Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-04-15
ONE TOWNSHIP FINDS PROPER
METHOD OF MAKING SERVICE.
ABLE DIRT HIGHWAY,
TRACTOR AND GRADERS
DO THE WORK WELL
Tried. With New Plan of Holding
Gravel in PIaes-Parcei Post Brings
Hampton Man Business From Alaska
Wilson'S Rural Observations.
special TO Times-R Republican.


Geneva. April 1.-THE trustees Of
Geneva township did some very COM
nenda5le road work last season and if
the program for the coming season is
carried out long step toward good
roads" will have been taken in this vi
ciniry. Last summer they employed
the owner OF big steam tractor, a man
VINO has had considerable experience
in road construction IN al eastern state.
and in the thirteen day period they
worked i've miles OF the finest grades
IN this part of the country were huilr
in different parts Of the township. Two
sVeu-foot graders We're hitched by
means Of heavy chains TO the engine
and the big machine was so run that
the wheels rolled down a siX-foot strip
as they went along and il IS said that
the moment q grade was finished an
auto might have been driven over il
al forty mile gait. 50 smooth and
Hrnl was the work The engineer is
paid $50 per day and he furnishes TWO
men, water hauIer and a fireman
devoting his own time entirely 10 his
engine The grades consist generally
OF q .wo-toot cut and corresponding
fiji, the cutters extending 20 within six
feet Of the fence lines. They are round
ed in all parts so that there is not a
fat place II the work and during the
receu, rainy week the traveller could
have known without looking where he
was riding over these grades Irsread
Of eight 20 twelve inches of mud there
We're only two or three for most OF the
water had run off into the cutters as i,
fell When one recalls his experience
OF joiting over some careIessly con-
srrIlcTed grad win ? long lima Of over
tapping grass covered sods piled up in
the middle and a succession of eleva-
tons and depTessiONs at either side and
then observes work like this he is
ready 10 admit that there are a. least
two ways to build road grades This
YEAR the Geneva trustees Will try ten
foot grader with one OF the smaller
ones and a One-miie grade is TO be
graveled When the grading is done on
this stretch the wheel tracks for We
niclss viii be located, then Z piow viii
turn deep f1rrowS where the ira c.ls
are 10 run and the excavations thus
made will be filed with gravel Al the
last the grader will run once more over
,he ground, pulling back thu dirt turned
out by the plow and the gravel viii in
this way be held where it is needed.
The outfit above described is run a
two miles an hour gait and it is said
that half a mile per day Of grading can
BE done. once last summer a more
rapid rate was tried but during the
experiment. one of the graders struca
a big root, the machine was casized
and the operator thrown into a fence
and after that TWO miles per hour vas
considered fast enough.
Here is the method employed oy one
man 10 winter his cabbage. or that
part OF the supply intended for spring
use. The plan must be AL right for
the cabbage was on ne dinner able
and il was good. In the fall he sinks
a common sugar barrel in the ground
so that few inches Of the barrel will
stand above the surface. Then he
grades up 10 prevent the rain and snow
from getting into his cabbage bin, fills
the receptacle with cabbage. covers il
with a board covering and this with
straw 10 prevent TOO hard freezing. Use
in early spring as desired.
Yes this will be late spring" said
an old farmer but thai doesn't mean a
short crop. About forty years ago when
lived in Wisconsin We soxed our
wheat the 10Th day Of May and got
good crop too. The difficulty this time"
he continued. is that farm help is
scarce and every man needs a long
working season 70 prevent his work
punching on him. IF an extra man or
TWO could be picked up FOR few days
everyone would catch Up with his work
in short time. but under the cir
cunstences this can't De done
A fence post was driven into the
ground an extra foot under peculiar
circumstances on farm near here
some time 90. L vas set near where
big cottonwood tree had stood for
many yearg One night the wind blew
the tree down and il fell squarely on
the post where it vas found the next
morning. II is said that strips Of metal
sheeting that covered an elevator
standing IL the track Of the recent tor
nado that passed over this section, have
been found five miles from the point
where the building stood and that other