The Delta independent., 1914-04-17
The King Road Drag.

and hard, they are not only difficult
to work, but the work is unsatisfac-
tory when done. Earth which is loose
and dry will remain dusty as long as
the dry weather lasts. and then turn
to mud as the rains begin. By using
the road machine in the spring while
the soil is soft and damp, the surface
is more easily shaped and soon packs
down into a dry hard crust which is
less liable to become dusty in sum-
mer and muddy in winter.
Repairs to roads should be made
when needed and not once year
after crops are laid by. Because Of
its simplicity, efficiency and cheap
ness. the split-log drag or some sim
liar device Is destined to come into
more and more general use. With
the drag properly built and its use
well understood. the maintenance OF
earth and gravel roads becomes a sim
pie and inexpensive matter. Care
should be taken to make the log so
light that one man can lift 1t With
ease, as a light drag can be drawn by
two medium sized horses and re-
spends more readily to various meth
DDS of hitching and the shifting posi-
ton of the operator than a heavier
one. The best material for the drag
is dry cedar log, though elm. wal
nut, box elder or soft maple are ex-
cellent Oak, hickory or ash are too
heavy. The log should be from seven
to ten feet long, and from eight to
ten inches in diameter. II should be
split carefully as near the center as
possible and the heaviest and best
slab chosen for the front. When the
soil is moist, but not sticky the drag
does the best work. As the soil in
the field will bake II plowed wet, so
the road will bake If the drag is used
on 1t when 1t is wet. If the roadway
is full of holes or badly rutted the
drag should be used once when the
road is soft and slushy
The earth road can best be crowned
and ditched with road machine and
not with picks and shovels, scoops,
and plows. One road machine with
a suitable power and operator will do
the work of many men with picks and
shovels. and in addition will do 1t bet.
ter. II the road is composed of fine
resurface 1t with top soil from an ad.
jacent field, which has sand or gravel
mixed with It. This method, called
the top soil method" is now in sue
cessful use in Clarke county, Georgia
Storm water should be disposed OF
quickly before 1t has had time to pene-
trate deeply into the surface OF the
road. This can be done by giving the
road a crown or slope from the cen.
ter to the sides. For an earth road
which is "a feet wide the center
should be not less than six inches
nor more than IL inches higher than
the outer edges of the shoulder. The
narrow road which is high in the mid.
die will become rutted almost as
quickly as one which Is too iat, for
the reason that on a narrow road all
the trafic is forced to use only q mar.
row strip. Shoulders are often
formed on both sides of the road,
which prevents storm water from
flowing into the side ditches, retain.
ing 1t in the ruts and softening the
roadway. These ruts and shoulders
can be entirely eliminated with the
road machine or split-log drag.
The width Of the earth road will
depend on the traffic. AS a rule. rs
or 30 feet from ditch to ditch IL
sufficient II the road is properly
crowned. Ordinarily the only ditches
needed are those made with the road
machine which are wide and shallow
Deep narrow bitches wash rapidly, ss
pecially on steep slopes. The earth
road should not be loosened, dug up
or plowed up any more than In sbsN
lutely necessary.