The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1908-03-27
HINTS ON ROAD WORK.
U. S. Office of Public Roads Tells
How to Make and Maintain a
Model Earth Road.

moucl GaICn NOaQ.
While American road builders are
as capable Of constructing good roads
as those Of any country Of the old
world, they have not been as Loyalty
supported rs the mru Of those II
tries IN maintainin~ the highways af-
ter completion. and the drplorable
state Of many hundred thousand miles
Of road IS thus accounted for. County
and township officials may AT the out.
SET stand the expense Of having Il
r"al built. but they ~>trrnu"uSlv object
when asked L" provide funds to r,-
build lnc road that has been allowed
t." 90 to ruin.
1t is important that farmers
learn "l the benefits to be derived
from rood earth roads: that county
boards he impressed with the need OF
Il proper maintenance Of the same.
and that road builders an nvrrsrcrs
learn how best to care for the roads
IN their charge.
The persistent and powerful enc
mics If earth roads are water and
narrow tires. amt the constant effort
of I've men in Charge Of the roads
s."uli be 10 guard against their de
Sirurtlvr effects and remedy all Jam
ace rs quickly us possible. The sim.
pie implements which have been
found /" be Of greatest assistance in
this work are the pillow. the drag
Scrarrr. the wheel $crap>r. The road
grader, and the Split-lo~ dra~.
With Il sandy soil ami Il SuhSui! of
clay. ~ clay and gravel. deep plow-
IN" :" rs 4" raise and mix the clay
with the surface soil and sand will
prov. beneficial. The combination
forms Il Sand-clay road at Il trifliny
exprnSr. On the other hand. if the
road he entirely Of sand a mistake
will be made if it is plowed unless
clay can he added. Such blowing
would merely deepen the sand. an |
at the same time break up the small
amount Of hard surface material
which may have formed. If the sub
soil is clay and the surface Scant in
sand or gravel. plowinG should not be
rcS"rted to, rs it would result in Il
clay surface rather than one Of sand
or ground. a good foreman must
know not only what to pillow and what
not to pillow. but how and When to
pillow. IF the road is Of the kind
which according TO the above instruc-
tons should be plowcd over it's whole
width, the best method is to run the
first furrow in the middle of the
road and work out to the sides. thus
forming 4 crown. Results from such
blowing are g~rcateSt,in the spring or
early summer.
In ditcncs a pillow can be used to
good advantage. but should be follow
ed by a scrapcr L grader. To make
wide. deep bitches nothing better than
the ordinary drag Scrapcr has yet
been devised. For hAulS under 100
feet. or in making ''fills' it is cs-
pccially scrviccahlc. II is Il mistake.
however. to attempt to handlr long
haul material with this Scrapor. as
the wheel scrapcr is better adapted
{" such work. For haulS Of more
than 500 feet. Il wagon should be us
ed.
The machine most generally used in
road work is the grader. or road ma
chine. This machine is especially
useful in smoothing and browning
the road and in opening bitches. A
clav Suhsoil under n thin coating Of
soil should not be disturbed with a
grader. II is also a mistake to use
Il grader unfortunately and to pull
material from bitches upon a sand
clay road. Not in~rrcqucntly turf,
soil and silt from ditch bottoms ar,
piled in the middle Of the road in a
ridge, making mudholcs a certainly,
II is important in using a grader to