The Baltimore County union., 1884-03-08

| County Roads.-JOshua III. Cockey, ESQ
member of the Legislature from Baltimore county
has framed bill for an improved road system fd
our county, looking ultimately to tho piking
all county roads, The San speaks favorably of thi
measure and says "Mr. Cockey is not alone i
these opinions as the complaints from farmer
testify. His proposition is to proceed to turnpik
the county roads by sections, the work to be don
| by men experienced in the business, and the sec
tions to be the same as now prescribed to roa'
| supervisors The plan suggested by him not i
new, although the details are. Years ago, when tn
| people of Baltimore county were complaining
loudly, as they do now, of the wretched condition
of their roads, a commission was appointed t,
take the matter into consideration, and an admir-
able report was made by Mr. James II. McHenry
in which the "metalling" of the roads was earn
estly advocated, and the ultimate saving to tax
payers forcibly and clearly demonstrated. TIL,
roads have not indeed been going from bad tt
since that time, but whilst the tax has beer
so greatly increased that it is now fifteen cents
ON the hundred dollars, there has been no visible
permanent improvement in them, although the
annual revenue derived from the tax is the hayiest
that the people of Baltimore county have to pay,
with the exception Of the school tax, which is only
about four thousand dollars more.
At this season, and later on in the spring, the
price of bulky farm products ordinarily rules
higher than at any other time, and yet there are
bestmarke who cannot get to it because the earth,
that is to say the roads, is soft that it has been
impossible to haul the loads out This tells the
story, but not the whole of it. 1t does not tell
the strain put the horses the necessity often of
hitching up double teams, the sinking into mud
holes, the stalling in some quagmire, the wrench
ing of wheels and tires, and all the heaped-up
miseries and vexations consequent on such a state
of things. The roads are not now exceptionally
bad. They are in similar condition every spring.
and not unfrequentJy in the fall also. 1t is an
old grievance. The Sun has had occasion to no.
tice it frequently, and to point out the utter folly
of spending sixty, seventy or eighty thousand
dollars a year in throwing dirt upon the roads
only to see it converted into mud with the next
heavy rain, or washed into the side bitches again.
"Mr. Cockey's proposition to put the county
rnads ~ r---~ ~~~t ~-a-- ~ -~~.;o~r 30 oood
one. The stone necessary to macadamize them Is
not difficult to be had. There is vast amount
of it; good hard granite, picked off the fields and
lying in the fence corners, which might be had
for the asking, and which the farmers would in
many instances be glad to haul out if they could
be assured that it would be used in making
sound road bed along the line or in the vicinity
of their lands. Where there is no stone there is
gravel, and in other places the Stag of furnaces,
which makes the best of road beds. The work
done by farmers in hauling stone from their lands
might even be deducted from their road tax, and
and thus lessen the expense. To contract to have
the work done by sections, under the supervision
of competent engineer, beginning with those
roads most frequently travelled, would simplify
matters greatly and the addition to the tax now
levied need not be very large, while the outlay
would be returned to the taxpayers many times
over in the saving of horsehesh, the wear and
tear Of wagons and vehicles and the increased
value of lands"
The Fruit Crop-The Farmers Conven-
ton, &c.-The Baltimore Daily Ne,os man gives
his views on few things which we deem of suffi-
cent Importance to give to our readers. He says:
''It is certainly about time for the peachfend to
put in his appearance and tell us of the blight in
the vegetables, the frost in the fruit and the fly
in the grain. These prophets of evil seem to have
lost their enterprise. The time was when there
was distinct rivalry in the business of predict
ing disaster We heve had information of the
destruction of the peach crop early as the first
of January, prophet, in one season, proclaiming
the buds on the trees killed in December. But
this year there has been prediction made far.
We confidently anticipated something Of the kind
when the farmers convention met here last week.
We were certain the proceedings would assume a
mournful tone in the presence of the fruit fend.
"But somehow he did not put in an appearance,
and the farmers carried on discussion in an ap.
Darently serene frame of mind and left the public
IN the same desirable condition. They placidly
discussed manures, the advantages and disadvan-
ages of market and dairy farming and cattle
grazing and urged the Importance of large ap-
oropriation to the signal service for the purpose of
providing agrieulturists with early and reliable
eports in regard to the condition and prospects
If the weather, but nothing was said of an ap-
famine and no prophecy was uttered
n regard thereto. We trembed when the subject
# weather reports was broached, because that ap-
'eared to allow an opening and afford an oppor-
But to our surprise and joy the convention ad-
burned without so much as an unfavorable allu-
ion to the fruit crop.
''Yet we do not know whether to rejoice or not.
t may De that this is the very year for disaster,
nd their silence the very worst sign of it. Usu-
lily when the farmer croaks most mOurnfully and
oudly we have the finest and largest fruit crop.
i an T exact S VI q haze @ E t%s
re unaccustomed to his silence, and dread lest
! be ominous We have had so much wet weather
nd such changeable temperature that we are
empted to turn prophet ourselves and sing the
lgubrious strain of the early farmer who catches
be frost
"We are sure that the mud in the country is
On feet deep. 1t has rained and thawed and been
lurky and cloudy for months, and the very core
the planet must be saturated and soaked. We
hould not be surprised if the wind did not over
urn every tree as soon as the leaves come out,
ecause of the softness of the soil and the timber
nd water-logged condition of the roots. We are
ure there can be no buds for the frost to nip and
be danger is in the earth. Doubtless this is the
eason why no farmer had prediction about him
D aim at the public through the gloom of an ag
icultural convention. He has not seen any buds,
nd the mud is too deep to allow him to wade
trough his orchard, and hence he knows nothing
the true condition of affairs. Or perhaps he in
ends this year to resent the ridicule and levity
y, H.. al hoxr rtn haan
eived by letting the public find out when too
lte that there will not be peach, a berry or
ushel Of grain. Then he will feel savage joy
our discontinue, and charge five dollars pint
or the scarce fruit he will peddle in our markets.
We feel misgiving over the silence and serenity
last weeks farmers convention"
Expulsion of Rats.-A gentleman related
is experience in ridding his house of rats. It is
his "He first tried the we'll known remedy of
curing tar into the entrance of their holes and
lso of placing broken glass by their holes, but
either remedy did he find effective. But bound
get rid of the rat nuisance, if such a thing was
ossible, he tried another well known remedy,
-hich proved more satisfactory. He caught
ouple of large rats in trap alive, and then be-
meared them all over, except their heads, with
ar, and let them loose in their favorite run. But
g says I could not follow these two tar besmear-
rats into their numerous runs to see what would
appen but it is reasonable to assume that they
ither summoned together all the members of their
and by their crestfallen appearance
ave their comrades silent indications of the mis-
,rtunes which had so suddenly befallen them, or
hat they frightened their brethren away, for they
ne and all forsook the place and fed. The ex-
eriment was eminently successful. From that
ay, in 1875, till now, 1885, my house, ancient
lough it is, has been entirely free from rats, and
believe that there is no remedy equal to this
me-"
Stock Raising.-The Westminster Aduocate
ays: "How 20 farm with greater profit is a con-
Iteration worthy the attention of every farmer
aid farmer, few days since, the farmers of
arroll county ought to raise more horses and feed
lore cattle. Thousands of dollars are annually
pent for horses and mules in Virginia, West
irginia and kentucky, which might as- well be
oPo NOME Dy breeding more nOrses here