The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1911-11-24

clearly set forth in pamphlet issued
by the United States department OF
agriculture. The subject, The Use OF
the Split-Log Drag on Earth Roads.
is treated in Farmers Bulletin 321,''
by D. Ward King. an expert In the Of
fee of public roads. In opening hia
description Of the drag, Mr.. King ex-
plains that there are at present In
this country about 100000 miles OF
earth roads. most of which must be
maintained by some means more or
less inexpensive. The split-log drag Is
of great service on roads OF this class.
The author of the pamphlet has exper-
imented with great variety OF devices
for road dragging, but has found the
two-slab log, or plank drag, with lib
eral setback, the most satisfactory.
Double drags for working both sides
of the road simultaneously have been
tried with only limited success. The
reason for this lies In the fact that
both sides OF an earth road are never
exactly alike This causes the two
parts Of the drag to work unevenly
and to interfere with each other. It
is also impossible for one man to op-
crate both parts successfully Contin-
uing, the author says in part:
Two mistakes are commonly made
in constructing drag. The first lies
In making 1t too heavy. It should be
SO light that one man can easily lift
It, Besides, light drag responds
more readily to various methods OF
hitching and to the shifting Of the po-
sition and weight of the operator. The
other mistake is In the use OF squared
timbers instead Of those with sharp
edges, whereby the cutting effect OF
sharp edges Is lost and the drag is per-
mitted to glide over instead OF to
equalixe the Irregularities In the sur
face of the road. A dry cedar log is
the best material for q drag. Red elm
and walnut, when thoroughly sea-
soned. are excellent, and box elder.
soft maple, or even willow are prefer
able to oak, hickory or ash.
The log should be seven or eight
feet long and from ten to twelve
inches in diameter, and carefully split
down the middle. The heaviest and
best slab should be selected for the
front. At point on this front slab
four inches from the end that is to be
at the middle of the road locate the
center OF the hole to receive cross
stake. and % inches from the other
end Of the front slab locate the center
for another cross stake. The hole for
the middle stake will lie on line con-
meeting and halfway between the
other two. The back slab should now
be placed In position behind the other.
From the end which Is to be at mid
die Of the road measure 20 inches for
the center OF the cross stake and six
inches from the other end locate the
center Of the outside stake. Find the
center OF the middle hole as before
When these holes are brought oppo-
site each other, one end OF the back
slab will lie 16 inches nearer the center
Of the roadway than the front one,
giving what is known as '.set bach"
The holes should be two inches In d.
ameter. Care must be taken to hold
che auger plumb in boring these holes,
In order that the stakes shall 1T prop
erly. The hole to receive the forward
end Of the chain should be bored at
the same time.
The two slabs should be held 30
inches apart by the stakes. Straight
grained timber should be selected for
the stakes, so that each stake shall lit
srugly into the two-inch hole when
the two slabs are In the proper posi-
ton. The stakes should taper gradu-
ally toward the ends. There should
be no shoulder at the point where
the stakes enter the slab. The stakes
should be fastened in place by
wedges only.
When the stakes have been placed
in position and tightly wedged,
brace two inches thick and four inches
wide should be placed diagonally to
them at the ditch end, as shown in
figure /. The brace should be dropped
on the front slab, SO that its lower
edge shall lie within an inch Of the.
ground. while the other end should
rest in the angle between the slab and
the end stake.
A strip Of Iron about 33k feet long.
three or four inches wide and one
quarter Of an inch thick may Be used
for the blade. This should be at
tached to the front slab. so that 1t win
&v.n