Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1915-04-30
EARTH ROADS
Great Importance of Proper Main
tenance of Earth Roads-Draining
-Dragging-ROad Machines -Sug-
gestiOns from G. F. Rudisill, State
Director, The Ohio Good Roads
Federation.

From fifty to sixty thousand miles
OF the public highways in this state
must necessarily be improved, main
tanned and repaired as ordinary earth
roads and will be so managed for the
next century or so. 1t is the policy
to improve ten or twelve thousand
miles of public roads known as main
market and lnter-county highways,
and if the counties themselves under
take the improvement of an additional
ten Or twelve thousand miles of coun-
ty roads, there still will be between
fifty and sixty thousand miles of or
binary roads that must be cared for by
the townships. 1t is therefore quite
apparent that careful consideration
should be given to the study of the
specific subject of earth roads.
The proper maintenance of earth
roads is unquestionably of very great
Importance. 1t has been demonstrat-
ed that by the proper use of the road
drag the minimum cost of mainten-
ance may be attained on such roads
that have been properly drained,
shaped and crowned. By the systema-
tic use of road drags earth roads have
been maintained and kept in ideal con-
dition at an average cost of less than
$1,000 per mile per year. According
ly, n hundred miles of such public
thoroughfares, barring extraordinary
conditions, can be kept in ideal condi-
ton for less than $1,000 per year.
The act of draining such roads pre-
serves the crowns, fills depressions,
and prevents the road bed from be-
L 0ro-- xrva4a. cooled UT-LAn - Al
natural enemy of any road, and etern-
al vigilance by systematic dragging is
necessary to the end that an earth
road may be put in a condition i'm
mediately following each rain so that
it will carrv the water quickly from
its surface during the succeeding rain.
Township authorities should realize
the necessity of perfecting an organi-
cation for carrying on such work, and
this organization should be perfect
ed in the winter or early in the Spring
so that work may be done as soon as
the frost is out of the ground. AL
machinery should be thoroughly ex.
amined; tools and implements pro.
perly repaired and made ready fol
use; machinery, tools and implements
purchased when necessary so thai
township officials will be ready tt
start the work as soon as weather
conditions will permit.
The introduction Of road machine.
in the early SOS marked a consider
able change in the methods. and the
advantages to be gained by the US
of these machines were quickly re
cognized and for a time general i'm
provement was very marked, but tn,
misuse of road machines very quick
ly followed in the succeeding years
as there has been a tendency to us,
road machines in such manner, at sucl
times and in such places as to producI
results which have been extremely un
satisfactory. By the abuse of roat
machines a very large percentage O
money and labor has been wasted AM
the roads were left in worse condi
ton thar they would have been hat
they not been touched at all. Their
is no implement which, if properly us
ed, results in a greater saving of lab
or than the road machine and like
wise there is no implement by mean
of which money may be wasted an
faster and bad conditions more quick
ly produced than by its misuse.
Road authorities should so plan an
execute the work that the job for tn
road machine is ended for quite
long period, and especially so if tn
road is dragged as provided by Law
A road drag should not be permitte
to be used on a dry surface. 1t is
waste of money and actual damage
result, because of a dusty conditio
produced and distribution of hardene
particles of earth which are calculat
ed to resist wear. The earth roa
must be handled while its surface
spongy if a solid crust is desired;
gravel road must be wet at the tim
of dragging, but a clay road cannot /
dragged successfully when it is we
but it must be moist. If the cart
roads could be made so that the
surface would be- practically impel
! vious to water and the water beneat
the surface removed, they would
ideal. There is no road so good as a
earth road, when that earth road
good.