Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1914-03-03
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
TELLS HOW TO Build ROADS
Work On Dirt Roads Should Not Be Put Off Till August
Or September When Surface is Baked Hard and Dry
Road Machine Works Best When Soil is Damp

cur A shallow ditch on the upper side
makes it possible to give culverts n
good fall Two or more small pipes
instead of one large one of equal ca
pacity, may be used for culverts, es,
pecially if the larger pipe necessitates
much grading or raising of the road
way. At least inches should be LETT
between each pipe and earth should be
tamped around them thoroughly so as
to prevent a washout.
To prevent washing on steep roads,
tie water should be carried under the
surface at frequent intervals from the
upper to the lower side, and from the
lower side away from the road Five
12-inch pipes in mile of roadway is
about as cheap and far better than
one 24-inch pipe. The water must be
disposed of before it gains force or
Roadway, or has time to damage the
road.
The maximum velocity for a 24-inch
ivtrified tile flowing full without head
on a grade of inches per hundred
feet is SO feet per second, or about
. Ia miles per hour. When the grade
is increased to SO" in 1907, the velocity
becomes 20 per second or about 10 g.
miles per hour. The discharge for the
"a" pipe in the first instance will be
5,086 gallons per minute and for the
sleeper grade 2S,26O gallons per min
ute. 1t will therefore be seen that a
"a" pipe laid on a grade of SO" to the
100 will have over five times the ca
pactity of the same size laid on a
grade of /" to the 1907
Under the same conditions the max
imum velocity for 70" tile en-, a grade
of 1 per 1907 equals Ia per second
of about rs miles per hour and for
the same tile on a grade of So to the
1907 the velocity would be Z 1-2' per
second or about 5 1-6 miles per hour.
The discharge for the -" tile in the
first instance would be 442 gallons per
minute, and for the sleeper grade O.
1850 gallons per minute or about five
times as much.
By increasing the fall, we increase
the capacity of the pipe, decrease the
size of the pipe necessary and there
fore decrease the cost of the culverts.
Furthermore, culverts laid fiat will
soon fill up, but if given a good fall,
they will keep themselves clear.
If much fall is obtained in a culvert
pipe the spillway should be pavei
Earth should be tamped under and
around the pipe in layers, and should
be of sufficient depth to prevent the
pipe from being broken by traffic; but
under no circumstances should ridge
over the culvert be allowed, for it not
only endangers the life of the culvert
but is menace to traffic.
An attempt to drain mud holes with
Iculvert pipe will fail in most eases
The water should be drained off by
means of open bitches; the soft mud
thrown out and replaced with just
enough good firm earth to make it lev
G. (after consolidation with the sur
rounding surface. If mud holes in
earth roads are filled with brush or
stone, it will usually result in twl
: mud holes, one at each end
Repairs to roads should be made
when needed, and not cnce a year af-
ter crops are laid by" One days la
, Dor, pubiciously distributed through
out the year, will accomplish more
= and better work in the maintenance O
fan earth road than the same amount
OF labor expended in six days, espec-
tally if the six days are in August,
September, or October, when the
II ground is hard and dry
Because of its simplicity, its efic-
{ loncy and cheapness, the split-log drag
j or some similar device is destined 70
come into more and more general use
With the drag properly built and its
) use well understood, the maintenance
=