FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 45 



two to three feet deep, parallel to the center line of the road and from 

 eight to ten feet distant on either side will be found of great value to 

 all clay roads. 



On springy hills the drain should run diagonally from the center to 

 either gutter where suitable outlets must be provided. The frequency 

 of such drains will depend upon the amount of water to be handled. 



TJnderdrains in each gutter, or along the margins of the grade, as 

 above mentioned, are of great value where large open ditches are not 

 required to handle the surface water, inasmuch as they lower the water 

 plain some two or three feet more than would be possible without 

 them. A drain down the center of the road having the trench filled 

 with some coarse material often serves the same purpose. 



Eepairs. — Clay roads should be kept well crowned so as to have from 

 one-half to three-fourths of an inch rise to each foot in width. Any 

 more than this is a positive injury and should not be tolerated. They 

 should be smoothed down each spring after the ground has settled and 

 as often thereafter during the season as they become rutted. After 

 being leveled with a scraper, a good rolling will prevent their becoming 

 rutted so easily again and will leave them in excellent shape to make 

 fine summer roads. In fact there are no better temporary roads than 

 well-shaped clay roads when dry, smooth and hard. 



SAND ROADS. 



Sand roads need quite different treatment. They should be but 

 slightly crowned and have very shallow gutters. They can also be 

 made rather narrow. It is better to allow the sides to grass over when- 

 ever possible. Their worst enemy is dry weather and they should be 

 built and repaired with a view to retaining as much moisture as pos- 

 sible. Trees should be planted along the road side and the natural 

 ones and much of the brush allowed to grow; in short, it is best to do 

 everything possible to keep them very much in the condition of forest 

 roads. 



SAND-CLAY ROADS. 



A coating of sand on a clay road is a good thing, but the more this 

 sand inclines to gravel the better. Good gravel would be far superior. 

 The exact amount of s'and to use will generally have to be determined 

 by experiment in each locality. Apply the sand when the road is wet 

 but not rutted. It will not be of much value till it becomes mixed 

 with the clay and thus forms a sort of artificial hard pan. On the other 

 hand, if sand is applied to hard dry clay it will be a positive nuisance 

 until wet weather comes and allows it to become mixed with the clay. 

 It is only suitable for roads of comparatively light traffic. 



Clay on sand usually gives better results than sand on clay on ac- 

 count^ of the excellent natural drainage afforded by the sand founda- 

 tion. It should be applied in a layer about six inches deep, well har- 

 rowed, smoothed off with a grader and rolled till hard and smooth. After 

 the rolling from one to two inches of sand from the sides should be uni- 

 formly spread over the road by use of a road grader. Clay thus ap- 

 plied will not have reached its best stage until mixed with the sand. 



