The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1875-05-15
THE WHEAT AND THE ROADS.

me HEAL AND IHE kOAUSs
A drive through the center of the county
from Elkton to the northern boundary is a
days, when fields and groves are bursting
with new life. The wheat where it has
been we'll put in and properly MANFRED
looks thrifty, and appears to cover the
forth is reasonably propitious, we see no
reason why fair crop will not be realized
by the farmer who has done his work in an
intelligent manner. The plants are short,
but if the ground is in that state of cult.
walton which it should 0e put by every
man who attempts to raise crop of wheat,
the crop will recover from the severe con-
test it had for life through the Winter and
early Spring. In driving among the wheat
fields at this season Of the year, nothing SC
forcibly strikes the intelligent observer as
the utter folly of putting single acre in
wheat more than the farmer is able to thor.
oughly manure and nicely cultivate. His
work is simply thrown away, fact he could
demonstrate beyond doubt, if he only
kept book account of his transaction.
Grass runs out he will tell you and he must
get the ground into grass; and to do this
he plows it up and plants it to corn, then a
lows the oats in order to get proper seed
bed for the proposed grass crop. This is a
long roundabout way to reach the desired
end.
There is but one thing to mar the com,
plete pleasure of drive across the county
at this season, and that exists in the neg.
lected roads, which are comparatively good,
but when we observe with what very
small amount of labor judiciously and in
telligentiy applied, they could be made to
almost rival drives through park, the
traveller is tempted to hurl anathemas upon
the stupidity and unthrift which permits
such state Of affairs. There will be nc
better, and it is questionable whether as
good time in future, to mend the roads
than that which has passed-in the month
of April. Had the roads been put in com
plete order soon after the frost had disap-
peared and the ground had stiffened sufi.
Gently to become firm, they would have now
been as smooth as floor, without a rut OF
I" chuck hole" In place of smoothing up
the rough surface by drawing in from the
edges and making the road slope from the
center to the cutters, gradually, they are
let alone by the Supervisors all through the
Spring and the wheels of vehicles and the
hoofs of animals wear a track in the mid
die full of holes and ruts. Where the Su
pervisors have made their mark on the
roads, it is shown by a furrow along the
edges where the pillow has passed-that is
all, which is of no use whatever. But had
the Supervisor, with the aid of good road
scraper, cut three feet of core formed on
the margins of nearly all the roads, with a
sloping curf from the bottom of the plowed
furrow, and deposited the contents in the
middle of the road, the rain fall would find
it's way to the side ditch Immediately; not
wet spot, bad rut or chuck hole would be
unbroken surface would take the place OF
the rough, rutty sections which are still
met with in many places.
Experience will prove that there will
have to be some such specifications for
mending the major parts of the roads, as
follows, made at the time of sale. The
road shall be raised ten to twelve inches in
the middle, sloping gradually to the out
side of the bitches, and all water breaks
not deemed absolutely necessary by the
Inspector, shall be removed from the roads.
If road is made full in the middle water
break is seldom necessary even on the steep
est hills. If the short slope to the side
ditch from the rounded center of the road
way is greater than the declination of the
hill, the water will find its way to the side
ditch and not wash the road beds. At
present the sides of the roads being higher
than the center the water is confined to the
wheel tracks and runs down the middle OF
the road during hard rain like tail race.
To properly accommodate the public the
roads should all be gone over and repaired
by the first of May. In a wet Spring they
ibiShO hCCo q epdIl III SpOlS dIltI
that, but very little would suffice. The
practice has been to defer mending the
roads till after "corn planting" By this
time all the Spring hauling has been done,
and the wear of wheels at the expense OF
team and cost 10 the owner, has done in an
imperfect manner, what should have been
the first duty of the Supervisor after the
frost was fairly out Of the ground. We
hope that new leaf will be turned over in
the matter of time of road mending in
future; which was, we think, grave over.
sight in inauguratng the new system.
The College of Bishops of the Meth.
odist Episcopal Church South has just con-
cluded a session at Nashville. Before ad-
journing they appointed Drs. Pierce, Dun
can and Garland a committee of fraterniza.
ton to the next General Conference of the
Methodist Episcopal Church. They also
appointed, under a resolution of the last
General Conference of the NJ. E. Church
South, Dis Myers, Hargrave and Flnney,
with Hon. Trusten Polk of Missouri and
Hon. David Clapton of Alabama, as com
missioners to meet commissioners from the
Church North and remove all obstacles to
formal fraternity between the bodies.
What remains to divide these church
brethren now that the war has settled the
hash for slavery? Before that event the
Southern party could find divine authority
for slavery. That little bit of divinity was
blown to atoms by gun powder, and we
venture that neither party can find author
ity in the Bible for its establishment
Is there any thing differing in their COMES.
sions of faith or road to salvation, that
they continue to call themselves "Metho.
dist Episcopal Church South?'' The child
ish contentious which fret our religious
denominations, cause thinking people OF
the g wide, wide world " to look on them
with pity if not contempt. They talk Of
being engaged in mission to save man.
kind, and they present to mankind " the
spectacle of children wrangling over thei,
play things.
ORCHARD CrITuRE Wa Duhlish in IN