Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1909-07-15
VALUE OF DRAGGING ROADS.
How Farmers Can Make 6oulevards
Out Of Neglected Rural Highways.

The Mount Joy Star and News Of
Pennsylvania tells in one Of its issues
of how farmer in that locality has
been making good roads by his own
individual effort. The newspaper item
reads as follows:
Frank L. Nissley. progressive farmer
residing at Bamford. believes in having
good roads and Is SO emphatic on the
subject that he keeps nearly half a mile
of new dirt road adjoining his farm In re-
pair at his own expense for his satisfac-
ton and to prove to the taxpayers how
we'll it can be done with little expense.
TO carry out his plans he set to work
and constructed a double or split drag Of
the King style. This drag he made HIM
self of logs and other material lying
around the farm SO that really about the
only thing that it cost him was few
hours of labor.
Every farmer has the material lying
around his farm to build such a drag.
and every farmer has enough mechanical
ability to build it. as it requires no spe-
cial skill and matters not how rough its
construction Is. Then, too, all the farm
ers have some spare time to make the
drag If they apply the time to it.
After every rain that the road gets a
little uneven Mr.. ,Nissley bitches horse
to the drag. runs it over the road as far
as his lands ad iOin the road and the re-
suit is that the road along his farm Is
always nice and smooth when the road
along his neighbors' farms is rough and
full Of ruts.
The Nissley plan of improving the roads
will so far toward establishing n good
road system. He makes no big fuss about
what he Is going to do or what he Is do
ing, but goes about 1t in quiet manner
and does it. and the results show for
themselves. The fact that the road Is
better along his farm than any other
place in the neighborhood is evident to
all those who use the road. and doubtless
in the near future some Of his neighbora
will follow his example.
This, however. we do not think Is the
right way to keep public roads in repair.
as they should be maintained at the ex-
pense Of the public and not individually
by each landowner. Doubtless Mr.. Mss
ley's progressive movement will enthuse
the supervisors OF East Hempfield town.
ship to full realization of their real du-
ties. and doubtless in the near future the
township will have a drag which will be
run over all the roads Of the township
whenever they get rough, and then all
the roads Of the district will practically
be smooth all the time.
One man and two horses can In two
days go over all the roads in a township,
and such work might be necessary about
this will not amount to 500 a year, but
will do more good than a thousand dol
lars year spent on the roads with a
gang Of fifty or more men, with plows
and scoops, going over the township once
year. as Is now the plan used by most
supervisors.
There are great many different
kinds OF systems advanced for i'm
proving our country roads. One Of
the simplest and one which every in
dividual farmer can employ today
without any money and with much
dragging the dirt road by his farm by
the split log road drag. Farmers can
make such drag in few hours by
simply splitting a log in half eight
feet long. If the farmer takes these
split pieces. the split surface facing to
the front. and fasten them with stout
slaves three feet apart, according to
the directions given by Mr.. King Of
Maitland, Mo-, the inventor of the
drag, the farmer will have a simple
road implement that will make fine,
smooth country boulevard out Of the
worst neglected dirt road in the COM
munity. The secret Of successful road
making with the road drag will de-
pend upon dragging the road after
! every rain, filling in the ruts, smooth
ing out the uneven places and building
Il high crown in the middle of the
road, 50 that the water will run into
the side bitches instead of standing
in the middle, and, most Of all-doing
it. Talking does not keep a dirt road
repaired. Neither does excuse finding.
One hour of drag work Immediately
after a rain does the trick. nothing
else