Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1914-10-13

and also on stationery. Many prefer
only the farm name, the name of the
owner, and the postoffice address. Al
this is matter of personal preference.
The important thing is to give your
farm a name fitly chosen Such name
will add value to the farm and its prod
ucts, and will cause you and yours tc
share in the spirit Of joy in the excel
lence of production.
Importance of Road Maintenance
There is no phase of the road problem
more important than that of mainte-
nance. The general impression that
there are certain types OF roads that are
permanent is erroneous. No permanent
road has ever been constructed, or ever
will be according to the road specialists
of the department. The only things
about road that may be considered
permanent are the grading, culverts and
bridges. Roads constructed by the most
skillful highway engineers will soon be
destroyed by the traffic, frost, rain, and
wind, unless they are properly main.
tanned. But the life of these roads may
be prolonged by systematic maintenance.
A poor road will not only be improved
by proper maintenance, but may become
better in time than good road without
it.
The first and last commandment 10
earth road maintenance is to keep the
surface well drained. To insure good
drainage the bitches should be kept
open, all obstructions removed, and a
smooth crown maintained. Except for
very stony soil the road machine or
scraper may be used very effectively for
this work. The machine should be used
once or twice a year, and the work
should be done when the soil is damp,
so that it will pack and bake into hard
crust. Wide and shallow side bitches
should be maintained with sufficient fall
and capacity to dispose of surface water.
These bitches can in most places be con-
structed aud repaired with a road ma
chine.
All vegetable matter, such as sods and
weeds, should be kept out of the road,
as they make spongy surface, which
retains moisture Clods are also objec-
tionable, for they soon turn to dust or
mud, and for that reason roads should
never be worked when dry or hard.
Boulders or loose stones are equally OBJ
jectionable il smooth surface is to be
secured.
A split-log drag or some similar de-
vice is very useful in maintaining the
surface after suitable bitches and cross
section have once been secured. This
drag can also be used to advantage on a
gravel road as we'll as on an earth road.
The principle involved in dragging is that
clays and most heavy soils will puddle
when wet and set very hard when dry.
The little attention that the earth road
needs must be given promptly and at the
proper time if the best results are to be
obtained.
In dragging roads only small amount
of earth is moved, just enough to fill the
ruts and depressions with thin layer Of
plastic clay or earth which packs very
hard 80 that the next rain instead of
finding ruts, depressions, and clods in
which to collect, runs off, leaving the
surface but little affected.
The drag should be light and should
be drawn over the road at an angle Of
about 45 degrees. The driver should
ride on the drag and should not drive
faster than a walk. One round trip,
each trip straddling a wheel track, is
usually sufficient to fill the ruts and
smooth the surface. II necessary, the
road should be dragged after every bad
spell of weather, when the soil is in
proper condition to puddle we'll and still
not adhere To the drag. If the road is
very bad, il may be dragged when very
wet and again when it begins to dry out.
A few trips over the road will give the
operator an idea as to the best time to
drag. Drag at all seasons, but do not
drag dry road.
The slope or crown of an earth road
should be about one inch to the foot.
II the crown becomes too high, it may
be reduced by dragging toward the
ditch instead of from it. II the drag
cuts too much, shorten the hitch and
change your position on the drag. II it
is necessary to protect the face of the
drag with strip of iron, it should be
placed flush with the edge of the drag
and not projecting. A cutting edge
should be avoided, as the main object in
dragging is to smear the damp soil into
position.-News Letter, U. S. Dept. of
Agriculture.