Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Mass.) 1828-1830, 1828-03-04


last. 1t was judged to have been swollen
ten feet, or more, above the ordinary level |;
so as in some instances to cause considera-
BILE damage to fences, &c. on the intervale.
The most winter-like weather which we
have had during the season was on Sunday,
last week, when violent storm led us to
augur that we were yet to experience Win
ter in all its severity. The great quantity
of snow which fell, however, very suddenly
disappeared, under the influence of a South
erly rain, and return of the former mild
weather. Flocks of geese we believe have
flown to the north, and snakes and frogs
have made their appearance in some of our
pastures, which are strong indications of the
early opening Of spring, though these ami
mails sometimes err in their barometrical
calculations. There have yet been few OPP
portunities for stocking ice-houses, and the
lovers of cold punch and ice-creams will be
likely to suffer from scarcity of that COM
modify the ensuing summer.
Accounts from England represent the sea-
son as having been remarkably mild, About
the last of December, a field of rape, sown
after the Goth July, had several stems in full
blows and ripe strawberries were gathered
in garden in the parish of Combmartin.
The following is from an Agricultural Re-
port in London paper of the 31st Decem-
Der:
The early part of December was fine for the
season. with occasional frosts, of moderate and
transient characters but the subsequent and greater
portion of the month has been mild and wet Steady
long-continued rains have fallen, such as we have
not experienced for some time past and these have
been accompanied, at times by strong boisterous
winds. The quantity of moisture that has fallen,
and the soaked state of the EARTH have not been IA
vourabe to the prosecution of the farmers wintry la
bors. Fogs and heavy mists have now succeeded
the rain, with slight boar fross at night, which rem
der the country, if possible, dirtier than ever"
McADAMIzING. The condition to which
the roads have been reduced by the state of
the weather during the past winter, it is to
be hoped, will avail something in directing
the public attention to this most important
branch of internal improvement Among
the many projects for facilitating inland
communication, in aid of which the public
money has been solicited, most of which
have doubtless had their origin in a real de-
sire to advance the public interest, and some
of which have proved to be Utopian schemes
indeed,-it seems to us that attention has
been too much diverted from the simple con-
sideration of Improvement in the public
roads. Canals and railways, however bene-
fetal they may be found for particular OBJ
Jects, can never supercede the necessity of
good roads; and while measures are in train
to ascertain the practicability and expedlen-
cy of these, much to real-purpose might be
effected by gradual improvement of the
highways: we mean some more decided i'm
provement than any which has yet been
made, or which the existing laws are sup
posed to sanction and require. Our high
ways are far behind the "spirit of the age"
and, whether it be by Legislative interior
ence or otherwise, we hope soon to see them
receiving their due share of attention. The
best method of making the roads what they
should be-what the rapid increase of ira
yelling, and particularly the Importance Of
regular transmission of the mails, seem TO
requires, we believe, to McAdamize them.
The best roads of this description in En-
gland are covered with stone, broken into
pieces of not more than an inch square, and
laid five or six inches thick. The stone is
broken by machine, and placed on the road
in patches, say of one hundred feet, leaving
distances of a quarter of mile between
them, so as not to impede travelling and as
these patches become solid, more stone is
added, till the road is completed. Our coun-
try has no lack of stone suited to this pur-
pose, and the plan might be put in train of
operation by substituting this method for the
present manner of repairing the roads; the
extra expense would be trifing nothing in
comparison with the immense advantages
which we are confident would result from
it. The object most desirable is to render
the roads impervious to water, and less liza
bic to be effected by thaws in the winter
season. The roads were never worse, pro-
badly, than they have been this season, and
fin the gradual change of our climate we