The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1912-07-18
make satisfactory culverts. The frs

will soon decay, and the latter Is llaDle
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 rainwater |
and that they are given sufficient 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.
All material subject to decay, such
as sod, grass or weeds and vegetable
mold, must be carefully excluded. The
aim must always be to build a road
way as solid and impervious to mois-
ture as possible. Water from every
source, surface or underground, must
be got rid of. Except in sandy or very
arid regions, water is the great enemy
Of earth roads.
The earth road can best be crown
ed and ditched with reversible road
and shovels, scoops and plows. One
road scraper with suitable power and
| operator will do the work of many men
with picks and shovels and do it bet
ter. The road scraper should be used
when the soil is damp, so that the soil
will pack and bake. If it is worked
dry it takes more power to operate the
machine, and, furthermore. dry earth
and dust retain moisture and quickly
rut after rains.
Shoulders are often formed on both
sides Of the road by constant travel in
one place, which prevents storm water
from flowing into side bitches, retain
ing it in the ruts and softening the
roadway. These ruts and shoulders
can usually be entirely eliminated by
iudicious use of the split log drag.
The price Of good roads is eternal
vigilance in maintenance. This Is per-
haps even more true Of earth roads
than any other. The rains and melt
ing snow soften the surface more ol
less, and passing traffic forms rats
and depressions These, II allowed tt
remain. will retain more water Mt tht
next rain, and more mud and deepel
ruts and larger depressions will b.
formed. 1t Is self evident, therefore
that the main thing in maintaining
heavy soil roads must be to keep tn
drainage good. For this purpose Their
is nothing which equals the split loI
drag or other similar devices.
The principle of the action of th
drag is simply this: The clays an
most heavy soils will puddle and Sc
} very hard if worked when wet. III
drag is essentially a pudding machine
' After each rain and while the earth
still plastic, but not sticky enough
J. adhere to the drag, one or two trip
o up and down the road are made wit
r the drag. Only small amount
/. earth is moved, just enough to fill I'll
j. ruts and depressions and smooth ov'
g the surface with thin layer Of plast
Il clay, which packs very hard, so that IL
:. next rain. instead Of finding ruts al
4 depressions in which to collect, rul
J. off, leaving the surface but little a
II fected.
y The time and labor involved In kee
e ing an earth road properly dragged q
d small. Five dollars per mile per ya
seems to be about the average cost
h the middle states The essential re
" uisite is that the work shall be do
Q. at the time 1t is needed. This Is t
Il point which seems hardest to impfe
k on the average man. The little atte
at ton the earth road needs must
given promptly and at the proper til
or if the best results are to be obtained
he We have become SO accustomed
ae the old habit of doing our road wo
o. at our convenience that we can hare
III force ourselves to realize that al
u thing else should be even suggest'
,y One thing Is absolutely certain. a
So that is that we will never have al
nr thing like improved earth roads III