EXPERIMENTS IN ROAD SURFACING 



BY CHARLES li. PETTEE 



OBJECT OF EXPERIMENTS 



In July, 1S95, and in June and August of 1S96 road experi- 

 ments were carried on which were described in detail in Bul- 

 letins 30 and 46, issued by the New Hampshire College Agri- 

 cultural Experiment Station. On page 76 of the latter Bulle- 

 tin it was indicated that certain experiments in road surfacing 

 had been postponed to a more convenient season. This work 

 was taken up in March, 1S9S, and completed in June of the 

 same year, the work being spread over a considerable time for 

 financial reasons. The results of this latter work have been 

 carefully followed for two years, and the results of that 

 described in Bulletin 30 for five years. In addition, some work 

 in the same line by town officials has been noted and compar- 

 isons made which are hereinafter contained. 



In the fall of 1898, through the courtesy of W. A. Cook, Jr., 

 representing the Climax Road Machine Company of Marathon, 

 N. Y., machinery for hoisting, screening, and storing gravel, 

 was placed at the disposal of the writer for the purpose of 

 still further elucidating the problem of road surfacing. The 

 apparatus was set up at the gravel bank near the college res- 

 ervoir, as per frontispiece, and experiments have been carried 

 on from time to time, which will be explained in detail in 

 proper place. The object of all these experiments was to 

 throw additional light, if possible, upon the subject of surfac- 

 ing country roads and especially to emphasize such practical 

 results as are of general utility. 



SURFACING CARRIED ON DURING SPRING OF 1S98 



Plate I gives elevation and plan of a portion of the highway 

 surfaced during this experiment. It was the same section 



