The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-11-02
Split Log Drags and Forked Stick
PIoWstocks.

The split log drag is creating little short
Of sensation. Steel blades seem to be
Anticipated utinsels In comparison. Where
the split log drag is in use the roads are
in splendid condition; elsewhere tho roads
are gully groupes.
How it is that a split log can bank a
better road than a road machine is hard to
understand. They say, however, that
the split log is the proper thing.
While the split log Is building roads
would 1t not not be well for some farmer
to try the forked stick pillow? They are
very easy to make. Just take TO the woods
with an K and find q tree that forks
nicely, cut 1t down and then cut it off two
feet below the fork. Sharpen one prong
OF the fork, cut the other off three feet In
length, bore a hole in it and, presto! you
have an up-to-date plowstock for an
Assyrian or "Baloochistan Camel man..
Another machine very much worn two
or three hundred years ago, the log har-
row, might prove useful In building roads
and for farm use as well. It is easy to
make. Stay an oak two feet in diameter
take OIL 1t a cut eight feet long and drive
spikes into 1t and all over 1t at extremely
short intervals, then drive two large
spikes into the middle Of each end on
which to fasten the shafts, hitch it to a
camel or a bull elephant and you will be
surprised to see the work that the thing
will do.
II the farmers would do away with their
broad tired wagons and rubber tired bug.
giles and use sleds for a while It would
help the roads too. Let the runners of the
sleds be made OF good seasoned whiteoak
cut abont five inches wide. No matter
how much load you put on it the result is
only to pack the road the better and to
give 1t a slick plastered appearance very
agreeable to the eye.
Another method Of transportation much
the rage at one time wei the old Charles.
ton road from these parts was the hogs.
head wagon. It was used mainly to trans.
part tobacco from the Piedmont to Char.
lesion. A hogshead was filled with tobac.
co, the head nailed on, a pair of shafts
lifted to an axle running thru the middle OF
1t and draft animal hitched thereto. This
method Of transportation is said to have
been very agreeable to delicate roads. It
might be tried again.
We would not recommend the choctaw
drag shaft, the vehicle Of the American
Indians. Not that we do not think II
fully up to these other implements, but
rather because we do not care to be imita.
tors Of any body.
We could go on at length and suggest
many things similar to the 'split log
drag" and the Round Log Harrow" ect.
but 1t Is best to suggest a few things at a
time. There by We have the more hopes
OF seeing what we have mentioned put
into use.
We cannot refrain, however, from call
Ing attention to n very useful art-that
OF producing fire. Our people are con-
stantly, unremittingly, put to the expense
OF buying matches or borrowing chunks
OF fire. ALI this trouble and expense may be
cut out by simply rubbing two sticks to-
gether very hard and very fast for an
hour or two, at the end Of which time you
will have a beautiful blaze: This has been
tried by great numbers Of people and 1t Is
a pronounced success. And why our peo-
pie will use road scrapes and matches
when they can use the split log drag and
sticks is hard to understand. But some
are beginning to use the split log and we
expect soon to see all the road scrape par
aphanalia relegated to the junk pile.