The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1913-06-19
Earth Roads-Repair
and Maintenance.

cause 1t cannot drain away into the
side bitches. II you look closely
YOU will see side bitches which have
grown up with bushes and weeds In
many cases, and which are so far
from the Travelled part of the road
that the rain water does not drain
into them. That part OF the road
way where the wagons travel is
called the Travelled way. To prevent
water from standing on the Travelled
way the road should he raised in the
center and should slope gently into
broad shallow bitches. II is then
said to have II crown. IT 1t Is 10
feet from the center OF the road to
the side ditch, the surface at the
side ditch should he at least 10 inches
lower than II it, ut the center where
the horses travel. The road then
has 10 inch crown. The rain that
falls on road properly crowned VIII
run quickly TO the side and not soak
side bitches for surface water should
run parallel to the right of way, aud
should be open at every low point
so that the water can run out Of
them into neighboring brooks or
streams If the bitches merely col
lect the water from the road surface
and 1t can not run away, large pools
will be formed along the roadside,
which Will gradually soak into the
soil beneath the road and make II
so soft that the wheels Of wagons
will cut throug the road surface and
soon destroy it.
Sometimes water runs from lana
along the road into the road and
forms a little stream down the wheel
tracks or in the middle whore thc
horses travel. When drivewuys in
to farm yards are built across the
side bitches they frequently form
channels for water from the farm
yard to run into the road. The pipes
under driveways 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 neces.
sary and the ditch could he left open
much trouble from surface water
would be stopped.
Sometimes road runs aCI IS low
ground or through swamp where
the road can not be drained by side
bitches alone. 1.-THE road were built
higher like IA railroad embankment
across such low land aud made with
"A crown, IL would be dry and hard.
Sometimes road passes through
what is called cut. This is place
where tho earth has been dug out SO
that the road can go over a hill with
out being too steep. The water
which always flows quietly under
the ground on hill sides Is known AZ
ground water. In road cuts such
water sometimes makes the road
verc muddy, and the road then needs
what road builders call underdrain-
age. 4 good kind OF undertakings
Is trench to go along under the
side drain and about feet deep and
IA foot and half wide. In this
trench pipe is laid near the bottom
and covered with loose stones 40
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 aud flow down the
hill through the pipo
To keep road smooth and crowned
che best method is to drag 1t with II
road drag, A road drag In made
easily with two halves of "a log which
has been split. The log should be
aboutG or s inches in thickness and
about q or s feet long The two hal
yes 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 hitched to "a chain fastened to
the front lhaH OF the log The load
drag sheHid move forward so that IL
slauts across the road in such a way
that small amount of earth will
Slide past the smooth face Of the
log toward the center of the road,
thus forming the crown. The edges
sof the logs will smooth out the ruts.
The best way to drag is to begin at
the side ditch and go up one side OF
the road, and then down the other.
In the next trip the drag should be
started little nearer the center and
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 smeAred by
the round side OF the log smoothly
over the road. The smearing OF the
earth by the drag is called "pud-
ding" and II tends to make the sur