Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1886-01-08
NEW ENGLAND ROADS.
SOME CONSIDERATION OF INTEREST TO
EVERY RURAL COMMUNITY.
From the Springfield Republican,

From the Springfield Republican,
William c. Prime, who has Travelled all
over the world and written most interest
ingly of his travels, and who has a cabin
at Lonesome lake in the Franconia notch,
has been driving through northern and
central Vermont and narrateS some of his
experiences "along New England roads"
III the New York JOUnol IF Commerce,
of which he is one of the editors. He
notes the great increase in country travel
of late years,-that is of persons travelling
for pleasure who have discovered that all
enjoyment is not cOmprehcnded by Il
Pullman palace car and railroad speed
of forty miles an hour. He found "A good
many feather bed sin the country taverns,
although some had been discarded for
modern mattresses, but ''cleanliness pre-
wallis" and he says that in an experience
of thousands of miles in New England he
has seldom to note an unclean country inn.
As to food, he passes this just reflection ::
Food in abundance everywhere and of
! the best quality. Good bread and milk,
fresh eggs, fruits, vegetables, preserved
or cooked fruits, cake made in great
variety, these are found on every table.
There has been in former years Il unver-
sal idea that beefSteak was essential to Il
travellers supperand breakfast. Country
killed beef, however good in flavor, is
generally very tough and hard. The GER
tainty of the appearance of this tough
hcciSteak, fried of course (for broiling is
unknown in the north country, has led
me to adopt the custom of saying when |
enter the inn, "Don't give us any beef"
| recommend the traveller by carriage to
follow my example. have never found
in Europe or America finer mutton or
lamb than has been abundant with us all
along our drive this autumn"
Mr.. Prime finds fault justly with coun-
try roads. They are ''fairly good, espec-
tally in Vermont but he thinks they are
growing poorer, perhaps because the
towns are growing poorer" This is hard
ly the case, for the Vermont towns are
yearly growing more productive and rich
er, and, as Mr.. Prime says, "the worst
mud-holes are frequently in front of good
farm-houses." He draws a severe pic
ture of men making road for the town
sitting around loafing and smoking, when
what is needed is work.
While Mr.. Primes reflections are in q
measure sound, there are some reason,
for poor roads which he does not notice
Chief among these is ignorance of road
building. The tough clay subsoil of the
Vermont roads makes excellent founda
ton fora road-bed and if piked up enough
to permit drainage will settle down aftel
the spring rains as firm, elastic and dry
carriage way, at no great expense. TIL,
trouble is with the ''mud-hOles" and the
exceptional strips of road, built upon
treacherouS side-hill of soft clay with uC
bottom, or through some swamp. Tn,
town or school district surveyors are al
ways tinkering up these expensive loca
tionS with brush or the trunks of trees ol
other temporary eXpedients, which be
come a nuisance. Such locations SHOULD
beavoided, as Il moderate grade is far pref
cradle to "A level road through a slough.
Vermont abounds in stone; the pas
lures and moving lots which line tn,
road-sides are full of them, and wha
needs to be learned is the value of ston
in retaining the mud-holes. If thes
sinks were drained, and then founda
ton laid of large stone, two feet below
the surface, topped with larger and sur
faced with stone broken to the size o
butternuts, there would be permanen
p improvement, paying large interest OF
the outlay. Every well-governed town
should aim to let no season pass withou
the accomplishment of some definite i'm
provemert in the highways new
bridge; anew and improved location ant
the abandonment of some old and trouble
some one the cutting off of underbrusl