The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1908-09-18
IMPORTANCE on pRAINAGE

W III III dNtihHt VI 80 f''' eoh' W
water falling In the form Of rain ON
each mile Of public road in the United
States annually, 1t is scarcely TO be
marveled at that the ten command
ments of the road builder can be sum
med up succnctly in the word "drain-
age"
The saying has truth for a bash,
as good drainage is the primary re-
quisite for all roads. Even in sand
roads this holds true, for there good
drainage means such As will safely
remove the storm water without ero-
sion or Outlying and still retain the
surface moisture.
To secure good drainage one must
take into confederation both the sur
face water and the underground wa
ter. The surface water must be re-
moved quickly and completely and
without subjecting the road to eXces-
siye scour or erosion. For this reason,
the centre Of the road should be raised
and the slope towards the side bitches
should be from \ to / inch to each
foot distance, or so that the water will
run freely to the side bitches and not
flow down the road or remain IN pud-
dies on the roadway. The side bitches
should be Of ample size to care for the
severest storms with a fall OF not less
than 6 inches to each 100 feet Ere
quent and ample cross drains should
be constructed ard every opportunity
taken to get the water away from the
road as quickly as possible. Any
road along which you see water stand
ing in the side bitches or on which
puddIes Of water have collected or
which has been badly quilted and
eroded by the rains has poor drainage
and is In need OF immediate attention.
In fact earth roads nearly always re-
quire little attention after each rain.
The split-log drag essentially tool To
maintain good drainage on our earth
roads. and should be used after each
rain. On heavy clay or gumbo SOIL
the drag whea properly used tends to
puddle the road surface, keep II free
from ruts, dense, smooth and hard
thus securing the best surface drain
age possible.
But in many places the underground
water is too near the surface and must
be removed before a good road will bt
possible. This means that some form
of sub-drainage must be resorted to
usually tile drains, Of clay or concrete
Water from whatever source must be
gotten rid Of effectively, for water plus
clay or gumbo invariably equals mud
, when mixed in spring and summer
Water becomes ice in winter and a.
water in freezing expands one-eightl
J its volume, the road heayes out %
shape aud when the ice melts the roac
disappears beneath the rising Tue o.
mud constantly fed by rains, melt
ing SHOWS and underground springs
In seepy and boggy places the sub
drainage In order to be fully enectiv'
should lower the water level TO no
3 less than three feet below the roa'
e surface. II tiles are used they should
be carefully laid, true to grade. Mos
failures in lille drainage can be attflDu
y ted to carelessness in laying, OF to-
fat grade. Tile less than inches II
D diameter should rarely be used, no
A should a grade Of less than 9 inches L
the 100 feet be used unless absolutely
necessary. In a very dense soil, II
p always advisable TO cover the tile u
at least depth Of 8 to y inches VIII
; coarse sand or fine gravel. Car
should always be taken 10 secure
free outlet for the drains and to pro
c tect the outlet with a concrete BULK
n head Of catch basin, which can Away
be kept clean and the outlet free.
The kind Of tile to be used depend