The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1881-01-13
Tho 10 ok..That Iooks uptAgrI.
culture.

The miserable public reads Of North
not only dngust the euigrsut
and capitalist, whom We invite 10 come
and settle among US, but they actually
retard our agricultural developments to
such q degree that they may well b
termed-The loek-thst locks up Agri-
culture. During the summer and early
fall, the roads are 6na, bat rough.
The holes dished out during the winter
and spring, are still there, and the ditch,
long since transferred into tho road, 70
minds US that light vehicles we're aads
for the towns. not the country. The
road oversser, that ubiquitous isdivi1-
ual, having ssissd all the hands in the
neiShborhood. the great majority ct
whom feel n interest 10 the road. AID
have only come to put ia their time"
and listen 10 ''shs road hands ysrn,
the wonder Of An hour traverss .hs
road. cutting = few . m bisnAlesl piss
tops.-plsees them hare and thons.
With . few shovsls Of dirt on each. kav-
ing enough sxposed 10 attract the eye
of the ps.ser-by. and wars him that
next winter this phase will bs - tough
as tar. pitch, and %turpsntine. The AZ
riculturist has the least use for the pub
lie roads ia summsr An2 the saTly fall
than at other seasons Of she year.
Then. his whole time is required in
making" aud harvesting his crops.
Ia the late fall and winter the crops are
marketed, and in the spring the fari
zers are hauled to the farm. When
the winter rains SGT H. the roads
commence to cut up, aud farmer vies
with farmer, in blowing the public roads
with his wagon-cutting one, two,
three, and not unfreq lently, in places
from ten to fifteen inches doep. A
farmer living ten niles from his market
town, niue miles OF the road good. and
one mile bad, is compelled to load his
wagon not with TIE auMber Of bales OF
cotton be can draw over the nine miles
Of good road, but With the number Of
bales he can draw over the one ruile Of
bad road, and that one nile is generally
adjoining M market tosen. Having
given the public roads nuch attention
for the last ten years, l am firmly con-
vinced that the marketing Of our crops
cost us in transportation ut lSSst three
times what it should do. Is not that
alone an enormous tax. | will leave
this part Of the subject for the present,
and call attention 20 Saother lock
that strikes the Agrieultunst . heavy
blow. When the farmer he's housed his
crops, repaired his barn, and finished
blowing the public roads with his VA
gon, he goes into vinter quarters. snd
ike the bear, to stay there until spring,
his family you may say in prison.
Ask your neiehbor. who has made the
trip on horse back to soc you, Why he
did not bring his wife Or daughter.
The roads are toO bad. When you
summon courage enough TO return his
visit-do you take your wife or dsush-
ter with your No. the roads are TOO
bad. Winter the farmers Leisure time
no social enjoynent>,- no sosial
gatherings. Is it any wonder that 80
fellow-feeiing exist betwee. far
ners, and each knows so little Of his
naighbori Il it any wonder that .
instead of . farnierf She thinks
she must break the lock- and hear
more fore,er-''It is true, my dear,
the horses are all in the stable, but the
roads are too bad Is it Any wonder
hat u young mea are focking TO the
towns, accepting places that barely sup
port thou? They too, think. that lit
is not all Of Gfo to llve'-locked mp. |
And is it any wonder that We feel older
at forty than We should at sixty,-this
life is telling upon us.
Farmers give as your views-hov
this lock can be broken. More anon.
S. B. A..
Enderly, jan. Q, 1881.