La Junta tribune., 1913-06-21
REPAIR
AND MAINTENANCE or
EARTH ROADS.
From the United otasss De
psrtmens o. Agriculture
. = = = = = . . .

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 surfsce be-
cause IL cannot drain away into the
side bitches. II you look closely
you Will see side bitches ~hieh 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 ra,. is
called the travelled way. To prevent
water from standing on the irayel
ed WAY the road should be raised In
n. center and should slope gently
is then said TO have a crown II 4
Is 10 feet from the center OF the
road TO the side ditch. the surface
at the side ditch should be az least
ten inches lower than II t. a. the
center wher. the horses tray,L tn"
road then has ten inch crov The
rain that falls on road properly
crowned will run quickly to rlD side
and not soak into the surfar. or
surface water should run parallel to
the right OF way. and should ba open
at every low point so that rhH va
ter can run out Of them Into neigh
boring brooks or streams u the
bitches merely collect the wafHr from
the road surface and II cannot run
away. large pools will b. formed on
the roadside. which viii gradually
soak into the soil beneath '5r road
and make Il so soft tha, ths wheels
of wagons will cut through the road
surfac. and soon destroy &
Sometimes water runs from land
along the road into the road and
forms a little stream down the wheel
tracks or in the middl. wAyr- the
horses travel When driS,aays In.
TO farm yards are built across the
side ditcles they frequently form
channels for water from tn farm
yard to run into tAe road IIe pipes
under drl,eways become filled ~ith
losses 3r ru5b,Sh and the a4t.F can
no longer rna away. II .Ae drive
WAyA taal atop ~. ii,c,waisr mere
rrBuilt 80 tnSt 10 pipe ~'re neces.
sary ai.g tlr iit,n oI.J BE- left op-
: Ca. nagh trouble from dac. water
Ne ala b, stopped.
sometimes q r'ad rms s,ross loN
ground or through a lamp wner,
the road cannot be- da ,c by side
ditches alone. II i.. road ser.
built nishor like - .aI.r ad cmbaBk-
mcnt across such lOS ans aud mad.
vita a crown Il Vog.I De dry and
Hard. Sometimes road passes thru
shat Ia called cut rnis IL a
dug out 90 taat the raI can su
over a hill Sitaout being too steep.
Tn. water which says flows
quietly Under the gruga. "a nil side,
Is known a. ground sar.F In road
cuts such water sometiu.s makes III,
road very muddy. and r.a road needs
what road builders raU underiraiu.
age. 4 good kiud 90 ierdrainag.
j. trench tn 20 s'n under the
side drain and about Hra feet dep
and foot and half In this
trench a pipe Is laid r the bot.
tom and covered viii lse stones
no bisr"r than an TF1 When the
trench 10 completely fled With
loosc stones the grl water. IN
stead Of soaking int roadway.
will stop among tho aud flow
down the hill thro1gl NH. pipe
To keep a road smo0 nd crown.
I'd the best method D. a drag Il
with n road drag a r DRAG T.
made easily with tvn Hsf.,-s of II
log which has been spin The log
should b. about siN 1r n. inches
IA thickness and about or eish,
feet long. The two halves of Ia.
log are set three fo"t HH1r, With
tho smooth faces forvar and up.
riyh, They are then fsfaned TO
s"ther with braces 80 ir holes bor.
cd through IN. log a rllr Of hor.
ses may be used 10 dr8z Tho road
ana are hi'ched To a ctala fastened
10 tha front half Of tho lor. Tho
road drar should move 'lrward %
'hs, II slan's across the road In
such way that small mount Of
earth viii slide past thr smooth
facc n thu log toward ,he center
II IN. road. thus forming ihc crown.
Tho edges of tho logs vni smooth
out tho rtits Tho bos, y5.x so Ae~v