Show ROAD I 1 IN N RURAL communities ever recurring no problem et ct upkeep can in large measure da be solved by use uie of noad Roade Drag dy IL it gillim university farm fann st I 1 paul glnn of its cheapness the earth road mad la in and for many years yeara to edmo come will contin continue ue to bo be tho the most common form of road in usa use in rural comment the oye ayer r recurring problem of on such roads can in a large birge measure be solved by the use UBO of the so bo called splitlog split log drug drag which can bo be constructed ps as shown in tho the accompanying picture by any one who has suitable aul table material at wind hand A log la in not necessary oi or perhaps not desirable for its construction construct loi choose tour four pieces ot of plank of some strong woodi wood such auch a aa a elm or red fir two inches thick and eight feet long two of 0 them should bo be too ten or twelve inches in width but tho the other two way may be narrower as shown in the picture alrico they aro are simply bolted to tho backs of the wider planks tor for reinforcement nt it planks three and a halt or four inches thick can conveniently be obtained a single thickness ot of them should be used instead of build ing up as shown in the cut in any case the drag can be put together road drag with round poles wedged into auger holes as shown or the may be set in with mortise morals e and tenon joints and kept tight by long bolts reaching through the front and back planks A piece of iron about three and 0 one e halt feet long three or tour four inches wide and one fourth of an inch thick should be used for a blade dy by means of bolts with flat countersunk counter sunk heads beads this blade should be attached to the front plank in such a manner that its edge will project a half inch below the plank at the ditch end while the end of the iron toward the middle of the road should ber be flush with the edge of the plank it the I 1 face a of the plank stands plumb it will be well to wedge out the bottom of the iron with a wedge shaped piece of bf wood to give the iron it a set s et similar to that tha t of a plane bit all A platform of inch boards together with cracks an inch wide between the boards to prevent dirt from collecting on top Js is placed on the cross crosa pieces of the drag to furnish a platform for the driver this platform should rest upon the cross pieces between the planks without be tug ing fastened to the brag it is 18 not shown in the illustration any chain having the strength of a trace chain may be used to draw the drag and should be attached as shown in them the picture but the proper popl tion for attaching the double doublet trees mes must be determined by experiment and will vary with the kind hind ot of work done the chain should be about nine feet long for a drag of the size shown in the cut and should have the eye for the clevis put in about three feet from the end the chain attaches by means of an eyebolt as shown in the picture to the ditch or blade end of the drag the tee other othea end ot of the chain should finish with a for use in adjusting the length of the bitch after the chain 13 passed around the crosspiece cross piece at the road end of tho the drag commonly the drag should follow the team at an angle of about forty five degrees with their line of travel to causa cause the dirt to moyo move steadily a and d freely along the tha faces of the planks from the ditch toward the center of the road broad in every case the anglo angle at which the drag will travel can bo be governed by the position of the hitch which ls Is changed within reasonably limits to by y lengthening or shortening the chain and by the position of the driver on the drap drag X very deiy little ei ex per lence will enable anyone to adjust these things satisfactorily |