The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1910-06-10

return half of the roadway. Such
treatment will move the earth toward
the center of the roadway and raise
it gradually above the surrounding
level.
The best results have been obtain
ed by dragging roads once each way
| after each heavy rain. In some
cases howeve~ one dragging every
three or II weeks has been found
sufficient - keep road in good con-
dition
When the soil is moist, but no.
sticky, the drag does its best work.
AS the soil in field will bake If
ploughed wet, so the road will bake
If the drag, is used on it when 1t is
wet. If the roadway is full of holes
OF badly rutted, the drag should be
used once when the ground is soft
and slushy. This is particularly APP
plicable before a cold spell in winter,
when 1t is possible to so prepare the
surface thai it will freeze smooth.
Not infrequently conditions are
met which may be overcome by
slight change in the manner of hitch
ing. Shortening the chain tends to
life the front slab and make the cut
ting slight, while a longer hitch
causes the front slab to sink more
deeply into the earth and act on The
principle of pillow
II furrow of earth is 70 be NOV
ed, the doubletree should be at
tached close to the ditch end of the
drag, and the driver should sand
with one foot on the extreme for
ward end of the front slab.
Conditions are SO varied in diff
ferent localities, however, thai. it is
quite impossible to lay down specific
rules. Certain sections of roadway
will require more attention than
others, because of steep grades, wet
weather spring, soil conditions, ex-
posture to sun and wind, washes
etc. There is one condition, how
ever, in which special attention
should be given. Clay roads under
persistent draggings frequently be-
come too high in the center. This
may be corrected by dragging, the
earth towards the center of the road
twice and away from it once.
There is no question as TO the
economy of this road-making imple-
ment, either in first cost or in opera
ton. In six counties in Kansas in
1906 the cost of maintaining ordi-
mary earth roads, without the aid of
the split-log drag, averaged $3.50 a
mile. These figures were furnished
by Professor w. C. Hoad, of the Uni
versity of Kansas, who secured them
from official records of the counties
Some figures furnished by f. p.
Sanborn and r. II. Ashton, general
manager of the Chicago & NOrthwes-
tern railroad, have revealed the
wonders Of this simple device. Mr..
Samborn said 1.-THE least expense per
mile per annum for split log drag
ging was $l.50, the greatest a little
over s., and the average expense per
mile for 51a miles a little over
So. / have lived along this road all
my life and never in forty years
have 1 seen it freer from mud and
dust despite the fac. that during the
season we have experienced the eX-
tremes of weather conditions.
The testimony of Mr.. Ashton is
equally strong. Learning chat al
township in Iowa had been making
an Investigation OF the split-log
drag and had been experimenting
with it for a year on 20 miles OF
highway, he sent an agent to secure
information. 1t was reponted that
although the town board had paid
the cost of making the drags and of
hiring men to operate them, the to-
tai expense for one year averaged
but $40 a mile, and the roads were
reported to have been like race
track" the greater portion OF the year. !