SIXTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART VIII. 823 



A number of good jobs of grading were done in Washington township. 

 I want to call attention to the work through what used to be called the 

 "Hoaly Duck Pond," on the road between Waverly and Shell Rock. What 

 that job still needs is a drainage ditch through the fields south from the 

 pond. 



There is a good job of grading south from Bert Fry's in Polk town- 

 ship. The road superintendent did his work pretty well and it was fin- 

 ished with road draggs. During the summer, after rains, Mr. Fry hitched 

 his team to the drag and smoothed and rounded up the grade. In spite 

 of the many rains last summer this road is one of the best, and it used to 

 be one of the roughest. 



Road superintendents can sometimes do much good by planning for 

 next year's work. There are roads where a few furrows should be turned 

 over on each side of the road bed so that the sod will rot and thus facili- 

 tate the work of grading next year. 



Road superintendents should aim to let their light so shine that men 

 may see their good work. A good road worker will see to it that the work 

 is done and then let the work do the talking. 



The road should be so worked that the weeds and grass on each side 

 of the track may be cut with the mower. We can not afford to raise weeds 

 on the highways. It is the duty of road supervisors to cause to be cut, 

 near the surface, ail weeds on the public roads in their districts between 

 the 15th day of July and the 15th day of August of each year. 



We have some conscientious road workers. There are men who have 

 done all that could be done with the means at hand. Don't turn off the 

 road superintendent who did good work last season. His experience will 

 help him to do better work next season. He knows his territory and 

 will be able to do more good than a new man. The poorest road superin- 

 tendents are those who know it all. Give me the man who never gets 

 too old to learn. Whether we are road superintendents or county super- 

 visors, let us do our best. 



At a road meeting in Clayton county two weeks ago nearly every 

 farmer present pledged himself to use a road drag during the coming 

 season and asked for a copy of a phamplet, "Good Roads Problem in 

 Iowa," which is issued by the State Highway Commission at Ames, who 

 will send a copy to any one who writes for it. The fact is, before much 

 is accomplished, the people must become desperately in earnest. 



The road drag is a good tool for the purpose for which it is intended. 

 There has been nothing devised that does the work needed on our dirt 

 roads better than the cheap road drag. After the road is properly graded 

 and drained, the road drag used at the proper time will preserve the 

 grade and keep the road bed smooth and hard so that water will run off. 



The usefulness of the drag depends upon weather and conditions of 

 the soil. The first time use it when quite wet. After that the road should 

 be dry enough so that some loose dirt can be moved. I have said that con- 

 vexity, smoothness and hardness are necessary to make good dirt roads. 

 These conditions combined provide drainage, without which there can be 

 no good dirt roads. 



