Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1916-03-17

should not be mHde AMI sleeper. A
man can learn more about the prop
er operation of a grader from actual
practice than in any other way.
The most effective tool which can
be used in the maintenance of earth
roads is the road drag The first
drags were made more than fifty
years ago, but it is only during the
last few years that they have come
into general use. They are easily
and cheaply made, easily operated,
and accomplish wonders If properly
used. Every mile of earth road in
the State Of Texas should be main
tanned with a drag, and If the time
and money wasted under the pres
ent system of working the roads"
(this does not mean that all time
and money so spent are wastefuD
were used i'm dragging the roads,
our State would have some of the
best earth roads in America
There are many types of steel
drags on the market, and these do
the work, but a home made. split-iog
Mr.. d. Ward King. in Farmers
Bulletin No. 321, United States De-
partment Of Agriculture, gives the
following directions for the con-
struction OF road drags:
The log should be seven or eight
feet long and form 10 to 12 inches
in diameter, and carefully split
down the middle. The heaviest and
best slab should be selected for the
front. AT a point on this slab 10
inches from the end that is to be at
the middle of the road locate the
center of the hole to receive a cross
stake, and % inches from the other
end of the front slab locate the CEN
ter for another cross-stake. The
hole for the middle stake will lie on
the line connecting and half way
between the other two. The back
slab should now be placed in posi-
tion behind the other. From the
end which is to be the middle of the
road measure % inches for the cen
ter of the cross-stake, and 10 inches
from the other end locte the center
of the outside stake. Find the CEN
ter of the middle hole as before.
When these holes are brought op-
posite each other one end of the
back slab will be Is inches nearer
the center of the roadway than the
front one. giving what is known as
setback The holes should be two
inches in diameter. Care must be
taken to hold the augur plumb in
boring these holes in order that the
stakes shall fit properly. The hole
to receive the forward end of the
chain should be bored at the same
time.
1.-The two slabs should be held
80 inches apart by the stakes. Some
straight grained timber be selected
for the stakes, so that each stake
shall fit snugly into the two-inch
hole when the two slabs are in the
proper position. The stakes should
taper gradually toward the ends
There should be no shoulder at the
point where the stakes enter the
slab. The stakes should be fastened
in place by wedges only.
when the stakes have been thus
placed in position and tightly wedg-
ed, a brace two inches thick and
four inches wide should be placed
liagonally to them at the ditch end.
The brace should be dropped on the
front slab, so that its lower edge
shall lie within an inch of the
ground, while the other end should
rest in the angle between the slab
and the end stake.
"A strip of iron about four feet
long, three or four inches wide and
one-fourth of an inch thick may be