Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1914-06-30
Dragging earth
ROADS EFFECTIVE
Simplest and Cheapest Way
to Maintain Certain High
roads in Good Condition.

Washington, d. c., June 29.-The
road drag is the simplest and least
expensive contrivance yet devised for
maintaining eagth roads, according
to the experts I'm the United States
department of agriculture, who arc
cooperating with state and county
in work for better roads.
Properly used, the drag gives the
needed crown to the road, smooths
out ruts and other Irregularities.
spreads out puddles of water, there
by accelerating the drying of the
road, and makes the surface more or
less impervious to water by smearing
over the so-called pores in the earthly
The cost Of operation de-
ponds, of course, upon local condi-
lions and the thoroughness with
which the work is done. 1t is safe
to say, however, that it is less expen-
sive than any other efficient system
of upkeep.
Farmers bulletin No. 597, of the
department of agriculture, discusses
under the title of "The Road Drag
and How 1t Is Used,' the best meth
ods Of maintaining earth roads in
good condition by this simple device.
In this bulletin, which has just been
published, the department points out
that of more than 100000 miles Of
public roads in the United States, on
ly about 100000 miles have been CIV
en- a hard surface. 1t is true, OF
course, that large part OF the re-
naming mileage consists OF roads
that are entirely unimproved, and
that on roads of this class the drag
is practically useless. There is
much larger mileage, however. that
has been partially improved, and it
is on roads Of this character-roads
that have been crowned or drained,
but have not hard surface-that the
use of drag is advocated.
Drag Easily and Cheaply Made.
In it's simplest form, the road drag
of an ordinary log split in
half and the two halves connected
like the uprights of a ladder by
means of cross sticks or rungs set
in. The log should be about or
8 inches in diameter, and from to
8 feet in length. 1t is better to have
it of well-seasoned, hard, tough wood.
The two semi-cylindrical halves OF
the log form the runners OF the drag,
and are usually spaced from 30 to SO
inches apart The front runner is
placed with the split surface
facing forward, but the rear runner
has its rounded face in
front. This is done in order to in
crease the smearing action of the
drag as it passes over the surface OF
the road.
The two runners are not placed di-
rectly behind each other, but are
Offset" as it is called, from IL to
16 inches. This is done because the
drag is drawn over the road at an
angle sufficient to make the runners
free themselves of the material which
they scrape. The amount OF this
angle or skew depends, of course. up
on the condition of the road. BY off
setting the runners. it is possible to
make their ends follow approximately
the same line on the rcNd, which
they would not do if they We're set
directly behind each other and the
drag drawn at an angle with the
road.
In order to provide standing room
for the man, it is usual to nail two
boards down upon the rungs paral-
lei to the runners. Standing upon
these. a skillful driver will baer his
weight in such way as to aid ma
terially in the successful operation
of the drag.
The drag is drawn by chain which
should be about feet long. This
can be fastened by eye bolts to each
end of the front runner, or one end
of the chain can pass through a
hole at the discharge end of the front
runner, and the other end be looped
over the rung at the cutting end OF
the runner. 1t is important that the
hitching link should be so designed
that it's position can be changed read
lily. 1t is also desirable to provide a
metal cutting edge for the front run
ner. This can be made from a strip
of iron or steel, and old wagon tires
have frequently proved satisfactory.
The cost of such drag varies
from $500 to perhaps $1,000 or $1,000
l HIS pIdCllCdliy luolSAAASuAI oo.Aas
will secure an implement that will be
of great service to the community for
at least three or four years. The fact
cannot be overlooked, however, that
skill in the use of the drag is indis-
pensable.
The angle that the runners make
with the center line of the road. the
skew line as it might be called. is an
important factor. For example, il
the dragging is done to increase the
crown of the road, the drag SHOULD
be sufficiently skewed to discharge
all material as rapidly as it is collect
ed on the runners. On the other
hand, the onditions may be such thai
it is desirable to carry along this
material in order to deposit it where
there are depressions in the roads
surface. An intelligent operator viii
soon learn many ways of controlling
the action of the drag. The length
of the hitching chain, the disposition
of the operators weight, the time
when the dragging is done, all these
exert a marked influence upon the
results.
Drag After Rains.