Farm and Garden Rule-Book

A Manual of Ready Rules and Reference With Recipes, Precepts, Formulas, and Tabular Information for the Use of General Farmers, Gardeners, Fruit-Growers, Stockmen, Dairymen, Poultrymen, Foresters, Rural Teachers, and Others in the United States and Canada

1911

National Agricultural Library

Use of the King road-drag

The use of the drag is more satisfactory if the road has first been crowned with a blade grader, but whenever this is not convenient and the traffic is not too heavy, the road maybe gradually brought to a crown by means of the drag (Fig. 19).

The surface of the average country road should be covered in one round with the drag. One horse should be driven on the inside of the wheel track and the other on the outside, the drag being set, by means of the chain, so that it is running at an angle of about forty-five degrees with the wheel track and working the earth toward the center of the road. In the spring, when the roads are more likely to be rutty and soft it is generally better to go over the road twice and in some places more times.

The drag should be floored with boards which are separated by open spaces of sufficient width so that the dirt which falls over will rattle through, and yet they should be close enough so that the driver can : move about upon the drag quite freely.

To insure the successful operation of the drag, it is necessary for the driver to use careful judgment. Sometimes it is essential that the blade be held down so that the drag will cut roots and weeds, while at other times the front edge should not bear too heavily upon the surface, as it will dig out a soft place which would be better if left undisturbed. This regulation of the cutting edge can be accomplished by the driver moving back and forth or to the right and left on the drag.

p. 485-486

New York: The Macmillan Company