Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1915-07-14
One Thing to be Guarded Against is
the all too Common Practice of
Scraping Sod and Other
Vegetable Matter
Onto the Road.
DO NOT DRAG
A DRY ROAD
Drag the Road After Rain While
The Surface is Still Moist But
Not Sticky Is Advice Of
American Highway
Association.


The traffic on earth and gravel
roads has constant tendency to de-
velop ruts, chuck holes, and depres-
sions 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 ex-
pensive and unsatisfactory.
If the road is very rough and un-
even 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 re-
fuse from the sides and bitches on
to the road in general, on the clay
and heavy soil roads all vegetable or
spongy material should be carefully
excluded. Such materials absorb
moisture readily and furnish but lit
tie resistance against wear The road
surface should be built up with the
best material possible-material
which will pack and consolidate un-
der traffic and which will be as near
ly 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 we'll under passing traffic. Con-
siderable skill and judgement is re-
quired to use the road grader to the
best advantage. An unskilled and
careless operator will sometimes ac-
tually leave the road in a worse con-
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. Always use the grader in such
way as to make the road better and
not worse for the passing traffice.
When the road has been placed
in good condition as to crown and
smoothness the road drag is the best
tool for maintaining it in that con-
dition. Drag the road after each
rain while the surface is still moist
but not sticky. Use light drag and
move only very little earth-just
sufficient to fill the ruts and depres-
sions 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 may 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 dry road. Successful
dragging is dependant on certain
amount of water or moisture in the
road surface. Practically all clays
and most soils, if not too sandy,
will puddle if worked when wet, and
on drying out will set very hard.
The drag in connection with traffic
is essentially a pudding machine,
which, when properly used, leaves
the road surface crowned and cover
ed 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 lodge
ment, as the water quickly runs OF
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 road machine or grad
er to put it in proper shape in the
spring of the year. To keep your
road smooth, use the road drag ju-
onoh rain