The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1915-07-23
How u Make and Keep the Road DRY

Water, plus clay or ordinary earth,
when mixed, invariably forms mud.
On ordinary earth roads the rains
and melting snow furnish the water
and the passing traffic the mixing,
and the result is muddy roads. Take
away the water or prevent it from
mixing with the clay or earth on the
road surface and little or no mud
will result. In other words, keep
your road dry if you wish it to re
main hard, smooth and free from
mud.
Except in very sandy or arid re-
gions, good drainage is the cardinal
principle i'm the maintenance of
earth and gravel roads. Get the
water away from the road as quickly
and completely as possible. Water
naturally seeks the lowest level. You
can not keep the water from falling
on the road, but you can assist its
natural inclination to get away to a
lower level Keep the ruts filled and
the read crowned with the foot, and
the water will not collect on the road
to soak in and be mixed to mud by
passing traffic. Keep the side ditch
H. clean and with frequent outlets to
get the water away from the road en-
tirely. Do not let the culyerts clog
up or material accumulate in the
bitches and hold back pools Of water
to soak into and soften thu founda-
ton Of your road. Water is an
enemy that will run away if you will
give it a chance. Do not neglect to
give it every chance At will pay and
pay well.
Like most other enemies, water is
not very destructive or dangerous
until it collects in force. Therefore,
get the water away from your road
at every available opportunity and
before it has time to collect in suffi-
cient volume to be dangerous to the
road, and do not invite certain disas
ter by making your culVerts too small
to care for the largest possible
storm. Furthermore, build the cul
verts 30 that the water will, Of neces-
sity, flow through them and not find
a way around or beneath them. Prop
erly designed substantial wing and
end walls are the fertilization which
protect the culvert from attack and
destruction during severe storms Do
not build dry weather culverts; build
them with a view of caring for and
protecting the road during the worst
possible storms
Make your road dry, build 1t hard
and compact with a crown sufficient
to shed water rapidly to the side
bitches, and with ample culverts and
drains To keep your road dry main
tain the drainage in good condition.
Drag your roads after each rain;
dragging fills i'm the ruts, smooths the
surface, and maintains the crown.
On a road which has been properly
dragged the rain finds no
place To collect and soak into and
soften the surface. Unless the rain
IL OF long duration the surface IL
softened but very little. AS soon as
the rain has ceased, and the road sur
face dried 10 that the clay IL not
sticky, but while it ID still plastic,
drag the road again. Any depression
or ruts which have been formed dur
I'm and after the rain are thus filled,
md the surface smoothed MID and
plastered over with a thin plaster
of clay or earth which packs and
becomes very hard under passing
traffic Therefore, in order To make
and keep your road dry, first provide
for good drainage and then maintain
4 the good drainage by systematic
dragging after each rain. Diligent
attention I'd these points Will, in
general, insure an earth road fairly
passable at all times and very good
most OF the time.