Ellsworth American., 1914-05-13
TINE TO WORK ROADS.
Useful Hints from the Department OF
Agriculture.
From the Office of Information, U. s. Dept
of Agriculture.


There are at present about 5000 miles
of sand clay roads in the United States,
mainly in the Southern states, according
to the office of public roads, U. s. depart
ment of agriculture. The time to work
the roads is in the spring, when the soil is
damp. II the working OF the roads is de-
| ferred until late in summer, when they
are dry, they are not only much more
difficult TO put in proper shape, but the
cost OF repair is greater than il they were
worked early in the spring.
Previous to 1894 comparatively little, IL
any, OF these roads existed. The popular
| ity of this type of road is due to the facts
that it is cheap, comparatively firm and
| dura BILE, easy to construct 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 filed with clay
which acts as a binder. The approximate
mixture OF sand and clay may be deter
mined by filling vessel with a sample OF
| the sand to be used, and another vessel of
/ the same size with water. The water is
poured carefully into the sand until it
reaches the point OF overfiowing. The vol
ume of water removed from the second
vessel represents approximately the pro-
portion of clay needed.
The proper proportion OF sand and clay
can best be determined, however, as the
work progresses, as some clay will contain
more sand than others. In fact, clays are
very frequently found which already con-
tain about the right proportion OF sand.
Ii the road to be treated is sandy, the
surface is first leveled off and crowned with
a road machine, the crown being about
one half inch TO the foot from the center
to the sides. The clay is then dumped on
| the surface and carefully spread, so that it
will be from six to eight inches in depth
at the center and gradually decreasing
in depth towards 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 obtained by
| thoroughly mixing or pudding the ma
| terials when wet. For this reason, il is
desirable that the mixing be done in wet
weather. The mixing can be left to the
traffic after the materials have been prop
| erly placed, but this involves whole
winter and spring of bad road, and even
! then the mixing is not always satisfactory.
! In all cases, it is advisable to dress the
road with a road machine or split-log drag
after the materials have been thoroughly
mixed, and to give it a crown of not more
than one inch or less than three-quarters
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 smooth and
firm.
II the road to be treated is composed of
clay, i: should first be brought to a
rough grade with road machine.
The surface should then be plowed and
| thoroughly pulverized by narrowing to a
depth of about four inches, after which it
is given crown or slope of about one
half inch to the foot from the center to the
sides. It is then covered with six to eight
inches of clean, sharp sand, which is
spread thicker in the center than at the
sides. The material should then be mixed
| with plows and barrows while they are
comparatively dry, after which they are
| finally puddled with a harrow during wet
weather. If clay works to the surface and
the road bcomes sticky, more sand should
! be added.
liz -
! ditched in the usual manner with a road
| machine. This should be done when the
surface is soft, yet stiff enough to pack
| well under the roller or the traffic. Wide
| but shallow bitches should be provided on
| both sides or the road, and culverts or
! crossdrains should be placed wherever
water flows across the road, for it is ex-
| ceedingly important that the "sand on
| clay" roads be we'll drained.
/ After clay on sand, or the sand on clay
| road is completed, it should be carefully
maintained until the surface becomes firm
| and smooth. The construction OF this
| type of road is by no means quick opera
tion. IL soft, sticky places appear, more
| clay is needed. 1t is just as important to
attend to these small details as to any part
OF the work, for II they are neglected, the
| road is liza BILE to fail.
1t requires approximately one cubic yard
of clay to surface one and one-half run
ming yards of road twelve feet in width,
or about 1,175 cubic yards to the mile.
From three fourth 70 one cubic yard will
/ make load for two horses on a dry clay
road The cost of the road will therefore
| depend largely upon the distance the
! material is hauled, the average being from
$500 to q 900 per mile. road built under
the direction OF the Office of public roads
at Gainesville, Florida, one mile long,
fourteen feet wide, and having nine inches
of sand-clay surface, cost 1881 per mile, or
ten cents per square ward. Another sand
clay road built by the office at Tallahassee,
Florida, sixteen feet wide, seven inche S
thick, cost $40 per mile, or about five
cents per square yard.