The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1908-08-27
A HOME MADE
ROAD MACHINE
The Department of Agriculture
Is Booming the Split
Log Drag.

The public roads bureau OF the depart
ment Of agriculture, having figured Out
that there are 1000, 600 miles OF earth roads
In the United States, has hit uponran in
expensive way for their Improvement. This
| split log drag is its solution of the prob.
| lem, and the bureau is telling the GARNER
how to make 1t.
The main thing needed is a dry red cedar
log. although red elm and walnut are good,
! while box elder, soft maple or even willow
! may be used. Oak, hickory and ash ara
not recommended.
The log, seven to ten feet long tea
to twelve inches in diameter at the butt. ia
split as near the center as possible, tho
larger piece being used as the front OF tho
drag and sometimes being shod with iron
along the lower or cutting edge.
The two slabs on edge and thirty inches
apart are fastened together by stakes in
such a way that when the drag Is IN use
on one side OF a road the end Of the back
slab is about sixteen inches nearer tho
center of the driveway than the end of.
front slab. This gives what is called the
setback. Between the heavy slabs and
resting on the connecting stakes is a
board on which the driver stands.
A team of horses is hitched to this com
pleted drag in such a way that the drag
unloaded will follow at an angle OF abou.
As 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 part to be dragged, and made to re-
turn In the same manner over the other
half of the roadway. such treatment will
move the earth toward the center of the
oadwa and raise 1t gradually above the
surrounding level.
The department recommends the use OF
the split log drag after heavy rains, when
the road should be gone over once each
way, but much depends on the quality of
the soil. some roads requiring frequent
treatment.
How economical the method is is shown
by figures of actual tests submitted by
the bureau. In six counties in Kansas In
1906 the cost of maintaining ordinary earth
roads without the aid of the split log dras
averaged $3.50 a mile. These figures were
furnished by Prof. w. C. Hoad Of the
University of Kansas, who secured them
from official records Of the counties.
Other figures are credited to F. P. sam
born and r.. H. Ashton, general manager
of the Chicago and Northwestern. Mr..
Sanborn said "the least expense a mile
per annum for split log dragging was
S1.50. the greatest a little over IS. and the
average expense a mile for five and a half
miles a little over s.. 1 a lived along
this road all my life and never in forty
years have I seen it freer from mud and
dust. despite the fact that during the sea-
son we have experienced the extremes OF
weather conditions"
The testimony of MI. Ashton Is equally
strong. Learning that a township in Iowa
had been making an investigation Of the
split log drag and had been experimenting
withit for a year on % miles of highway,
he sent an agent to secure information
It was reported that although the own
board had paid the cost OF making the
drags and Of hiring men to operate them
the total expense for one year averaged
but $2.40 a mile, and the roads were re.
ported to have been like a race track"
the greater portion Of the year.