The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-01
HOW TO BUILD AND USE ESPLIT-LOG DRAG Official SuIIetin on Simple Read
 Device GREAT ECONOMY IN USt Over 100000 Miles of Earth Roads In the United States Upon Which
 Drag Gan Be Used
 Profitaby.
GREAT ECONOMY IN USt


 Drag Can Be Used
 Profitably.
 One of the latest publications issued by the office of public roads of the United States department of agriculture treats Of the split-log drag, an implement which numerous experiments have conclusively shown to be the greatest possible boon to keep earth roads smooth and passable. Be cause of it's simplicity, it's efficiency and it's cheapness. both in construction and operation, it is destined to come more and more into. general use. With the drag properly built and it's use well understood. the maintenance of earth roads becomes simple and inexpensive matter.
 At the present time there are approxi- mately 2000.0O0 miles of earth roads in 1 the United States. Some of the most i'm portant of these roads will eventually be improved with stone. gravel and other materials. Many others which are equally | important cannot be so improved on ac- l count of lack of funds or suitable ma i terials, while still others will not require such treatment because of the light traffic to which they are subjected. For these reasons the majority of our roads must be maintained as earth roads for many years to come. This must be done by in- expensive methods and the split-log drag will be a powerful aid if economy is the l criterion demanded.
 In the construction of this implement care should be taken to make it so light 1 that one can lift it with ease, a light l drag responding more readily to various methods of hitehing than heavy one, as well as to the shifting of the position of the operator The best material for a | split-log drag is a dry red cedar log, | though red elm and walnut are excellent, and box elder. soft maple, or even willow arc superior to oak hickory or ash The log should be between ' and 10 feet long and from 10 to 12 inches in diameter at the butt end. It should be split carefully as near the center as possible, and the heaviest and best slab chosen for the front In the front slab four inches from the end which is to drag in the middle of the road bore d tWo-inch hole which is to receive a cross stake. At distance of 22 inches from the other end of the front slab locate the center for another cross stake. The hole for the middle stake will be on line connecting and halfway be- tween the two. Then place the back slab in position and from the end which is to drag in the middle of the road measure 20 inches for the center of one cross stake and six inches from the other end locate l +1, hole for the center stake should be To- | cated halfway between the two. All these | holes should be carefully bored perpen- dicular or at right angles to the face of | the split log.
 How the Drag Operates.
 If these directions are followed it will be found that when the holes of the front and back slabs are brought opposite each other one end of the back slab will be 1G inches nearer the center of the roadway than the front one. That gives what is known as set back" The stakes, which are 30 inches long, will hold the slabs this distance apart. When the stakes have been firmly wedged into their sockets, a brace about two inches thick and four inches wide may be placed diagonally to them at the ditch end of the drag. A oleated board is placed between the 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 pre- vent the drag from wearing. The drag may be fastened to the doubletree by means of trace chain. The chain should 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 a hole in the opposite end of the front slab and held by a pin passed through a link. 1 For ordinary purposes the hitch should l be so made that the unloaded drag will follow the team at an angle of about 45 degrees. The team should be driven with one horse on either side of the right-hand wheel track or rut the full length of tho portion to be dragged, and made to re- turn in the same manner over the other l 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, however, one dragging every three or four weeks had been found sufficient to keep a road l in good condition.
 ! When the soil is moist but not sticky the drag does it's best work. As the soil l in field will bake if ploughed wet, so | the road will bake if the drag Is used ol it when 1t is wet. If the roadway is | full of holes or badly rutted the drag | should be usel once when the ground is | soft and slushy. This is particularly ap- plicable before a cold spell in winter, when it is possible to so prepare the i surface that it will freeze smoth. | Not infrequently conditions are met which may be overcome by slight | change in the manner of hitching. Short ening 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 blow. | If furrow of earth is to be moved the l doubletree should be attached close to the ditch end of the drag. and the driver