The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1913-06-13
The Repair AMI Maintenance OF Earth
Roads.

Roads.
II you look at the ordinary country
road after a shower You will see small
puddles along the wheel ruts and
sometimes larger pools. This water
STAYS on the road surface because 1t
cannot drain away Into the side
bitches. If you look closely You will
see side bitches which have grown
ND with bushes and weeds in many
cases, and which are 30 far from the
travelled part of the road that the rain
water does not drain Into them. That
part of the roadway where the wagons
travel is called the travelled way. To
prevent water from standing on the
Travelled way the road should be
raised in the center and should slope
gently into broad shallow bitches.
1t Is then said to have a crown. IL
1t Is 10 feet from tie center OF the
road to the side ditch, the surface at
the side ditch should be at least 10
inches lower than 1t Is at the center
where the horses travel. The road
then has a 10 inch crown. The rain
that falls on the road properly crown
ed will run quickly % the side and
not soak into the surface or form
pools. The side bitches for surface
water should run parallel to the
right of way. and should be open at
every low point so that the water can
run out of them into neighboring
brooks or streams II the bitches
merely collect the water from the
road surface and it can not run
away, large pools viii be formed
along the roadside. which will grad
ually soak into the soil beneath the
road and make Ii SO soft that the
wheels of wagons will cut through
the road surface and soon destroy IL.
Sometimes water runs from land
along the road into the road and
forms a little stream down the wheel
tracks or IN the middle where the
horses travel When driveways into
farm yards are built across the side
bitches they very frequently form
channels for water from the farm
yard to run Into the road. The pipes
under driyeways become filled with
leaves or rubbish and the water can
no longer run away. II the drive
ways that stop the ditch water were
rebuilt so that no pipes were neees-
sary and the ditch could be left open,
much trouble from surface water
would be stopped.
Sometimes a road runs across low
ground or through a swamp where
the road can not be drained b. side
bitches alone. II the road were built
higher like a railroad embankment
across such low land and made With
crown, IT would be dry and hard.
Sometimes 4 road passes through
what is called cut This is a place
where the earth has been dug out so
that the road can go over hill with
out being too steep. The water which
always flows quietly under the ground
on hill sides is known as ground
water In road cuts such water
sometimes makes the road very mud
dy. and the road then needs what
road builders call underdrainage. A
good kind of undertakings Is trench
to go along under the side drain and
about feet deep ana foot and a
half wide In this trench pipe is
laid near the bottom and covered With
loose stones no bigger than an egg.
When the trench Is completely filled
with loose stones the ground water.
instead of soaking into the roadway,
will stop among the stones and low
down the hill through the pipe.
To keep 4 road smooth and crown
ed the best method l. 10 drag It with
roRd drag A road drag Is made
easily with Two halves Of a log which
has been split The log shonld be
about or inches IN thickness and
about c. or feet long. The two
halves of the log are set feet apart
with the smooth faces forward and
upright. They are then fastened to-
gether with braces set in holes bored
through the log. A pair of horses
may be used TO drag the road and
are htched TO a chain fastened To tho
front half of the log. The road drag
should move forward 30 that II aiants
across the road In nuch "A WY that
small amount of earth will slide
past the smooth face of the log to-
ward the center of the road. thus
forming the crown. The edges Of the
logs will smooth out the ruts. The
best way 10 drag Is 10 begin n the
side ditch and go up one side Of the
road. and then down the other. In
the next trip the drag should be start
ed little nearer the center aud the
last trip over the road the drag may
work close to the center itself. Small
ridges of earth will be thrown in the
horse track and smearad by the round
side of the log smoothly over the
road. The smearing Of the earth by
the drag Is called pudding and II
tends to make the surface of the road
smooth and watertight after the sun
comes out The road Is always
dragged after II has Tafned and not
when it Is dry. good, strong pair
Of horses With a well-built drag can
drag about or miles OF road In a
day, and 1t Is the best way 10 main
tain good roads. In every county
some farmer along each 4 miles OF
road should own a drag and drag the
road when It rains. and he would al
ways find the road In good condition
when he goes to market.
Owing to the fact that many rural
schools were closed ut the time when
the prize maintenance essay was
announced BY Director Logan Waller
Page OF the ONCE of Public Roads, ii
has been decided TO extend the limit
for receiving the essays to October
Il. 1913 IN addition to the gold
medal given as first prize, two silver
medals will lie given as second and
third prizes. IL child who has
submitted one essay previous 10 the
issue of this notice should care to try
again, he Is at liberty to do 10, but
he must be pupil Of rural school
There is some misunderstanding In
regard to the subject of the essay
The idea Is to set the children think
ing how to better their earth roads
With the material they have at hand
Base Ball Dope.