880 



ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Columbia Turnpike and the north Mount Vernon Road in the Jeffer- 

 son district. The cost of repairs was $700. 



A patrohnan was employed to furnish a horse, cart, and small tools, 

 and he was supplied with a road drag built of plank and required 

 to furnish two horses to drag the road whenever it was in suitable 

 condition for dragging, usually following each rain. The object of 

 this experimental work in maintenance was to demonstrate the re- 

 sults that may be obtained on country earth roads by continuous work 

 under a patrol system. 



The entire 8 miles of road is well traveled and there is considerable 

 heavy teaming over parts of the Columbia Pike and the north Mount 

 Vernon Road. The United States Cavalry from Fort Myer frequently 

 passes over the north Mount Vernon Road and the Columbia Pike, 

 and batteries of artillery also use these roads at intervals. The 

 south Mount Vernon Road sustains a large part of the automobile 

 traffic passing south from Washington. A partial traffic census was 

 obtained at intervals during January, February, and March on the 

 Columbia Turnpike by the patrolman. The traffic census for three 

 days in March shows the following average results: Loaded one- 

 horse wagons, 15; unloaded one-horse wagons, 58; loaded two-horse 

 wagons, 38; unloaded two-horse wagons, 49; loaded four-horse wag- 

 ons, 9 ; unloaded four-horse wagons, 4 ; saddle horses, 96 ; and motor 

 runabouts, 1. 



The patrolman was paid $60 per month and $1 a day extra when- 

 ever he used two horses to drag the road. His presence was required 

 on the road from 8 a. m. until 4.30 p. m., with one-half hour allowed 

 for lunch. The work of the patrolman is indicated in the following 

 table : 



Work of road patrolman on 8 miles of earth road in Alexandria County, Va. 



{by days). 



The average cost of dragging has been $16.11 per mile for 6.5 

 months, which is at the rate of $29.74 a mile for the first year of 24 

 complete draggings, or approximately $1.25 per mile for each drag- 

 ging of three round trips. 



The item of $169.88 for repairing, clearing, and improving ditches 

 and underdrains was large, because it was found necessary as the 

 year progressed to rebuild portions of the gutters and ditches entirely. 



