The bee. (Earlington, Ky.) 1889-19??, 1914-05-01
The KIM 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
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
he drag properly built and it's use
well understood, the maintenance OF
earth and gravel roads becomes sim
pie and inexpensive matter. Care
should be taken to make the log so
light that one man can lift IL with
case, as light drag can be- drawn by
40 medium sized horses and re-
spends more readily to various meth
DDS of hitching and the shifting posi-
tion of the operator than heavier
one. The best material for the drag
is a dry cedar log. though elm, wal
nut, box blder 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. 1t should be
split carefully as near the center as
possible and the heaviest and best
slab cho sen 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 IL plowed wet, so
the road will bake if the drag Is used
on 1t when 1t is wet. II the roadway
is full of holes or badly rutted the
drag Should be used once when the
road Isl soft and slushy.
The earth road can best be crowned
and ditched with road machine and
not with picks and shovels, scoops,
and phows. One road machine with
a suit bible power and operator will do
the wbrk of many men with picks and
shovehs. and in addition will do it bet
ter. pr the road is composed of fine
clay Or soil it will sometimes pay TO
resurface 1t with top soil from an ad-
iaceIit field, which has sand or gravel
mixed with It, This method, called
the top soil method" is now in sue
cesfful use in Clarke county. Georgia.
storm water should be disposed of
qui tkly before 1t has had time to pene-
trate deeply into the surface of the
roal ID. 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
n br more than ~ inches higher than
u he outer edges of the shoulder. The
marrow road which is high in the mid
die will become rutted almost as
quickly as one which is too fiat, for
the reason that on narrow road all
the traffic is forced TO use only mar
row strip. Shoulders are often
formed on both sides OF the road,
which prevents storm water from
glowing into the side bitches. retain
ilg It In the ruts and softening the
roadway. These ruts and shoulders
elan be entirely eliminated with the
road machine or split-log drag.
J The width OF the earth road will
tiepend on the traffic As a rule. rs
Tor 80 feet from ditch TO ditch IL
SUFFICIENT II the road is properly
Icrowned Ordinarily the only bitches
needed are those made with the road
mschipA which are wide and shallow.
Deep narrow bitches wash rapidly. es-
pecisiiy on steep slopes. The earth
road should not be loosened. dug up.
or plowed up any more than Is abso-
iutsiy necessary.