12 BULLETIN 53, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
at $0,007 per square yard. $11.90; loosening and loading gravel, at $0,165 per 
cubic yard, $104.70 ; hauling gravel, at $0,234 per cubic yard, $148.80 ; spreading 
gravel, at $0.0057 per square yard, $20.60; trimming shoulders and ditches, 
$5.70 : culverts. SI. 106.45 ; and general expenses. $10. The total cost of the road 
was $2,681.70, which is at the rate of $0.75 per square yard. If the cost of drain- 
age structures is excluded, the cost per square yard is reduced to $0,442. 
Beltox, Tex. — The road leading . from Belton eastward toward Temple, 
approximately 5i miles long, known as the Air Line Road, was graded, drained, 
and surfaced with gravel. This road is about equally divided between Belton 
precinct and Temple precinct, and on account of the separate road organiza- 
tions in these two separate precincts it was necessary to construct the road 
in two sections. Each of these sections will be described in turn. 
The Belton section. — Work was started on this section on December 26, 1912. 
Surfacing was started on March 26, 1913 ; and excavation was completed on 
May 22, 1913, and surfacing on June 30, 1913. All work was finished on July 
3, 1913. Unfavorable weather caused the loss of 16f days, and 16£ days were 
lost from other causes. 
The earth was loosened by plows, hauled by drag scrapers, and spread by 
means of a road machine. The maximum cut was 1£ feet and the maximum 
fill 5.7 feet. The maximum grade was reduced from 6.4 per cent on the old 
road to 5 per cent on the new road. 
The adjacent land is rolling, and the soil for the first 650 feet is loose rock ; 
for the next 925 feet, gumbo ; for the next 1,700 feet, sandy ; for the next 3,000 
feet, sand-clay ; for the next 500 feet, gumbo ; for the next 600 feet, loose rock ; 
and for the remainder of the distance to station 124 — the end of the section — 
gumbo. A corrugated iron pipe culvert, 12 inches in diameter and 24 feet long, 
vas constructed at station 73+65. 
The equipment consisted of 2 road graders, 5 No. 3 drag scrapers, 3 No. 2 
drag scrapers, 1 railroad plow, 1 turn plow, 7 wagons, shovels, picks, etc. 
The wagons were slat-bottom, having a capacity of 1£ cubic yards, and were 
used for hauling gravel. 
The average haul for the excavation was 110 feet, and the maximum haul 
600 feet. The average haul from the gravel pit to the road was 4,920 feet, 
and the average haul of water for the roller 11 miles. 
The natural soil was used in the foundation throughout the road. Gravel 
for surfacing was obtained from several different sources, and varied from 
rather poor to excellent in quality. It was spread on the road partly by means 
of hand raking and partly with a steel drag and a road machine. 
The total length of the road graded was 12,606 feet for a width of 32 feet 
n cuts and 26 feet in fills, making a total graded area of 42,920 square yards. 
The total length of surface was 12,010 feet, and the width was 24 feet for 
feet, and IS feet wide for the remaining distance, making a total surfaced 
area of 24,637 square yards. The gravel was spread sometimes in one course 
and sometimes in two courses. The loose depth of the first course ranged 
from 5 to 10* inches, and that of the second course from 1* to 3| inches, 
while the total loose depth ranged from 5 to 10* inches. The crown of the 
finished surface varied from three-quarters to 1 inch to 1 foot according to the 
steepness of the grade. 
Earth to the amount of 5,26S cubic yards was moved in grading; and 5,503 
cubic yards of gravel was used in surfacing, of which 4,733 cubic yards was 
purchased and 770 yards donated. 
Convict labor cost $0.60; hired labor from $0.75 to $2.50; and teams from 
|3 to $3.50 for a 9-hour day. The total cost of the work was $4,144.33, which 
is at tbe rate of $0,167 per square yard. 
