Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1874-01-23
Reported for the VERMONT FARnKR.
CAMBRIDGEPoRT FARMERS
CLUB.

CLUB.
The Cambridgeport Farmers Club met on
Monday eve, Jan. IL, and discussed the fol.
lowing topic, viz Highways,-the best
and cheapest method of keeping them in re-
pair. "
Ithamer Bollcs Objected to water-bars in
this locality as being injudicious unneces-
sary, and dangerous he believed that more
damage is done in consequence of water-bars
than from all other causes combined. The
road should be turnpiked and finished with
gravel, thus obviating the necessity Of bars.
There is not sufficient protection against
precipioes; all dangerous places should be
guarded by strong and efficient railing.
Highway taxes should be expended under
the direction Of commissioners who should at.
tend to their duties whenever necessary
Under the present system the money is not
judiciously expended I; most of it is worked
out during the month Of june, aud the roads
receive but little care during the remainder
Of the year the roads should be attended to
during the month Of March and April, at the
season Of breaking up. One dollar judi.
ciously expended at that season might be the
means Of saving many dollars in june. I'm.
der the present system there is too much
resting on hoe handles. Roads in winter
should be broken out with double track,
thus allowing teams 10 pass each other ca
silly and rapidly.
Marshal Red6eld Believed water.bars
to be necessary evil; on some roads they
cannot be dispensed with Would work on
highways with machines. There are ma
chimes which are adapted to working on our
soils and which will save the labor of ten
men. Favored the appointment Of commits
sioners. Thought precipices should be bet
ter protected. Favored the idea of one man
taking the contract Of repairing a section of
highway and warranting the town against all
damages from accidents.
Rev. A. Foster Has long felt the necess-
ity of better system in the building and re-
pairing Of our highways. Water-bars are a
great evil, and should be dispensed with.
Would build sluices instead. The great
fault is the want of thorOughness in the bull
ding of roads. Roads should be turnpiked
with good bitches, and sufficient number Of
sluices. Favored the appointment of com.
missioners.
Fred. Rogers Does not believe in ma
chimes for working roads. They are not
adapted to these soils. The only good ma
chimes for our roads are the pillow, the
scraper, the pick and the shovel. The hoe
should be dispensed as it is first rate lean
ing instrument. Water-bars are never need.
ed. Roads should be made twenty feet
wide, browning in the middle, the outside Of
the bitches to stand outward instead of be-
ing perpendicular. In building road upon
a hillside, make the side next the upper
bank the lowest so that all the water that
falls in the road will flow to that side and
continue running in that ditch until carried
of by sluice. The cost of properly build
ing road would be about eight dollars
per rod. Am not in favor of commissioners.
They would spend large portion OF their
time upon the road and charge big price.
Each commissioner would want good road
in front Of his house surveyors would wish
the same thing so that under the system Of
surveyors there would be more good places.
Many bad places might be remedied by a
few blasts Of powder.
Edwin Howard Prefers the present sys-
tenn of surveyors to the appointment of com.
missioners. The commissioners would charge
greater pay and there would be emergencies
which they could not attend to in season,
especially in regard to breaking roads in win
ter. Surveyors should see 10 it that each
man works. II one leans on his hoe, dock
him. As rule surveyors take on too much
help. On many roads wateT-bars cannot be
dispensed with.
Andrew A. Wyman Our roads are bad,
are unsafe. They are not wide enough.
We are educated to travelling upon them,
therefore we endure them, but unless these
roads are made better the towns will be in
dcted and obliged to build the main roads
twenty feet wide, as has been the case al
ready with some towns. Am in favor Of
money tax and Of commissioners. Our pres
ent system of repairing under the direction
Of surveyors is the most ingenious system Of
accomplishing nothing ever invented. Some
men can lay out money upon the highway to
much better advantage than others. Such
men should receive the appointment of COM
missoners. Water-bars cannot be dispensed
with in all cases, they are n necessity upon
many Of our hill roads. Roads should be
cared for in March and April. Watering
trOughs should be provided at proper inter-
walls. The law requiring the removal Of
loose stones from the highway at least once
a month should be obeyed.
ID. +. Gushing Our roads were greatly
damaged by the great freshet Of 1869, and
have not yet fully recovered. Much that is
charged to bad working is due to the freshet.
Am in favor Of commissioners, Surveyors
take on too much help. -Four men with a
team will do more work than twice that num-
Der do under the present system. Wet plac-
es in the road should be filled with small
stones and covered with gravel. Water
bars cannot be dispensed with in all cases.
Are necessity on steep hill roads. Our
towns cannot afford to build roads twenty
feet wide it would make too large a tax,
and take almost the last dollar.
1t will be seen by the above report that u
majority Of the speakers were in favor ofthe
appointment Of road commissioners, consider
ing the present system to be wholly inef6-
cient. A majority believed in the necessity
of water.bars in some cases, but all consid.
cred them a nuisance upon level roads. The
necessity of better protection against preci-
pices was urged with good deal Of vigor,
and finally it was agreed that our roads
are bad and ought to be made better. p.
Reported for tho VERMONT FARMER.