnhshed tho material for
ms many inches of mud. All material
should be brought UP in thin layers,
each layer we'll puddled and firmly
packed by roller or traffic before tho
| next is added. A common mistake Is
to crown too high with tho road ma
chine on narrow road.
Tho split log drag should DO used
| to I'LL in ruts and smooth the road
| when not too badly washed. The drag
possesses great merit and Is 30 simple
In construction and operation that
| every farmer should have ono,