The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1910-05-20
SPLlT.LOG DRAG.
Good Dirt Roads BY The
Proper Use OF I'm
plement.

the wise man is he who will profit
by another's experience when it
can be put to account. Mistakes
cannot be obviated when a new
device is winning its way into pop
ular favor but to have these mis-
takes pointed out should be Of
benefit not only to he who makes
the mistake but to others who con.
template being users of the new
device as for instance the many,
who seeing the good results attend
ant upon the use of the split-log
drag, contemplate using it to i'm
prove the road running past their
own premises or the lane from the
house to the main road.
Simple as the King drag is and
as easy TO learn as are its principles
of operation, number of farmers
and road officials are errings in the
manner in which they use it.
Error is most frequently made in
not putting the drag to work on the
road Immediately after rain.
Especially should there be no delay
after a summers rain and some
times it is even advisable to operate
it before the rain has entirely
ceased. In no season of the year
will error be made if no time is
allowed to elapse between the cessa-
ton of the rain and the dragging
of the roadway. For the greatest
amount of good to a road it should
be dragged while the mud on the
surface Of the roadway is Of about
the consistency of plaster. In this
condition it can be most effectively.
spread over the roadway in a
smooth layer which will dry in the
summers sunshine into a hard,
smooth and even surface, which
will the better resist the wear of
passing traffic, and with the less.
ened disintegration of the roads
surface there will be an abatement
of dust, so annoying in summer.
The use Of the drag at any time
except when the road is dusty will
be a benefit to the road but to
secure all the advantages which it's
most beneficial use produces it must
be put to work Immediately after
the rain, while water still remains
ON the surface of the road and be-
fore it can eyaporate under the
SUMS quickly drying rays.
The use of the drag at any other
time than Immediately after a rain
has only the effect of the scraper.
The road which has commenced to
dry will be given a well rounded
crown and ruts aud holes will be
filed bat the rear slab of the drag
will not get in its highly important
work. Its action is to pack the
moist earth aud to spread over the
road, which has already been
crowned and made even by the
front or cutting slab, a thin layer
of mud, as plaster is smeared over
a brick wall to make the walls of d
room smooth. This coating of mud
will bake hard and cause the road
to shed the next rain better, besides
giving the road solidity to better
resist the action Of travel. Such a
surface will produce better surface
drainage, and drainage, highway
engineers say, is the first essential
of good road.
Although the work of drag is q
revelation to all when first shown
its results there are some who ex-
pect more from it than is claimed
for it. A road which has been prop.
erlyl dragged and worked into a
perfect boulevard is sometimes seen
with accommodations of water at the
sides where the cutting end of the
drag has made a shallow trench.