The Springdale news., 1908-06-05

degrees. The team should be driven with one horse on either side of the right-hand wheel
 track or rut the full length of the portion to be dragged, and made
 to return Ill the same manner over the other half of the road way. Such treatment will move the earth toward the center of the roadway and raise 1t gradual ly above the surrounding level.
 The best results have been ob- tained by dragging roads once each way after each heavy rain. In some cases, however, one drag ging every three or four weeks has been found sufficient to keep a road ln good condition. When the soil Is moist but not sticky the drag does it's best work. AS the soil in a field will bake if plowed wet, so the road will bake If the drag IS used on 1t when 1t IS wet. If the roadway IS full of holes or badly rutted, the drag should be used once when the ground IS soft and slushy. This is particularly applicable before a cold spell in winter, when 1t IS possible to so prepare the surface that 1t will freeze smooth.
 Not infrequently conditions are met which may be overcome by a slight change in the manner of hitching. Shortening the chain tends to lift the front slab and make the cutting slight, while a longer hitch causes the front slab to sink more deeply into the earth and act on the principle of a plow.
 If furrow of earth Is 10 be moved, the doubletree should be attached close to the ditch end of the drag, and the driver should stand with one foot on the ex- treme forward end of the front slab.
 Conditions are so varied in diff ferent localities, however, that 1t is quite impossible to lay down specific rules. Certain sections of roadway will require more attention than others, because of steep grades, wet weather springs, soil conditions. exposure to sun and wind, washes, etc. There IS one condition. however, in which special attention should be given. Clay roads under per sistent draggings frequent. be- come too high in the center. This may be corrected by drag ging the earth toward the center of the road twice, and away from II once.
 There IS no question as to the economy Of this road making implement, either in first cost or in operation. In six counties in Kansas in 1906 the cost of main taining ordinary earth roads, without the aid Of the split-log drag, averaged S42.50 a mile. These figures were furnished by Professor w. (. Hoad, of the University of Kansas, who se- cured them from official records of the counties.
 Some figures furnished by F. r. Sanborn and k. H. Ashton. General Manager of the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad. have revealed the wonders of thls sim pie device. Mir. Sanborn said "the lease per mile per annum for split-log dragging was s1.5O, the greatest little over S6, and the average expense per mile for , 12 miles little over s. l have lived along this road all my life and never in 70 years have l seen It freer from mud and dust, de- spite the fact that during the season We have experienced the extremes of weather conditions.
 The testimony of Mr. Ashton IS equally strong. Learning that a township in Iowa had been making an investigation Of the split-log drag and had been ex- perimenting with II for year on 2s miles Of highway, he sent an agent 10 secure information. Ii Was reported that although the town board had paid the cost of making the drags and of hiring men to operate them. the total expense for one year averaged but $. 70 a mile, and the roads were reported to have been like race track the greater portion oi the year.
 ICC CDCllI o0CILI