Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1908-01-22

GRAFTON, and are requested 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.
Questions and answers will be published
by this paper at suitable intervals.-Ep.
COURIER
We may recognize the value of
hard and durable roads in all parts
of the country, but still the fact re-
mains that for long time to come
the majority of the roads will be
composed of earth. Furthermore,
In about nine mcnths out of the
year, the earth road, if properly
cared for, is reasonably satisfac-
tory. For many agricultural dis
tricts, it is the only road at present
available. Hence, these commun-
tiles should set themselves SER
lously TO work to learn the best
methods of maintaining earth roads
and of getting the maximum SER
vice from them. Prosperity comes
to the country to a great extent
through the prosperity of the
farmers. This fact strongly sug-
gests the Importance of giving the
earth road every care and atten-
tion in its location, drainage, con-
struction and maintenance.
An earth road composed of water
holding soil should be exposed to
the sun and air as freely possible,
as comparison between the shaded
and sunny portions of such a road
will easily indicate. This should
be accomplished 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
casessome shade should be retained.
Furthermore, trees are beneficial
along river banks and on steep
grades subject to washing.
Drainage is one of the most
important points to conside in con-
nection with an earth road. The
majority of earth roads in all
mountainous and billy districts
have too much drainage. Occas-
ionally a road will be found with
five bitches, three in the middle
made by the horses hoofs and by
wheels of the vehicles, and two on
the sides. All well-constructed
earth roads are supposed to have
no more than two bitches, one on
each side of the travelled roadway.
Keep the water out of the middle
of the road by giving it a crown or
elevation in the center of u inches
above the top of the inner slope of
ditch for 20-foot road, and where
the hills are a little steep make the
crown 10 inches. With a crown
of about 1 inch to the foot from
the center to the sides, the bitches
which are often built across the
road 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 possible, be pro-
vided. They should have sufficient
capacity and fall to carry the max
lmum amount of water that is ex-
pected to flow through them at any
one time. The capacity is incl,
edin proportion to the fall or grade:
for instance, 12-inch pipe laid on a
one per cent grade will carry 1,SO0I
gallons per minute, while the same
pipe laid on az per cent grade will
carry $500 gallons per minute.
Furthermore a culvert laid fiat will
soon fill up, while one having a
good incline will keep itself clear.
In the maintenance of an earth
road, avoid the mistake of chang
ing the natural order of things.
Naturally the soil is found on top
and the clay on the bottom. If
this order is reversed in construct
ing road, the result will be less
satisfactory than if the soil be left
at the top of the road, for soil makes
a 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 6 to1O 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 roadbed is COM
posed of sand it can be improved
by an application of clay.