THIRD ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART I. 



37 



but puts the road in proper shape for travel immediately. If there is 

 anything more trying on man or beast than traveling over an unimproved 



Fig. 18.— Reversible road roller. 



read, it must be to travel over one which has just been worked by the 

 slipshod methods followed in many places. 







pi 



Fig. 19.— Section of properly rolled earth road, showing a firm, smooth surface 



MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS. FILLING HOLES AND RUTS. 



With earth roads there is a pronounced tendency to rut, and when 

 ruts begin to appear on the surface, great care should be used in select- 

 ing new materials with which they should be immediately filled. Every 

 hole or rut in the roadway if not tamped full of some good material, 

 like that of which the road is constructed, will become filled with water 

 and will be made deeper and wider by each passing vehicle. A hole 

 which could have been filled with a shovelful of material will soon 

 need a cartful. The rut or hole to be repaired should be cleared of dust, 

 mud or water and just sufficient good fresh earth placed in it to be even 

 with the surrounding surface after having been thoroughly consolidated 

 with the pounder. Sod should not be placed on the surface, neither 

 should the surface be ruined by throwing upon it the worn-out material 

 from the gutters alongside. Ruts and holes should not be filled with 

 stone nor gravel unles a considerable section is to be so treated; for 

 if such material is dumped into the holes or ruts, it does not wear 

 uniformly with the rest of the road, but produces lumps and ridges 

 and in many cases results in making two holes for every one repaired. 



USE OF ROAD MACHINES IN MAKING REPAIRS. 



Reversible road machines are often used in drawing the material out 

 of ditches to the center of the roadway, which is left there to be washed 



