316 



AKNUAL EEPOETS OF DEPAKTMEKT OP AGEICULTURE. 



and Virginia, 6. In addition to the above, three engineers have been 

 assigned to assist the State highway department of Kentucky in its 

 State-aid work, and an engineer has been assigned to assist the State 

 geologist of Georgia in an examination of the various road-building 

 materials of the State. 



INSTRUCTION IN HIGHWAY ENGINEERING. 



The policy of this office to give a postgraduate course in highway 

 engineering to graduates in civil engineering has been continued. 

 From an eligible list established through competitive examination six 

 graduates were selected and have been given practical instruction in 

 the field and laboratories in addition to a course of lectures on mate- 

 rials, construction, and road economics. 



SQUARE YARDS OF ROADS CONSTRUCTED UNDER OFFICE SUPERVISION. 



The following table shows the number of square yards of each 

 type of road constructed during the past 10 fiscal years, 1906 to 1915, 

 inclusive : 



Area, in square yards, of roads constructed during the fiscal years 1906-1915, 



inclusive. 



From the above table it is seen that during this year the engineers 

 of this division have supervised the construction of 2,266,662 square 

 yards of road, or 257.5 miles, assuming all roads surfaced to have 

 been 15 feet in width. 



ROAD MAINTENANCE. 



E. W. James, Chief. 



The operations of this division during the fiscal year were con- 

 ducted under 5 projects which are mentioned below in detail : 



STUDIES OF STATE MAINTENANCE. 



Studies in detail of the technical methods of "road maintenance 

 were made in selected sections of Massachusetts, New York, New 



