The Republican journal., 1878-11-14
Country Roads.

Matchmaking as an art. SAYS IAe Ru-
raj New orker but poorly understood
by the majority OF our highway surveyors
andrUad-masters and what they 10 know
is not always we'll carried out. There Is,
no doubt. gradual Improvement in our
highways. The loss and injury OCCASION
ca by gullying and wash-outs are "a
great that those means hy which stability
of the travelled way is secured are getting
to he t0lerably we'll understood But the
other points, such as securing easy grades,
conducting i road over a swamp the
management Of clayey or mucky soils.
and the removal of stones both fixed and
loose, are all matters n which our rural
road builders may easily improve their
methods. in every farmers cluh, grange,
and agricultural gathering for the discus
sion Of rural affairs. road-mahing should
be made a matter ot frequent c0nsidera-
ton.
The losses Nv reason ot bad roads are
very large far greater than the cost Of
maintaining good ones. But they 1re 50
uncertain as regards particular instances.
and SO divided among all hands, that the
sum OF them is not realized as il ought to
be. The load that can be drawn over i
road / limited BIZ the load that can be
drawn over the worst places. Just us the
strength Ot q chain is only the strength Of
its weakest link The strains thrown
upon the different parts Of Il wagon OF
carriage, upon the bolts and braces. the
wheels, aXles. poles shafts, and on the
harness TO Say nothing Of the h0rsel. by
steep grades and the unerenness Of the
road-bed, by deep mud, and by stones.
are also matters that are large enough III
detail, but form monstrous aggregate
far beyond the conception Of those who
do not figure in regard to them. We be-
ieye that there are few travelled roads in
the country on which the unnecessary in
jury to vehicles alone would not pay,
and more than pay, for the cost and
maintenance Of a first class turnpike.
There is one thing, in particular, which
would cost but little to remedy, that Is
very destructive to wheels, the most
costly part Of every vehicle, and which is
also the cause Of very great injury to
horses. We refer to those loose stones
left upon the surface OF the roadway
thrown upon it in fact, when the roads
are repaired, and left there the whole
season afterwards. These stones could
be all thrown off in a very short time and
at very little expense, but they are very
rarely attended to- How many loosencd
and broken tires they cause. and how
many horses feet are injured by these
provoking loose stones in the road
Other bad things, easily remedied, are
holes and hollows worn in the road by
wheels, and rapidly increasing in depth
by the softening caused by the collection
of water III them after rains. These holes
break more axles, bolts, braces, and
spokes, ten times over, than the cost Of
filling them up would amount to. A
stitch in time" is here most important,
but few road masters will attend to the
matter as they should.
We repeat that these are things worthy
of frequent discussion among farmers, 50
that knowledge regarding the proper rem
edies may be disseminated, and, above all,
public opinion be created in favor of
good roads. The civilization of com
munity is almost as well gagged by the
condition of its roads as by the quantity
of soap it uses.