The Democratic advocate., 1909-10-08
THE ROADS
HOW TO GET THEM IN GOOD SHAPE
FOR WINTER RAULINB
II Put In FlrSt-CIaSS Condition Now,
They VIII Remain So.

On every farm where there Is mile
or more of road, unless It has been
made permanent by grading properly
and macadamised or graveled, there
ought to be a road Grag. With such a
tool at hand any farmer can with lit
| tie time and trouble keep his farm
roads in perfect condition.
Having a large farm and over two
miles OF roadway, have found a
homemade drag TO be most useful
/ implement. OF course we can get
/ along with poor roads on the farm,
| but II we are the sort OF farmers who
take pride IN having things In the best
, shape we will certainly take pleasure
4 In keeping our farm roads In good con-
dition. And / may add that II takes
so little time and trouble TO run over
mile or two Of road when the team
Is already hitched TO the drag that |
usually go through the outside gate
and work up and down the public road
In front Of the farm when / drag the
1 farm roads.
The longer | keep my drag and use
Il on my roads the more | appreciate
IT, Mine Is OF the red split log type.
| made Il OF a ten foot section OF a
twelve inch hickory log. split In the
middle. and on the front cutting edge
nailed some heavy sheet iron. II works
about as we'll as the metal ones, aofne
OF which see occasionally.
! don't think II took me two hours
to make my drag, though I did not
make Il strictly according TO the reg
ul8tion method as ! have seen drags
illustrated In farm papers, All OF
those seemed TO have the two sections
Of log put together by having three
large augur holes bored through them
and round wooden bars about two
inches In diameter put through to
hold them parallel and rigid
| | did not have the large auguf 10
bore holes big enough for stout wood
en- bars, 80 | merely sawed down into
1 the upper edges OF each half OF the
l log at three places and split out the
blocks. leaving a place into which
could put a piece OF four inch seHnt.
ling. ! cut three pieces Of scantling
thIrty-six inches long and fitted them
into the cutout places aud made them
/ fast by driving spikes six Inches long
/ into thsm. The Job seems to be as
solid ~ those made BY boring holes
and putting the bars through. Some
I people make their dragH OF plank. and
they do very we'll, but cost more and
I viii not stand hard usage 10 we'll as
the regular split log drag
There IL not, Of course. so great need
OF the drag Ia summer and fall M In
winter and spring, but II is n much
easier and piensanter JOB TO make II
/ then, and. besides. n ono draEs his
I H.. a
gets them well graded up they will re-
main IN good shape far better than n
left Just as the summer hauling has
made them.
Moreover. on many farms there arc
wet places IN the roads thar canno,
we'll be worked 20 advantage in winter
and spring II those are graded up
and drained In the fall they will no
doubt stay good all the time
There Is another use ] have seen the
drug pat 10 that on some farms viii
come IN very handy Quite good
many cattle owners find Il expedleni
/ To pen up their cattle ~ night IN auIn.
mer A. rule. no straw or other
1 bedding IL thrown over the lot. and the
manure remsinA on the ground and
! driea out and on slopinF ground Is Of
ten all washed away. md that n
run the road drag over the oowpen
occasionally can ScrApc ~ several
loads ~ the best kind og manure that
81 veil worth collecting and hauling
out 10 thin spots on the farm
| say with emphasis there ~ no
small job that a farm owner can more
profitahly devote "A few houra 10 when
/ he has Home leisure time after tho
press of farm work Is over than con
structlng road drag Missouri Cor,
Farm Progress.