The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1910-02-05
CoLFAx GRANT PARISH La, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1910
The Split Log Drag Wonder
How to Make and Use this Splendid Good Roads lmpe-
plement---Gov Sanders Says it is a Marvel IN
Simplicity and Effective Working.

and across the stakes for the driver
to stand on.
By many it is deemed best to place
strip of iron along the lowerface OF
the front slab for cutting blade and
to prevent the drag from wearing.
The drag may be fastened to the
doubletree by means of trace chain.
The chain should be wrapped around
the left hand or rear stake and pass
ed over the front slab. Raising the
chain at this end of the slab permits
the earth TO drift past the face OF the
drag. The other end OF the chain
should be passed through a hole in
the opposite end of the front slab
and held by a pin passed through
link.
For ordinary purposes the hitch
should be made SO that the unl0aded
drag will follow the team at an an
gle of about As degrees. The team
should be driven with one horse on
either side of the right-hand wheel
track or rut the full length of the
portion of road to be dragged, and
be made to return in the same man.
ner over the other half of the road
way. Such treatment will move the
earth towards the center of the road.
way. Such trea tment will move the
earth towards the center of the road
way and raise it gradually above the
surrounding level.
| The best results have been obtained
| by dragging roads once each way
after each heavy rain. nsome cases,
however, one dragging every three OF
, four weeks has been found sufficient
to keep a road IN good condition.
/ When the soil is moist but not
. sticky the drag does its best work
As the soil in a field will bake if pillow
ed wet, so the road will bake if tht
, drag is used on it when it il wet. /
: the roadway is full Of holes or badl,
! rutted the drag should be used ono
, when the ground is soft and slushy
This IL particularly applicable befor
cold spell in winter, when it is pos
. sible to SO prepare the surface tina
+ it will freeze smooth.
>, Not infrequently conditions ar
{ met which may be overcome by I
slight change in the manner of hitch
. ing. Shortening the chain tends t
a lift the front slab and make the cut
ting slight, while a longer hitch cause
I the front slab to sink more deepl
> into the earth and act on the prime
pie OF pillow.
!. II furrow of earth is to be move
n the doubletree should be attache
% close to the ditch end OF the drat
" and the driver should stand with on
a foot on the extreme forward end {
r. the front slab.
r. Conditions are so varied in diffe
q ent localities, however, thatit is quit
). impossible to lay down specific rule
a. Certain sections of q roadway will r
% quire more attention than other
h because of the steep grades, w
9 weather springs, soil conditions, e.
10 posure to sun and wind, washes, ct
~ There is one condition, however,
70 which special attention should
no given. Clay roads under persistel
NJ draggings frequently become too big
no in the center. This may be corrects
" by dragging the earth to the cent
no of the road twice, and away from
no once.
no Some figures furnished by F.
. Sanborn and R. II. Ashton, Gener
10 Manager Of the Chicago and Mort
!. western railroad, have shown Il
u. wonders of this simple device. N
Sanborn said: 1.-The least expen
i'll per mile per annum for the split-ls
of dragging was $3.50, the greatest
" little over Sc, and the average 9
mt pense per mile for 5K miles, q lit
he over So. I've lived along this 70,
he all my life, and never in forty yea
mr. have / seen it ffeer from mud al
dust. despite the fact tnat during t
no season We have experienced all t
extremes of weather. conditions.
les