The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1879-06-03
Country Roads.


Road-making as an art, says the Rurot
NeU Yorker, is but poorly understood
by the majority of our highway supervis-
ors and road-masters, and what they do
know is not always carried out. There
is no doubt, gradual improvement in
our highways. The loss and injury
occasioned by outlying and wash-outs
are so great that those means by which
stability of the travelled way is secured
are getting to be tolerably well under
stood. But the other points, such as
securing easy grades, conducting a road
over swamp, the management of
clayey or mucky soils, and the removal
of stones, both fixed and loose, are all
matters in which our rural road-builders
may easily improve their methods. In
every farmers club, grange, and agri-
cultural gathering for the discussion of
rural affairs, road making should be
made matter of frequent consideration.
The losses by reason of bad roads are
very large-far greater than the cost of
maintaining good ones. But they are
so uncertain as regards particular in
stances, and so divided among all hands,
that the sum of them is not realized as it
ought to be. The load that can be
drawn over a road is limited by the load
that can be drawn over the worst places,
just as the strength of chain is only
the strength of its weakest link. The
strains thrown upon the different parts
of a wagon or carriage, upon the bolts
and braces, the wheels, axles, poles,
shafts, and on the harness to say moth
ing of the horse,) by steep grades and
the uneveness of the road-bed, by deep
mud, and by stones, are also matters
that are large enough in detail, but from
a monstrous aggregate far beyond the
conception of those who do not figure
in regard to them. We believe that
there are few travelled roads in the coun-
try on which the unnecessary injury to
vehicles alone would not pay, and more
than pay, for the cost and maintainance
of 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. Werefer to those loose
stones left upon the surface of the road
way-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 very short
time and at very little expense, but they
are rarely attended to. How many
loosen 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 collec-
ton of water in 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 mostimport-
ant, but few road-masters will attend to
the matter as they should.
We repeat that these are things worthy
of frequent discussion among farmers,
so that knowledge regarding the proper
remedies may be disseminated, and,
above all, a public opinion be created in
favor Of good roads. The civilization of
a community is almost as well gauged
by the condition of its roads as by the
quantity of soap it uses.