The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1908-03-26
HINTS on ROAD WORK.
q. S. 0fiiee VI Putlie Roads Tells
How 10 Make AMI kainialn q
Model Earth Road.

While AmerleNn read bailEeFs arr ~
capable ~ constructing good ruads A.
ibase II any oouniry n the Oh wofld,
they haye noi been a. loyalty support
"a ~ ibe men = lboas countries 10
uainiaininR he highways after com
plssson. aud the deplorable state ~
many hundred thousand miles n road
Is thus accounted FOR coauiy and
township officials may NJ thp outset
stand the expense ~ having road
built. bot they s,renuously object when
asked 10 provide funds 10 rebuild the
road that has been SLOWED IS ~ tn
ruin.
Il II important that farmers learn oi
the benefits 10 be derived from good
earth roads. that county boards be im.
pressed with the need Of proper main
tenanee ~ the same, and ihai road
builders and oYersecrs learn how best
70 care for the roads IN their charge
The persistent and powerful enemies
o. earth roads are water aud narrow
tires, and The constant effort Of the men
ID charge 81 The roads should be 10
guard agains, their destructive effects
and remedy an damage as quickly as
possible The simple implements which
have been found TO be % greatest AS.
sistanee in this work are the pillow, the
drag scraper, the wheel scrapeI, the
road grader, and the split. log drag.
With a sandy soil aud snbsoil of
clay, or clay and gravel, deep blowing
so as to raise aud mix the clay with the
surface soil and sand will prove beneii.
cial. The combination forms sand
clay road at triiiing expense. On the
other hand, il the road be entirely o.
sand a mistake will be made il il is
plowed unless clay can be added Such
blowing would merely deepen the sand. |
and al The same time break mp the |
small amount OF hard surface material
which may have formed. II the sub |
soil is clay and the surface seant in
sand or gravel, blowing should mol be
resorted 10, as II 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 aud when TO pillow III
the road is OF the kind which accord
ing 10 the above instructions should be
plowed over its whole width, the best
method is 10 run the first furrow in the
middle Of the road and work out 10 the
sides, thus forming crown. Results
from such blowing are greatest in the
spring or early summer.
In bitches plowean be used to good
advantage, but should be followed by
/ scraper or grader. To make wide,
ordinary drag scraper has yet been de-
eised. For hauls under 100 feet. or in
fills" i is especially service
lble. II is mistake, however, to st
empt 10 handle long haul material
With this scraper, as the wheel scraper
5 better adapted TO such work. For
Iauls Of more than 500 feet, wagon
huuld be used.
The machine most generally used in
Dad work is the grader, or road ma.
,hine This machine is especially use
ul in smoothing and browning the road
md ia opening bitches. A clay sub,
ioli under thin coating OF soil should
lot be disturbed with a grader. II is
Ilso y mistake 20 use grader indis-
and TO pull material from
litches upon sand-clay road. Not
turf, soil and silt from
Itch bottoms are piled in the middle
( the road in ridge, making mud
oles certainty. II is important in
sing grader to avoid building np the ,
Dad too much at one time. A road I
built mp by frequent use Of
be grader viii last better than if com.
lctcd ut one operation. The foreman :
frequently thinks his road must be high
q the first instance. lie piles up /
Material from 10 inches 10 foot in !
epth only 10 learn. with the arrival of (
he first rain, that he has furnished the '