Charlevoix county herald., 1915-07-17

2EllkA 49, than in Michigan
49, As this is the vital
time of the year for the making and
maintenance of this type of roads,
few words now will be helpful.
The worst of the wet season is over
and the greatest attention should be
paid to the condition and care of earth
roads which comprise more than 80
per cent of the total road mileage in
Michigan. Their neglect means that
much inconvenience and additional
expense will surely be heaped upon
the farmer and all other users of the
public highways.
In the maintenance of earth roads,
the road drag has become an indis-
pensable implement. The road drag
is not only the best, but is also the
most economical piece of equipment
for the maintenance of earth roads.
1t may be used in any of its forms
and styles from the homemade plank
or split-log drag to the more improv-
ed all-steel factory-made types.
There are a large number of types
and makes of the road drag on the
market today, from the rough but
entirely efficient split-log drag to the
highest improved types which run on
small wheels and are equipped with
adjustable and removable blades. And
although in general the more modern
and improved types are to be pre-
ferred, the homemade split-log drag
or the homemade plank drag is just
as efficient, although not nearly so
lasting or economical of operation, as
the modern and up-to-date factory
built steel drag. On the other hand,
however, the split-log drag is so sim
pie of construction and so generally
and widely used, particularly in the
most rural sections of the country,
which is naturally where the mileage
of earth roads is the greatest, that it
is of great Importance.
The allowances made for the main
tenance of the earth roads, and for
the equipment to be used in the main
tenance of these earth roads, is gen.
orally so limited in the rural sections
that it is generally impossible to pur-
chase much in the way of equipment.
1t is, therefore, for the best interests
of those in such localities to put what
ever money may be available for the
maintenance of earth roads in labor
and the hire of a team to pull the
split-log drag. Much of the credit
due for the present high efficiency of
the split-log drag and for the educa-
ton of the thousands of farmers and
others who construct and use this i'm
plement of earth road maintenance,
is due to d. Ward King, split-log
drag expert of the Office of public
roads and rural engineering of the
United States department of agricul-
ture. Mr. King has made a special
study both of the construction and the
use of the log drag, and has given
greater publicity to it and it's bene-
fetal uses than any other man in the
country. He has also demonstrated
it in all parts Of the country, and has
shown many thousands of farmers
and road officials how it should and
how it should not be used, and also
how it should be constructed. For
the benefit of those who are not ia
miliar with its construction, the fol-
lowing instructions as prepared by
Mr.. King, are given, as the writer
feels that they are as plain and con-
else as can be prepared.
after experimenting with great
many varieties of devices for road
dragging, it has been found that the
two-slab or plank drag with liberal
setback is the most satisfactory.
Double drags for working both sides
of the roadway simultaneously have
bern tried out with only limited sue
cess The reason for this lies in the
fact that both sides Of an earth road
are never exactly alike. This causes
the two parts of the drag to work UNI
evenly and to interfere with each
other. 1t is also for one man to oper-
ate both parts successfully.
1.-TWO mistakes are commonly made
in constructing drag. The first lies
in making it too heavy. 1t should be
40 light that one man can easily lift