Mountain advocate., 1914-01-23
SAND CLAY
ROADS
Department OF AgriCuI-
fure Gives Advice As
to The Best Methods
of Construction and
Maintenance.

Washington, ID. @. Jan 81, Il.
There are at present about
$4,000 miles of sand clay roads
in the United States, mainly il
the Southern States, according
to the Office of Public Roads, y
5. Depart ment of Agriculture.
The time TO work the roads Is in
the Spring when the soil is
damp. If the working of the
roads is deferred until late in
Summer when they are dry, they
are are not only much more diff
licult to put in proper shape but
the cost of repair is greater
than if they were worked early
in the spring,
Previous to 1864 comparative
ly little, if any, of these roads
existed. The popularity of this
type of road is due to the facts
that it is cheap, comparatively
firm and durable, easy to con-
struct and repair. and that the
materials out of which it is built
are plentiful in many sections of
the country.
The sand-clay road is made by
mixing the sand and clay in
such way that the grains OF
sand touch each other, the
spaces between the grains being
filled with clay which acts as a
binder.
The approximate mixture of
sand and clay may be determin-
ed by filling the vessel with q
sample of the sand to be used,
and another vessel Of the same
size with water. The water is
poured carefully into the saad
until it reaches the point Of
overlooking. The volume Of
water removed from the second
vessel represents approximately
the proportion of clay needed.
The proper proportion of sand
and clay can best be determined.
however, as the works progresses
as some clay will contain more
sand than others. In fact, clays
are very frequently found which
already contain the right pro-
portion of sand.
Ii the road to be treated is
first leveled off and crowned
with a road machine, the crown
being a bout one-half inch Co the
foot from the center to the sides.
The clay is then dumped on the
surface and carefully spread, SC
that it will be from 6 to = inches
in depth at the center, and grad
ually decreasing in depth to-
wards the sides. A layer OF
clean sand is then usually added
which is thoroughly mixed with
the clay, either by, traffic or by
means of plows and disk or tooth
harrows.
The best results have been ob.
tanned by thoroughly mixing OF
pudding the materials when
wet. For this reason, it is de.
sirable that the mixing be done
in wet weather. The mixing
can be left to the traffi after the
materials have been properly
placed, put this involves a whole
winter and spring of bad road,
and even then the mixing is moi
always satisfactory. In all cases,
it is advisable to dress the road
road with a road machine oil
split-log drag after the materials
have been thoroughly mixed,
and to give it crown of not
more than one inch or less thar
three-quarters of an inch to the
foot from the center to the sides,
A light coating of sand may
then be added. The use of the
road machine or drag should be
continued at frequent intervals
! until the surface is smooths and
, firm.
II the road to be treated il
composed of clay, it should first
be brought to rough grade with
road machine. The surface
should then be plowed aud thor
oughly pufverized by narrowing
to the depth of about four inches
after which it is given a crown
or slope'of about one half inch b
the foot from the center to til,
sides. Ii is then covered will
six TO eight inches OF clean
sharp sand, which 10 sprsa'
thicker in sthe center than .
the sides. The materials shssl,
then BE- mixed witA sisws As'