The Bemidji daily pioneer., 1912-03-23


community in the country.
The opinion is quite general through
out the country that it is useless to
try to do anything to improve our
earth roads. This is mistaken idea.
In fact, good earth road is the step
ping stone to macadam road. The
earth road is the foundation for all
future improvements. With; proper
plans for the future the earth road
can be constructed at once. A COM
paratively small annual outlay for
maintenance will then serve to keep.
1t in shape until funds are available
for further improvement with a hard
surface.
One Of the most frequent faults with
our present earth roads is that they
are located where they should not be.
Grades are too often unnecessarily
steep, drainage is poor Or entirely; lack
ing and streams are seldom crossed at
the most favorable bridge site. Il
To relocate these roads entirely or
even to a large extent is out of the
question. The general location of the
present roads must be maintained be-
cause of the farm improvements which
have been made along them. But Won
derfulr improvements can be made by
modifying the location Of short sec:
tions here and there. Instead Of going
over steep hill it is often feasible to
go around 1t on much easier grade.
without materially increasing the dis.
tance.
The elimination of one or two steep
hills on a line Of road, will frequently
enable horses to draw three or four
times as much to market as they could
draw on the old road. It takes 4ap-,
proximately four times as much power
to draw loads on 10 per cent grades as
on a level. -.r ...., E
The earth road should have at least
six hours Of sunshine each day. Brush
and trees which impede the drying ac-,
ton of the sun should be removed. The,
southern and western exposures should
be az complete as possible. With gravel
and macadam roads this is not so nee
essary, as as5certain amount Of mois-
ture is needed to keep down the dust.
tBut@comparatively few Of our earth
roads have been -dignifed by any i'm,
provement which could be termed con-:
struction. To expect good earth road
where none has ever been built is like
expecting a harvest from ground which
has never been titled. An earth road
must be built, Just as a macadam or
gravel road must be built, and skill
and experience are required in order to
secure the best results. ,Slf
The first and last requisite In road
construction is drainage. This, Of
course, must be modified to suit the
conditions OF soil and climate. Where
the soil Is heavy and retentive care;
must be taken to get rid Of the water
quickly and completely. For this pur-.
pose the roadway must be raised eight.
cen to thirty inches above the side
bitches and well crowned, so that the
water win dow freely to the side ditch
%. The side bitches should be Of am
pie size and provided with sufficient
10A4 u pIOQeIAy 5CAI0 4OE lAe5 u0AVlSSSs
rains Ordinarily the only bitches
needed are those made with a road
scraper, which are wide and compare
lively shallow.
Culverts Of SUFFICIENT capacity should
be provided at low places or for nat
ural Watsrcourses. Wood and terra
Gotta tile do not. ~ 4 general rule.
make satisfactory culverts. The first
will soon decay, and the latter Is liable
to break unless It Is very carefully laid,
Stone or concrete culverts are the best
and cheapest in the long run The.
main things to bear In mind in build
ing culverts are that they should have
sufficient capacity to quickly dispose
Of the maximum flow Of rainwater1
and that they are given suflicient fall
to keep themselves clean. Increased
fall also increases the capacity, but II
much fall Is given the spillway should
be paved and the outlet and intake pro-
tected with suitable wing walls.
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