The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1910-09-09

GRADING THE HIGHWAY
shape, ditched up and culverts in very
bad shape and only about forty poll
taxes and $3.50 to do this work with
l took two plows, right and left,
went all over the roads, blowing fur
rows from twenty to twenty-five feet
apart on the side of the road. Some
times when the road was In trough
shape | plowed as close as eighteen
feet. And low places and near culverts
where | had used scrapers | plowed
three or four burrows on a side. By
the time | got over the roads | knew
just what had to be done and how to
dry enough to scrape | went on the
road with a small crew fixed the
culverts and wherever felt | had
time filed in bitches and threw up low
places and got it in shape for grader.
| mostly put on ten horses donated
by the people. In the fall some wanted
their roads graded again and donated
the work. | got $50 donation work.
Then | went on the roads again with
the plows and plowed one furrow on
each side of the road, then fixed cul-
verts and put in the time throwing up
low places and filling large bitches |
then went over the road with a grader,
asking little donation in some places
where the roads needed a little more
work. got $50 donation and the roads
in fine shape. Next year | went on the
road and fixed culverts and places
where water had made some large
bitches and scraped in the sand that
lodged in the low places and at the
foot Of the hills. When the ground got
in good condition | took two King
drags. ! hitched to them so they ran
at an angle of forty-tive degrees, COM
menced at outside of road, and when l
came to a hill where the banks needed
cutting hitched near the end, so it
would cut the bank that was to move
the ditch over from the road. We
would go a few rounds, one drag
cutting up hill and the other down.
Six years ago a steep hill east of my
bouse was in a trough shape, and
plOwed the sides and threw il in with
the scraper until | had 1t highest in
the middle and about twenty feet
wide. 1t took about one-half day.
Then | commenced dragging it, and
quite large ditch had got on one
side. widened it by running against
the bank with the wagon wheel while
driving to the field, using it for lock
and to wear out the bank.
A hill west of my place which com,
menced to drag some time ago was
lowest in the middle. had ten acres
Of ground to plow, which took me
about four days. hitched on to my
drag with three horses, put the plow
on it and started to the field. l COM
menced the road about twenty feet
wide. A part Of the way there was
sod. | would bring the drag home and
take 1t back every time ! went. BY
the time the field was plowed had an
impression on the road. so the water
took to the side of the road where |
had gone with the drag Soon the
bitches were a foot deep, and, of
course, the middle was foot the high
est. ! kept on dragging every time
went to the field and would set my
drag into the bank wherever 1t would
get mellow, The elements did at least
60 per cent OF the work. You may
sight across the banks and the middle
Of the road is no higher than the
banks, so you see the water has done
the work, and | smoothed up after It.
The two miles of road l keep up In
fine shape around my farm, and It
takes about one day in the year to
keep II up.