The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1908-03-28
U. S Office of Public Roads
Tells How to Make and
a Model Earth Road.
GIVES GOOD SUGGESTIONS
The PlOw, the Drag ScraPer the Road
Grader, and the Split Log Drag are !.
Friends of the Road Oyerseer.

While American road builders are
as capable Of constructing good roads
as those Of any country of the old
world, they have not been as Loyalty
supported as the men of those count
ries in maintaining the Highways
after completion, and the deplorable
state of many hundred thousand
miles of road is thus accounted for.
County and township officials may at
the outset stand the expense Of hav-
ing road built, but they strenuous
iy object when asked to provide funds
TO rebuild the road that has been
allowed to go to ruin.
It is important that farmers learn
of the benefits to be derived from
good earth roads; that county boards
be impressed with the need Of a prop
er maintenance Of the same, and
that road builders and overseers
learn how best to care for the roads
in their charge.
The persistent and powerful enemies
of earth roads are water and narrow
tires, and the constant effort OF those
in charge of the roads should be to
guard against their destructive
effects and remedy all damage as
quickly as possible The simple in
struments which have been found to
be Of greatest assistance to this
work are the pillow, the drag scraper
the wheel scraper, the road grader,
and the split-log drag,
With sandy soil and a subsoil Of
clay. or clay and gravel, deep plqw-
ing 50 as to raise and mix tine clay
with the surface soil and sand will
prove beneficial. The combination
forms sand-clay road at triaing
expense. On the other hand, if the
road be entirely Of sand a mis-
take will be made if it is plowed un-
less clay can be added. Such plowing
would merely deepen the sand, and
at the same time break up the small
amount of hard surface material
which may have formed. If the sub
soil is clay and at the surface scant
in sand or gravel, plowing should not
be resorted to, as it would result in
clay surface rather than one of sand
gravel road foreman must know
not only what to plow, but how and
when to plow. If the road is of the
kind which according to the above in
structions should be plowed over its
whole width, the best method is to
to run the first furrow in the middle
of the road and work out to the sides,
thus forming a crown. Results from
such plowing are greatest in the
spring or early summer.
In bitches plow can be used to
good advantage, but should be fol-
: lowed by a scraper or grader. To
, make wide, deep bitches nothing
better than the ordinary drag scraper
has yet been devised For hauls
under 100 feet, or in making "fllsn it
> especially seryiceable. It is a mis-
take, however, to attempt to handle
long haul material with this scraper,
as the wheel scraper is better adapted
to such work, For hauls of more
than 800 feet. wagon should be
, used
The machine most generally used
in road work is the grader or road
: machine. This machine is espec-
= tally useful in smoothing and GROWING
the road and in opening bitches. A
J clay subsoil under a thin coating ot
I soil should not be disturbed with a
grader. It is also a mistake to use a
grader iudiscriminately and to pull
! material from bitches upon a sand.
clay road Not infrequently turf,
soil and silt from ditch bottoms are
piled III the middle Of the road in a
ridge, making mudholes a certainty
y The split log drag should be uset
n to Gil in ruts and smooth the ROAD
e when not too badly washed. The
m drag possesses great merit and is SC
IS et,,,,le ~, r-oncfrt,rf fio,, ,,,l o,.,., =, ~