The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-06-07
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
TELLS HOW TO KEEP ROADS GOOD
The Split Log nrag Is Considered One of the Best Treat
ments for Earth Roads-They Are Not Expensive.

slabs and across the stakes for the
driver to stand on.
BY many it is deemed best to place a
strip of iron along the lower face of
the front slab for a cutting blade and
to prevent the drag from wearing. The
drag may be fastened to the doubletree
by means of trace chain. The chain
should be wrapped around the left
hand or rear stake and passed over the
front slab Raising the chain at this
end of the slab permits the earth to
drift past the face of the drag. The
other end of the chain should be
passed through hole in the opposite
end of the front slab and held by a pin
passed through a link.
For ordinary purposes. the hitch
should be SO made that the unloaded
drag will follow the team at an angle
Of about 40 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 in the
same manner over the other half of
the roadway. Such treatment will
move the earth towards the center of
the roadway and raise it gradually
above the surrounding level.
The best results have been obtained
by dragging roads once each way after
each heavy rain, In some cases. how
ever, one dragging every three oil four
weeks has been found sufficient to
keep a road in good condition.
When the soil is moist. but not
sticky the drag does its best work
AS the soil in field will bake if
plOughed wet, so the road will bake if
the drag is used on it when it 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 it is possible
TO so prepare the surface that it 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 10 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 pillow.
If a furrow of earth is to be moved,
the double tree should be attached
/ close to the ditch end of the drag, and
the driver should stand with one foot
on the extreme forward end of the
front slab.
Conditions are so varied in different
localities. however. that il is quite i'm
possible TO lay down specific rules.
Certain sections OF a roadway will re-
quire more attention than others, be
cause Of steep grades, wet weather
SPRINGS soil conditions. exposure TO
sun and wind, washes, etc. There is
one condition. however. in which spec
ial attention should be given. Clay
roads under persistent draggings fire.
| quently become two high in the CEN
! ter. This may be corrected by drag
ging the earth towards the center Of
the road twice and away rom il once
There is no question as TO the econ
omy of this road making implement
either in first cost or in operation. In
six counties in Kansas in 1905. the cost
of maintaining ordinary earth roads.
without the aid of the split-log drag,
averaged $3.50 per mile. These fig
ures were furnished by Professor w.
c. Hoad, of the University of Kansas.
who secured them from official rec
ords of the counties.
Some figures furnished by E. P. San