Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1878-12-26
farm ann fOusebolo
improving co-..-- Reads.

improving co1a.-y Reads.
One OF the greatest drawbacks 10 the
case and pleasure ota rural life Is the
general badness OF country reads. The
wretchcd system by which they are mis-
managed j. conducive to waste Of none,
and labor, the injury OF horses ami ychi
cle-, the destruction Of harness, the III
convenience OF tie rough driving. and
the most d.sagrccble walking. in clouds
OF dust or deep mud y The case may be.
and 10 ! yer, great extern. ggea'
additional cost OF transportation on
every load OF produce taken to market,
and every load OF supplies brought in
| nave seen load- thrown oil from wag
ons and slcds, parts of loads lett behind.
and in one notable case an empty wagon
remaining last in The mud, upon west
ern road that was IN such condition cd
bog and Guagmire a, 10 disable ihr
owner OF lie tour horse team from riding
home because of the inability OF III,
horse 10 carry him. 80 that hc trIdged
after them painfully, kmce-deep in tie
mud Upon such a road | have haa
NV boots drawn of by the suction OF th'
deep mud. ard have been forced, being
belaIeG by tue tircsomc travel. ueces
sarily on foot 10 proceed without them
from the impossibility OF finding them
by cropping in the darkness. What the
surveyor experienced, when wear. age
i'm western Wild, he became acquainted
with the pioneer roads Of the fire; inmi-
grants, he now sees something OF again.
almost every winter when rains and
irosIs alternate and by their combined
effects reduce the roads OF the civilized
country 10 q plastic mas of the -tickiest
clay and mud That this should occur
argues that civilization has not improved
a, it should upon the natural capahiIi'ie-
Of The wilderness. But our present con-
dition makes il necessary that something
saOuld be done 10 change orr system OF
making and maintaining roads
Road. to be most useful. should be
a. short. straight, level smooth and hard
a. possible. y straight level road is the
shortest road, and deviation from
straightness i TO be preferred rather
than lose the level. For the use OF a
road i measured by lis least effective
part, and il hill i 10 be surmounted
about once ia ten miles. the load OF q
team for the whole distance must be reg
ulated by that one difficult spot The
increace of distance must be regulated
by that one difficult spot. The increase
Of distance in a horizontal curve i com
paratiyely little; road 10 miles long
may curve 50 much that not more than
fourth OF mile can be seen from any
point Oft. and yet the whole distance
viii be increased only $50 yards over
that OF a straight line. This correspond
ing increase Of cost OF construction j. a
trife As compared with the avoidance Of
hill that would require a load 10 be
decreased one-four,h to surmOnt it,
The effect Of grades i very great in in.
creasing the resistance to traction. 4
horse that can draw i ton upon leve
road can draw only 100 lbs. upon s
grade rising foot in A.; only 900 lbs.
upon grade in 70; and but 200 lbs
upon grade of foot in 10. Otherwiss
he must exert an increased force of foul
times his usual power in the l in Il
grade, and thice his power in that of !
in 20. The frequent repetition of so grea
an exertion upon our ordinary roads. i.
q prevalent cause OF lameness and dis
ease in farm horses. SO III descending
grades, the departure from level o
more than l foot in So so exceedingly
destructive of horseflesh, as causing iniu
rious and unusual strain upon the Joint,
and tendons. At the slope mentioned
vehicle upon the smooth surface o
the best made road will descend o
its own weight; all sleeper grades, there
fore, tend to the rapid wear aud tear o
horses and harness. Moreover. as III,
speed must necessarily be decreased il
travelling up and down slopes, that i,
equivalent to the lengthening of the dis
lance TO double the length of the slopes
The common idea that it rests horse {,
travel up and down hill, is contrary Il
the tact and common sense-as much 81
as that il would rest man to 90 up anC
down stairs, rather than 10 walk upor
level floor
The previously mentioned conditions
OF road refer to its location; its smooth
ness. hardness and the contour of III
surface refer to its materials aud con
struction. These are the all-impOrtaD
points of this subject; for a road ma,
be undulating if not hilly, and vet. b,
reason of its excellent surface, may be {
really good one for all purposes, while
straight and level road, such as az,
common ia the western prairie State:
NAV be utterly impossible, because it il
badly constructed or made of poor ma
terial. Again, of the-material ant
construction-the latter is BY far Tia,
most important, for tits difficult TO men
ton any kind of soil, except one almos
wholly of vegetable origin, that canno