20 BULLETIN 463, IT. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
CLEARING. 
After the work has been staked out the right of way should be 
cleared of all trees, stumps, brush, fences, etc., which occur within 
the lines of the work. Trees and stumps should be grubbed out 
or cut off at least 18 inches below the finished surface of the road- 
bed over them, and no parts of trees, stumps, or other perishable 
matter should be left in areas to be covered by embankments. 
Sightly trees that would not interfere with the work or obstruct the 
road in any way should be trimmed to a neat contour and left to 
afford shade. 
CONSTRUCTING CULVERTS, DRAINS, ETC. 
All drainage structures extending under the surface of the road 
should be completed, and the necessary backfills made over them 
before the work of grading is begun. There are two reasons for this. 
One is that usually less excavation will be required for such structures 
before the grading is completed than after, and the other that it is 
desirable to give the backfills as much time as possible to settle before 
the grading is completed, so as to avoid irregular settlement later. 
The conditions under which culverts and drains are constructed 
vary to such a great extent that no attempt will be made here to 
discuss the detailed methods of construction. 
The grading of an earth road includes all excavating, hauling, 
and filling necessary in constructing the roadbed, slopes, side ditches, 
etc., and usually is by far the largest item of work connected with 
earth-road construction. The most economical methods and ma- 
chinery to employ in grading a particular road depend on the charac- 
ter and amount of the work to be done. Where, for example, the 
grade and cross section of the road follow closely the original ground 
surface most of the necessary grading usually may be done with a 
grading machine such as is illustrated in figure 11. In the case of 
embankments, built up with material from borrow pits along the 
sides of the road, an elevating grader (fig. 11) frequently may be used 
to advantage. If material must be moved longitudinally along the 
road from cuts to fills in order to bring the surface of the road to the 
required grade, the work usually must be done either with scrapers 
(figs. 16 and 17) or dump wagons (fig. 18). Where a considerable 
volume of material is to be excavated in a relatively short distance a 
small steam shovel (fig. 19) with dump-wagon equipment sometimes 
may be employed economically. Each of these methods may best be 
described separately. 
