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Show GOOD ROADS ! IMPROVE ROADS BY DRAINAGE One of the Most Important Matters to I Be Considered In Construction I of Public Highways. w (By E. U GATES, Illinois.) tJPHw "When It conies to building roads 0 V'HfeW v ,lcro nro a Good many problems to -" T? -Apolvo and not easy ones at that. Rid- ji P'iuB along In an auto It Is easy enough i i to say when you striko a smooth stretch, "this is flno," and turn on n llttlo moro gas, but when you hit n mudholo and ruts you may get your foot on tho wrong pedal and tho road commission catches it. It takes labor, time, good material and money to havo pood roads. Every-ono Every-ono wants tho roads, ho wo will nil havo to work and spend somo of our tlmo and inonoy and boost for better road 8. Ono of tho things most needed Is bettor drainago for tho roads as well - as for tho farms and at this tlmo we will conllno this articlo to tho subject of drainago, Drainago is tho most Important matter to bo considered in tho con. Btructlon of roads. Drainago alono j will often chango a bad road into a j " good ono whilo tho best stono road . may bo destroyed from a lack of prop- i 1 or drainago. Thero aro three systems of drainago I that wo can uso to advantage and t theso aro undcrdrolnago, sido ditches and Burfaco drainago. i .' Whoro wator stands on a road un derdralnago without any grading Is better than grading without under- drainago. Underdralnago is not to re- ( ruovo simply tho surfaco water but its v greatest help Is to lower tho water lev el in tho soil. Tho action of tho sun and wind will w " finally dry tho surfaco of tho road but if tho foundation is wet and soft tho wheels will wear ruts and theso get filled with water during tho first rains A and tho road becomes a sticky mass. ; An undralncd soil is apoorfounda- tion upon which to build roads as well II as anything else. When frost is lcav-! lcav-! Ing tho ground tho thawing Is quite Jl. as much from tho bottom as from the '. top. If underdralnago is provided tho wator is immediately removed. JJ Tho best and cheapost method to r socuro underdralnago Is to lay a lino i of farm drain tilo on ono or both sides ,J of tho road. Tho now road law gives J tho highway commissioners power to contract with adjoining property owners own-ers to lay larger tilo than Is necessary if- to drain tho road and to permit tho .ft contracting partioa to drain their " tf lands. This helps tho roads and at tho oamo tlmo is a great bonollt to ' 4 tho adjoining land. 1 Sido ditches aro necessary to all roads but no road can bo maintained I with tho ditch holding tho wator un- I Well-Drained Road In Illinois. til It evaporates. In most cases it is 1j cheaper to get tho wator away from SI tho road than to try to lift tho road JI out of It. t Sometimes roads on tho hillsides ILfl,. aro left without Bido ditches. This Is In mistako, for If any road needs a ditch it is tho ono on a hillside, for whoro thero aro no ditches tho wator runs along tho middlo of tho road and 'wears gullies and as wo all know, makes a bad road. Tho roads should bo bo crowned that wator can reach tho tilo or ditches. If all ruts and mudholes aro illled, tho wator willhavo a bettor chance to run off. Thero aro several , M machlnos mado to keep tho roads in Bhapo and theso need to bo used often fand at tho right tlmo. It is not nocos- Bary to spend half a day in trying to ' got hold of a road commissioner to , help open a culvert or let tho water out of a holo In tho road. Rotter spend tho timo in doing it yoursolf and ', you will feel bottor and your neigh bor will thank you. |