426 AGRICULTURE 



improved. All roads should be properly crowned or 

 rounded in order to aid them in disposing quickly of sur- 

 face water. An earth road twenty-four feet wide should 

 not be less than six inches nor more than twelve inches 

 higher at the center than at each of the borders. The total 

 fall from center to side should be about an inch to the foot. 

 The work of construction. The earth roads can best 

 be crowned and ditched by a reversible road grader. The 

 use of picks, shovels, scoops and plows should be avoided. 

 One road machine with sufficient power and a good opera- 

 tor will do the work of a large number of men and do it 

 much better. Graders as a rule should be used when the 

 soil is damp. This will make the soil pack well while dry- 

 ing. If it is worked when dry and hard it takes more power 

 to draw the machine and in addition the dry earth and dust 

 will absorb and retain moisture and soon develop ruts. All 

 clods, sod, weeds and vegetable matter should be removed. 



5. Maintenance of Earth Roads 



Necessity of constant care. The greatest problem of 

 earth road building is that of maintenance, and any earth 

 road which carries a great deal of traffic requires almost 

 constant attention. Repairs should be made when needed. 

 A few days spent upon the road at different times through- 

 out the year will accomplish a great deal. It is a serious 

 mistake to devote all of the time in road building to a par- 

 ticular season, leaving the road without care the remainder 

 of the year. Most communities need a few men and teams 

 spending their entire time in keeping roads in repair. 



Dragging earth roads. One of the most useful de- 

 vices for the maintenance of public earth roads is the split- 

 log drag. This works with great efficiency on both earth 

 and gravel roads.^ To obtain the best results the roads 



