Omaha daily bee., 1910-01-30
Good Roads
Easy to lake
At Small Cost
Split Log Drag Goes Long Way
Toward Solving the Problem Of
Road Work in Country.

-
The Iowa Highway commission. which
has had q great deal OF experience with
the s~plit-log drag, has issued a bulletin
containing the following strong indorse-
ment OF the benefits OF the King split-log
drag;
The work Of road maintenance in Iowa
is largely confined to the care Of earth
roads. Within the last two years the
methods have undergone a complete change
and che use Of the ~split-log drag and other
simp,e contrivances for this purpose has
extended into every township and county
Of this state.
First last and all the time the timely
and liberal use of the road drag win pay
bigger returns on the money invested than
the use OF any other road implement. This
assertion, while apparently dogmatic, will
appeal to those who know, as a good safe
rule for the township trusees and road
guperintendents and street commissioners
Of the average Iowa town to adopt for
1910 and to put into force Immediately.
Much more can be accomplished during the
apring and winter months than during the
summer and fal, months. The roads on
which the drag has been used during the
winter are in much better shape to with
stand the succeeding wet and thawing
weather. When the frost Is coming out"
Of the roads is a critical time with them.
The loose, moist condition., II taken adj
vantage OF, will make a wonderful inn
provement, but, IL neglected, becomes a
great sponge, ready to catch and retain the
spring rains. The use of the drag now
will accomplish the following results in
a greater or less degree, depending on the
number of times and the care with which
the drag is used:
L. First Of all, the water standing in
the ruts and depressions or running down
the wheel tracks will be thrown out of
the Travelled way to the side ditches.
2. These rUts and depressions will be
filled with moist earth, which in this-con-
dition will pack and become a solid part
of the roadbed.
3. The shoulders at each side will be
built up where the traffic has flattened
and slowed them into wide bitches.
4. Ridges which the wheels have formed
between the center of the road and the
sides OF the bitches viii be smoothed down
] and the center of the road will be built UP,
giving the water that falls on the Travelled
portion OF the road an opportunity to get
away.
8. BY dragging the side bitches with the
drag hltched at an angle of more than
forty-five degrees the bitches can be
cleaned OF wash or dirt thrown down by
the front from ovefhanging banks and the
road gradually widened.
8. The seed beds between the center of
the road and side bitches waiting to grow
into a mass of hoXious weeds can in a
large measure be destroyed now.
z. II the soil is Just moist, each time the
drag Is used a thin layer will be added to
the travelled portion OF the road, which will
pack into anu Duiiu Up a hard surface ufust
under the traffic; il IL is Wet, the water
viii be forced out. drying the road In a
much shorter time.
s. Dragging in March, April and May WIN
reduce the dust In June, July, August and
september.
.. The action of the frost has put the soil
in such condition now that the two horses
win do the work of four a little later.
10. The waves and ruts can be taken out
OF gravel roads now. and the material
which has been forced toward the side
bitches brought back onto the travelled way.
The wheels VIII do all the rolling neees-
sary.
H. By reversing the drags on hills and
throwing the earth moved from the center
Of the road to the side bitches, deep and
dangerous bitches at the roadside may soon
be filled and the grade of the whole hill
lowered,
The responsibility for having the drag
used has been fixed by the legislature on
the town trustees and the road superin-
tendents.
Tile drainage on steep hillsides, or on
flat, wet stretches OF road where the
ground water stands at high level will sup
plement the use Of the rpad drag and prove
a splendid investment.\ Such places as
these will show up as being particularly
bad, and will remain wet long after thf
roads in the vicinity have dried. A six
inch tile. sometimes only a few hundred
feet long, down one side of the road. IL
properly laid may prove sufficient to drain
the road; only extreme cases will require
two lines; s65 to SO per 1000 feet should lay
slx-inch tile three feet deep, and 10 per cent
to 20 per cent Of the road funds OF the av-
erage township could well be invested In
tile drainage. This would amount to 500
to $500, which at the above figures would
lay a considerable amount of tile. II would
profit each township TO select it's road sup
erintendent at once, IL this has not already
been done, and send him over the principal
roads OF the township to note the length
and number of places that are badly in need
OF tile drainage, as these places will be
particularly apparent during the spring
months.