1917] RURAL ENGINEERING. 285 



New road laws of Oklahoma as passed by the legislatures of 1915 and 

 1916 (Okiahoina City, Okla.: The Boardman Co., 1916, pp. 80, pis. 2).— The text 

 of the laws is given. 



Road maintenance and its significance, E. W. James {U. »S'. Senate, 6^. 

 Cony., 1. Sess., Doc. 429 {1916), pp. 8). — This is an address delivered at the 

 seventh annual convention, of the Southern Commercial Congress. 



The construction of roads and pavements, T. R. Ago {New York: McGraw- 

 Hill Book Co., 1916, pp. r II +432, pi. 1, figs. 115; rev. in Engin. Rec, 74 {1916), 

 No. 14, p. 418). — This book is a concise presentation of approved practice in the 

 construction of roads and pavements and of the principles involved, and includes 

 numerous tables and typical designs and specifications. It contains the follow- 

 ing chapters : 



The development of highway systems, surveys and plans for roads and pave- 

 ments, the design of rural highways, the construction and maintenance of earth 

 roads, testing nonbituminous road materials, sand-clay roads, gravel roads, 

 water-bound macadam roads and pavements, concrete roads and pavements, 

 vitrified-brick roads and pavements, wood-block pavements, stone-block pave- 

 ments, bituminous road and pavement materials, dust layers and bituminous 

 carpets, penetration and mixed macadam roads and pavements, sheet asphalt 

 and asphaltic concrete surfaces, selection of type of surface for rural highways, 

 selection of type of pavement surface, the design of pavements, and tests for 

 bituminous road and paving materials. 



Should wider joints be provided in concrete roads laid late in the season? 

 H. S. Van Scoyoc {Engin. Rec, 14 {1916), No. 16, pp. 465, 466, figs. 2).— The re- 

 sults of an inspection of 2,071 joints of i-in. width in a concrete road built in 

 October and November, 1915, are reported. The concrete is of 1 : 1* : 3 mixture 

 and the joints were spaced 35 ft. apart. It was found that in July, 1916, 94 

 per cent of the joints caused no perceptible jar to traffic, 4 per cent caused a 

 noticeable jar, and 2 per cent caused a serious jar, some being raised as much 

 as 2i in. All joints causing a serious jar were found to be inclined from 

 vertical. Ninety-eight per cent of the joints which heaved seriously were in 

 sections laid later than October 15. 



" It is likely that owing to the low temperature at which the concrete was 

 laid, the unusually wet weather which prevailed during the fall of 1915, and 

 the unusually wet and cold weather in the spring of 1916 the concrete did not 

 set up properly. There was not the usual contraction due to the drying out of 

 the excess water of mixing. . . . There was not sufficient space between slabs 

 to take care of the expansion due to the increase of temperature in the early 

 summer. ... It would seem that, if for special reasons work must be con- 

 tinued late in the fall in sections with climatic conditions similar, there should 

 be wider joints provided in the later work, as well as special precautions as to 

 workmanship." 



General specifications for concrete bridges, W. J. Watson {New York: 

 McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1916, 3. ed., pp. 10, figs. 3).— Specifications for both 

 municipal and rural bridges are given. 



Concrete and reinforced concrete, W. L. AY ebb and W. H. Gibson {Chicago: 

 Amer. Tech. Soc, 1916, pp. [XI]+2JfO, figs. 123).— This is a condensed practical 

 treatise on the problems of reinforced concrete designs and construction, in- 

 cluding chapters on composition and treatment, characteristics and properties 

 of concrete mixtures, mixing and laying concrete, waterproofing concrete, pres- 

 ervation of steel in concrete, fire-protective qualities of concrete, steel for rein- 

 forcing concrete, general theory of flexure in reinforced concrete, practical 

 calculation and design of beams and slabs, T-beam construction, simple footings, 

 78786°— No. 3—17 7 



