Milford chronicle., 1915-07-23
HOW TO MAKE and
KEEP. THE ROADS SMOOTH

The traffic on earth and gravel roads
has a constant tendency to develop ruts,
chuck holes, and depressions. The chief
aim and purpose of road maintenance is
to prevent and remedy this destructive
action. To be successful and efficient,
road maintenance must be systematic
and continuous. Haphazard work is
expensive and unsatisfactory.
If the road is very rough and uneven
or the crown very low the road machine
or grader is very efficient for placing
it in shape. One must guard, however,
against the all too common practice of
scraping the sod and other vegetable
matter and refuse from the sides and
bitches on to the road. In general, on
the clay and heavy soil roads all vegeta-
BILE or spOngy material should be care
fully excluded. Such materials absorb
moisture readily and furnish but little
resistance against wear. The road sur
face should be built up with the best
material pessible-material which will
pack and consolidate under traffic and
which will be as nearly water proof as
possible and will wear uniformly.
In general the road machine or grader
should be used in the spring of the year
while the ground is moist and in such
condition that it will work easily and at
the same time pack well under passing
traffic. Considerable skill and judgment
is required to use the road grader to the
best advantage. An unskilled and care
less operator will sometimes actually
leave the road in a worse condition than
when he began work. Do not scrape
sod and refuse into the road. Good
earth is far better as it will not decay
nor absorb moisture so readily. Do not
be guilty of the too common practice Of
leaving a windrOw of clods or loose earth
along the middle of your road to impede
traffic and absorb water at the first
rain. Leave the roads smooth over the
entire surface and traffic will spread
and be less likely to produce ruts. AL
ways use the grader in such a way as
to make the road better and not worse
for the passing traffic.
When the road has been placed in
GOOD condition as to crown and smooth
ness the road drag is the best tool for
maintaining it in that condition. Drag
the road after each rain while the sur
face is still moist but not sticky. Use
a light drag and move only very little
earth-iust sufficient to fill the ruts and
depressions and leave slight surplus if
the crown is low. Ride on the drag
and shift your position according to the
amount of earth necessary to be moved.
If the rain has been of long duration it
NAV be advisable to drag the road
twice; first very soon after the rain,
and again when the clay is drying out
or beginning to set.
Do not drag a dry road. Successful
dragging is dependent on a certain
amount of water or moisture in the road
surface. Practically all clays and moist
soils, if not sandy, will puddle if worked
when wet, and on drying out will set
very hard. The drag in connection with
traffic is essentially pudding machine,
which, when properly used, leaves the
road turface crowned and covered with
a smooth layer of puddled and densely
packed soil. This layer is as nearly
impervious to water as it is possible to
make it. Following rains find little or
no place for Judgement, as the water
quickly runs off to the side bitches.
Unless the rain is long continued the
road surface is not softened to any great
depth. The prompt use of the drag
after each rain leaves the surface
smooth and ready to withstand the next
storm.
Therefore, to make your road smooth,
use a road machine or grader to put it
in proper shape in the spring of the
year To keep your road smooth, use
the road drag judiciously after each
rain. This will keep an earth or gravel
road in the best shape in which it is
possible to maintain it throughout the
year.