The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1912-04-19
CLAY ROADS, AND HOW TO MAKE
THEM
To the Editor Ocala Banner:
To the ffditor Ocala Banner:

To the Editor Ocala Banner:
To the ffditor Ocala Banner:
While in Ocala last Saturday / was
informed by a gentleman whom | re-
gard as reliable that the clay roads
in the northwestern part of our coun-
ty was and have been for several
weeks in an impossible condition.
have also noticed some communlca-
tions from Mr. Bitch in reference to
the roads over there, which confirmed
the information given me as true.
would not presume to dictate to our
board of county commissioners, but
as a citizen and a tax payer, it IS my
right and privilege to make sugges-
lions that I believe would be conduc-
! i've to the public good. / know the
commissioners cannot meet all the
demands to the satisfaction of all;
also have reason to believe that they
| feel somewhat intimidated at the
enormous array of figures fixed up
and published by Mr.. Light, as well
as from a lack of funds with which to
build and repair the public roads, but
notwithstanding all this, the convicts
are being worked daily, repair crew
with free laborers are being worked
the road pillow is being run by another
squad, and in addition to this the road
supervisors in every commissioner
district are equipped with a squad OF
men and tools to work the public
roads therefore, why any public road
leading from a prosperous, densely
settled neighborhood, situated twelve
to twenty miles away from Ocala
should be neglected until it becomes
impossible for weeks and months Is
something not easily explained away
When the good roads train, furnish
ed by the federal government, with
expert road builders, was in Ocala,
went and saw the demonstration OF
soft rock, sand and clay roads, with
the tools and methods used in build
| ing the roads. The important lesson
taught was first to grade and drain
the road, then with a common two
horse pillow mix the clay with sand in
building a clay road, then run disc
harrow over it to thoroughly mix,
then with a heavy roller press down
the clay and sand, the center of the
road crowned six to ten inches higher
than the edges, according to width, so
as to shed the water from the road
surface, then with a split log scrape
run over the road occasionally to fill
up the ruts made by vehicles, so as
not to allow the water from rain to
catch, stand and soften the road. This
will make just such roads as they
now have between Valdosta and Tiff
ton, Georgia, over which the writer
passed last summer, and found them
better to travel over than rock sur
faced roads.
Our commissioners have plenty of
this material, and with less expense
can make and keep up the roads bet
ter than to scatter squads of men and
mules and wagons over the county 70
fill up holes in the ruts that will be
undone by the first passing vehicle.
My advice is, to buy a -25 split log
scrape, and put it on every clay road
in the county and keep them dragged
to the center and fill up the wheel
ruts. One man and two mules can
do more repair work with drag in
one day than a squad of six men will
do.
1t is rumored that the citizens of a
portion of this county are threatening
to vote themselves a new county, all
because they are neglected, and have
no passable road to come to Ocala,
their county site. l gently appeal to
the county commissioners to give
this matter attention at once. The
clay roads are worse than sand unless
they are scraped. | will stop for this
time Respectfully,
R. F. ROGERS.
Judging from a dispatch to the