Milford chronicle., 1909-07-16
VALUE OF DRAGGING ROADS.
How Farmers Can Make 6ouIevards
Out Of Neglected Rural Highways.

Out of Neglected Rural Highways.
The Mount Joy Star and News o.
Pennsylvania tells in one of its issues
of how a farmer in that locality has
been making good roads by his OWL
individual effort. The newspaper item
reads as follows:
Frank L. Nissley, a 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 satsfac-
/ tiOn and to prove to the taxpayers how
we'll II 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 Thu drag he made him
| self Of logs and other material lying
around the farm, so that really about the
only thing that 1t cost him was a 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 1t, 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
U AAAAAH ulltNEu MI 4NASolEy uALCAGo a nbI sc
to the drag, runs it over the road as far
as his lands adjoln 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 go far toward establishing a 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 nelghbOrhOOd is evident TO
all those who use the road, and doubtless
in the near future some Of his neighbors
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 Hempfeld town
ship to a 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. |
anu Sutn WpIh might De necessary ABOUT ]
dozen time year. The entire cost of /
this will not amount to 500 a year. but 1
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 /
a year. as is now the plan used by most
supervisors.
There are a 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
benefit to his road is the system Of
dragging the dirt road by his farm by
the split log road drag. Farmers can
make such a drag in a 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, No. the inventor Of the
drag, the farmer will have simple
road implement that viii make a fine,
smooth country boulevard ont 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
NJ out the uneven places and building
l high crown in the middle of the
'oad. so that the water will run into
he side ditches instead Of standing
n the middle. and. most Of all-doing
t. Talking does not keep a dirt road
epaired Neither does excuse finding.
)ne hour of drag work Immediately
fter a rain does the trick, nothing
lse