Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1911-04-28
The SPLIT-LOG DRAG
CONTINUED from page II

to show where further drag treatment
is necessary. After a few draggings,
there will be no cuts by tires or horse
shoes. The next trip over fills in the
ruts and wheel tracks, smooths the
surface a little more, crowns a little
and works the dirt into the mud pie
consistency for hardening. Eventual
ly, the pudding and the baking, pro-
vldes a hard roof over the old road. 1t
will leak in places, but the drag picks
upits own shingles and slaps them over
the leaky places which, finds itself.
Dragging will benefit road at any
time, but it is best to work after
rain, when the dirt will work better in
front of the drag. It is then easier to
smooth off the high spots and fill in the
depressions and the mud pie formation
develops more rapidly.
When the driver becomes used to the
drag. he can manipulate it to meet
varied road conditions. For instance,
if he wants to cut deeper and pick up
more dirt, he steps forward and to the
right, forcing down the shod or ditch
end. A still deeper cut may be had by
shortening the hitch. The downward
pressure will be taken off materially by
stepping back and to the left, or if
the hitch is heightened by moving it to
the left on the chain. With little
practice, the driver can change his
position to cut deep, collect an excess
of dirt. approach a depression in the
road, and by again changing his posi-
ton quickly, that is moving to the
rear left end of the drag, dump the
accumulation Of dirt into the depres-
sion.
When used on flat city street, the
dragging is started as near the right
side as possible. In this case the gut
ter is made first and the smoothing and
browning proceeds as on a country
road with the two wheel tracks.
To widen and elevate a road with
the drag, a shallow furrow is plowed
just outside the dragged portion of the
road, with the furrow turned toward
the road. This furrow is picked up by
the drag gradually and distributed over
the road. The operation will widen
road about two feet, and elevate it
according to the amount of dirt added
to it from the furrow. Another fur
row will result in the same additions.
This work is done only after a rain
and only one furrow is worked in after
each storm.
The foregoing instructions and ex-
plantations refer exclusively to a split
log drag, made in strict accordance
with the King specifications and used
exactly as described. The accom-
panying cut shows the drag and the |
hitch which Mr.. King developed in
eighteen years of experience in road
building.
1t has been proved by actual, prac-
teal experience that the split log drag
is the most efficient road implement to
use for the following reasons:
1t is cheap, simple and certain.
1t is light and does not disturb or
destroy whatever there may be of
original foundation, as do the heavy
and expensive metal drags and road
scrapers, which leave the road with
open cracks and crevices, into which
water seeps and settles, making the
surface mushy and worse in every way
than it was when work was started.
It is not heavy on the team or driver.
It finds for itself all of the material
it needs and uses every particle of it.
1t gives the driver complete control
so that he can remedy every defective
condition.
1t works best with the pokiest team
and after a rain when the help is
driven from the fields.
1t provides perfect drainage facili-
ties.
1t builds up and smooths over, in
stead of tearing away and smashing
up, as heavy drag is sure to.
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