Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1914-02-05
sAND-cLAY ROADS SHOULD
BE WORKED IN THE SPRING
directions for Construction and Main,
J tenanee.


States, mainly in the Southern States,
according to the Office of Public
Roads, United States Department 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 not only much
more difficult to put in proper shape,
but the cost of repair is greater than
If they were worked early in the
spring.
Previous to 1894 comparatively
little, If any, of the roads existed. The
popularity of this type of road is due
to the facts that it is cheap, compare
| lively firm and durable, easy to con.
struct and repair, and that the ma
terials out OF which it is built are
plentiful in many sections OF the
country.
The sand-clay road is made by mix
ing 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 determined by filling
a 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 overlooking
| The volume of water removed from
the second vessel represents approxi'
mately the proportion 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 contain about the
right proportion Of sand.
If 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 sur
face and carefully spread, so that it
will be from six to eight inches in
depth at the center. and gradually de.
creasing in depth toward the sides.
A layer of clean sand is then usually
added, which is thoroughly mixed
with the clay, either by traffic or ny
means of plows and disk or tooth har-
rows.
The best results have been obtained
by thoroughly mixing or pudding the
materials when wet. For this reason
it is desirable that the mixing be done
in wet weather. The mixing can he
left to the traffic after the materials
have been properly placed. but this
involves a whole winter and spring
of bad road, and even then the mix.
ing is not always satisfactory. In all
cases it is advisable to dress the road
with a road machine or split-iog drag
after the materials have been thor
oughly mixed, and to give it crown
of not more than one inch nor less
than three-fourths 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 Dr drag
should be continued at frequent inter.
walls until the surface is smooth and
firm.
If the road to be treated is com
posed of clay, it should first be
brought to a rough grade with a road
machine. The surface should then be
plowed and thoroughly pulverized by
narrowing to a depth of about fodr
inches, after which it is given a crown
or slope of about one-half inch to the
foot from the center to the sides. II
is then covered with six to eight
inches of clean, sharp sand, which is
spread thicker in the center than at
the sides. The materials should then
be mixed with plows and harrows
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 becomes sticky, more sand
should be added
The road is then shaped, crowned,
and ditched in the usual manner with
a road machine. This should be done
when the surface is soft yet stiT
enough to pack well under the roller
or the traffic. Wide but shallow
bitches should be provided on both
sides of theroad, and culyerts or cross
drains should be placed wherever
water flows across the road, for it is
exceedingly important that the sand.
on-clay" roads be well drained
After the clay-on-sand, or the sand
on-clay, road is completed, it should
be carefully maintained until the sur.
face becomes firm and smooth. The
construction Of this type of road is
h., M pnaonc q uuipk narration If