Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1910-10-07

ABILITY to reach markets Wnen tne
roads are bad, not to mention the
advantages that are even greater
than money values. If each farm
er would drag the road in front
of his land, bad roads would soon
be converted into good ones.
The drag may be made of a log
say 5 feet long and II inches
through, split in the middle, or
of two pieces of any substantial
plank, 2xS inches, and the light
er the better. After the log is
split, giving two flat-faced slabs,
bore three two inch holes in each
slab, one in the middle and one
near either end, and connect the
slabs, facing the same direction
by inserting three stakes or else
rounded 3x3's long enough to
leave three feet Of space between
tn slabs after the connecting bars
have been driven into the holes.
Two or three boards nailed to-
gether can be laid on these con-
Meeting pieces, affOrding a loose
platform for the driver to stand
On. Use a chain or strong rope
for attachment to the dOubletree.
Surprising the drag to face west,
and assuming that a chain Is
used, faSten one end to or around
the left-hand outside connecting
brace, letting the chain pass over
the front slab; if attached to the
face of the slab near the left
hand end, the chain would inter
fere with the movement of dirt
toward that end of the drag.
The drag is run at about an an
gle of fOrty-five degrees, so that
earth will be thrown toward one
side. The other end of the
chain can be inserted and faSten-
ed in a hole in the face of the
front slab near where the right
hand connecting piece comes
through. Shoe about four feet OF
the bottom edge, right hand side,
of the front slab with a piece OF
iron or steel, say three inches
wide and a half inch thick with
one edge sharp or beveled. Bolt
it on securely, letting the sharp
edge project about half an inch
below the edge of the slab. This
shoe will enable the drag bettr
to shave the surface and to cut
down the hard ridges which are
usually met with on roads that
have not been kept smooth. This
is virtually the king" drag, a
! device Of Mr.. D. Ward King, one
which has been so justifiably pra
ed in the past few years.
Roads should be dragged often
and always after each soaking
rain. so that a smooth surface il
left. 1t should be done when thu
round is moist but not sticky
When the frost is leaving in thu
spring is an excellent time to be.
gin; the drag should be in use
from then until winter. The WORK
need not interfere with ordinary
farming operations, as when it /:
the right time to drag the soil il
too wet or the conditions are
unSuited for most kinds of field
work. 1t is difficult to invent q
good excuse for NOT dragging. II
used at the right time and will
proper frequency. on practically
all types of cOrn-belt soils, anC
those of the clayey or rolling
sections, the drag will make road
smooth, hard and cOnveX-the :
fundamental characteristics of al
ideal dirt road. This dragging
tends to the formation of a sort
of shell or casing over the sur
lace which sheds water like g
roof, and by distributing trave
over the entire area, instead OF
combining it to the center, the
shell constantly increases in solid
ity. At the outset dragging can
not be done so rapidly as wher
the road has been shaped up by
several sweeps of the drag; afte
this preliminary work, the surfac
ing can be done in half the tim'
originally required. The team
should be driven slowly; an!
farm boy and team can do tn
J work, and will learn at ever!
dragging, for years, how to ge
better results from it. No on
| should be disturbed if a road doe
. not reach perfection the first yea
. |