Middletown transcript., 1910-02-05
that's the thing be did it withL Well. I
haven's any S25 to put into one."
GfElsEn IR,nSIS..- - ....A- = =,

n 'H'mI That's 80, I" returned Groyes
"Just you go into the nearest timb,
) tract, cut rough log, spit is, leave th
bark on and rig the pieces up into q dras
Thenr when the people see il In front >
your gate. they'll say: "WslI, Ia that IN
consrapsion Charlie Groves made th.
nns road with7 Why, l can make
better one myself and not spend & nickel. >
4 Which, since Groves perceived The
arguments truly Greek shrewdness, va,
precisely what happened. Now ali
through tbs district every farmer has bis
own drag, and they are lefs at the from
gates, too.
-Four different stAtes--Iows. Illinois.
Missouri and Virginia-have legally rec.
ogniEed the road drag, for they pay men
to drag their roads at regular intervals.
Alter four years' trial the state of Iowa
has snseteda Law making it mandatory
on road supervisors to have all dirt roads
dragged.
All kinds of roads respond 10 the treat.
ment. Ittakss half an hour to properly
drag half . mile. Il stays 10 good con.
ditiOn until the next wet period, and the
"meaner" the soil the better the road
after dragging.
There Is one Iowa supervisor who has
his force Of road draggers 90 organized
and reachahle by telephone that be makes
it his common rule to have the. Who,e
township dragged within three hours
Otter be issues the call. He says that the
thres-hour limit is so easy that If any one
wants to come out and time him hs will
drsg the Townships roads within sixty
minutes.
The railroads, which do not practice
unalloysd philanthropy to any over.
Whelming extent, are doing everything in
their power TO extend the use of the
drag, for it means vastly bsGIered facilities
and much larger freights at their shipping
points. Wherever the road drag operated
nearer to one competing line than to
another, il has been found that farmers
shipments take the lins Of least resistance
over the dragged roads.
Sheridan, No., one Of she irst towns
there 70 take up the drag for use on con.
roads, at once began to win local
trade away from Hopkins, No., eight
miles distant, and part Of the captured
'rads came from points as Close a. only
Two miles to Hopkins. 1t took three
years for Hopkins to wake up and fight
1rag With dras in it's desperate effort TO
recover the forfeited business.
The same thing happened when Lor.
mer, in Iowa, realized that Alton, by
eries Of road prizes. was drawing business
'ver an Gig ht.mile haul that need travel
'nly four miles by rough road to reach
Iorimer. !.
But competition is not essential for
demonstration Of the need OF the drag.
The Chicago and Northwestern Railroad
stimatsl that tWo weeks Of wet weather
ut down freight receipts in agricultural
liStricts by 80 per cent. The farmer Won't
laul TO the station oven difficult roads,
Though he doesn't mind rain IL the
oads are right.
LSsturOd EEsm Special Train
The Pennsylvania Railroad recently
ave Mr.. King q special train 10 carry
i'm along it, richest Pennsylvania dis.
IicIs and deliver lectures to iarmers'
1essiugs assembled at various stations.
A remarkable instance Of the sxcep.
onal range Of the drAG's utility occurred
North TOnawanda, near Niagara Falls.
Is = Wholesale lumber town, where
normous loads are hauled over the local
ighWlys. The Commercial Club called
(r. King TO the town TO solve what bad
rown to be > vital problem in North
prosperity.
The streets we're dlled in with Stag from
steel works. They were
udded with remarkable holes, which
ere steadily destroying their efficiency
J roadways.
A gravel or macadam road develops
oles; bot they are always saucer shaped.
Iere, however, oil the holes we're pre-
pitoue;. their sides went straight up aud
,wn, like so many boiler stacks.
He advised the Commercial Club to
'ag the roads as soon % the spring thaws
ould permit, and then to dress the sur.
Gee with Stag which had been seasoned
ID freed Of its sIakable lime before use.
len be vent away.
That was in January. Not until March
uld North Tonawanda comply with his
ggestions. But then, a. she delighted
ommefcial Club men reported it took
Ily tWenty-iour hours TO transform 'he
orst lumber road 10 the territory into .
CO track.