The Democratic advocate., 1909-10-08
DRAGGING The ROADS
HOW TO GET THEM In GOOD SHAPE
FOR WINTER HAULING
If Put in FirSt-ClaSS Condition New,
They Will Remain So.

On every farm where there is a mile
or more of road, unless 1t has been
made permanent by grading properly
and macadamised or graveled, there
ought to be road drag. 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, l have found a
homemade drag to be most useful
implement. OF course we can get
along with poor roads on the farm
but if we are the sort of farmers who
take pride in having things in the best
shape we will certainly take pleasure
in keeping our farm roads in good con-
dition. And l may add that it takes
so little time and trouble to run over
a 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 I drag the
farm roads.
The longer 1 keep my drag and use
it on my roads the more l appreciate
it,. Mine is of the red split log type
I made it 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. It works
about as well as the metal ones, some
of which l see occasionally.
l don't think it took me two hours
to make my drag, though l did not
make it strictly according to the reg
ulation method as I 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 augur to
bore holes big enough for stout wood
en- bars, so I merely sawed down into
the upper edges of each half OF the
log at three places and split out the
blocks, leaving a place into which
could put a piece Of four inch scant-
ling. 1 cut three pieces of scantl1ne
thirty-six inches long and fitted them
into the cutout places and made them
fast by driving spikes six inches long
into them. The job seems to be as
solid as those made by boring holes
and putting the bars through. Some
people make their drags Of plank, and
they do very we'll, but cost more and
will not stand hard usage so we'll as
the regular split log drag.
There is not, of course, so great neeo
of the drag in summer and fall as IN
winter and spring, but it Is much
easier and pleasanter job to make II
then, and, besides, if one drags his
roads a few times in summer and
gets them we'll graded up they will re-
main in good shape far better than Ii
left Just as the summer hauling has
made them.
Moreover, on many farms there are
wet places in the roads that cannot
we'll be worked to advantage in winter
and spring. If these are graded uI
and drained in the fall they will nc
doubt stay good all the time.
There is another use | have seen the
drag put to that on some farms Will
come in very handy. Quite good
many cattle owners find 1t expedlen'
to pen up their cattle at night In sum-
mer.. AS a rule, no straw or other
bedding is thrown over the lot, and the
manure remains on the ground an0
dries out and on sloping ground IS OF
ten all washed away. | find that II
run the road drag over the coWpen
occasionally l can scrape up several
loads of the best kind OF manure thai
is we'll worth collecting and hauling
out to thin spots on the farm.
I say with emphasis there Is nc
small job that a farm owner can more
profitably devote a few hours to Whe1
he has some leisure time after the
press of farm work is over than con-
structing a road drag.-M1ssour1 Cor
Farm Progress.