The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-11-16
HIGHWAYS AT SNAIL o.
MI. Dean Tells How They Ara
and at What Cost-TToh'

structed and at What Cost Son-
Desirable Roads. 'ery
Highways may be define as :,
of communication passing tb ines
the ountry n connecting tho foouusn
n villages with h cities-aforain1s
d market for the produce Of the faIdss
n an outlet for the manufao+n eiuS
goods Of the city. Through r5ed
roads, the natural Of sQpo
country are developed and indr.na
n are promoted.
Good roads also promote the
Velopment of agricultural. conn
cial and manufacturing industries
L. They are in good condition %
all aso of the year. d
2. They decrease the cost Of
portation. ais
3. They afford opportunity Of
lectlng the most advantageous tino.
and place for the marketing Of tho
crops. "a
4. In addition to facilitating travo,
good roads attract the population ~
the country districts and increasa ~
value Of the land through which the M
pass. 10y
The cost Of transporting goods hv
wagon depends entirely on the con,
dition Of h road and not so mnch
On the distance.
If the road is rough, has steam
grades, n Is full OF ruts, the weight
of a load is increased, thus necpssis
taune more trips or the employment
of more teams to a given amount Of
weight. A bad road decreases the
ives Of horses and vehicles which
pass over it, n also increases tho
cost of maintaining the vehicles and
horses.
The average cost of moving a load
of one ton a distance of one mile on
q oNo6 o~%l MOOD =
roads covered with mud and full of
ruts, rs cents; loose gravel roads, 50
cents; dry sand roads, 60 cents: ma
cadam or Telford roads, 8 cents.
broken stones covered with mud and
ruts, &c cents; sand-clay road. u
cents.
A comparison Of the above figures
SHOWS the advantage Of good, we'll
kept roads.
The requirements Of a good road
are dry, solid, a grades, curves.
good drainage.
A road should be hard SO as not to
cause the friction Of penetration. that
is when the wheels sink or penetrate
below the surface, leaving a track or
rut behind it and forming a hollow
or cavity under it up which the load
has to be lifted, thus the wheels are
constantly climbing a slight inclina-
ton, or in other words, constantly
COMPRISING new material.
Drainage is an important matter
to be considered in highway con-
struction. Water is the worst enemy
of a road and when this is coupled
with neglect it means the sure de-
struction Of eve a good road. Where
drainage does not exist, then
artificial means of drainage must be
resorted to.
For the Improvement of roads,
various materials are used from saw
dust to one. Macadam roads can
be laid for about $1,000 per mile.
A sand-clay road makes a good,
hard, smooth and dry road at a small
cost as compared with macadam or
road and will last five or six
years if properly cared for.
The first thing to do is to make
a survey and get the most direct line,
the best grades, the easiest curves.
that topography of the country Will
of securing, as many of the cid
roads are improperly located.
Then after working the road to a
s~ub-grade, about 6 inches of angular
sand should be sprinkled and if the
sub-grade is composed Of sandy soil,
3 inches Of clay should be
sprinkled n the road should nave
a crown Of not less than one-half
inch per foot. Then pillow and harrow
AN Wv "ASAA q 04oS / wv uIllll Lie
voids In the sand are completely filled
with the clay and then the road
should be thoroughly sprinkled Git
be better to wait until a hard
and then it should be shaped
With a road machine and rolled while
wet. After it is rolled, a hin layer
sand SHOULD be s%prinkled over it,
this should be repeated about
a year
This road can be built for about
cents e square yard, or about
500 a mile, if the material doesn't
to be hauled too far. Sand
roads may be much improved by
the application Of crude petroleum
Oil and this should be applied by
while the road is dry, mix
it with the earth by narrowing
and making it compact by rolling.
In the above, I have given the es-
sential facts as to the different kinds