Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1888-08-10
NJ. 40
Improving country Roads.

A writer in the Wagon 1Iaker, on
the above subject, concludes that it
is work too little thought OF, too
negligently done, and SO often misap-
piled as to make roads worse rather
than better To see the black, mucky
soil on the sides of roadways plowed
up aud scraped into the center, there
to remain an impossible ridge during
the summer, finally degeuerating into
an uufathomable slough of mud the
next winter or spring, is enough to
discourage the man who knows how
roads should be made, and even force
him to regard laziness in working out
the road tax one of the excusable
slns. if not actually positive virtue.
la our climate, deep freezing CON-
bined with too much water is the
bane of roadways. We cannot alto.
gether prevent deep freezing. but if
there be ample underground drainage,
it will not effect great damage. The
object, then. of the road maker should
be to secure good drainage. Without
this ridging the road only makes the
mud deeper, and even stone and gra-
vel do little good. 1t is often forgot.
ten that the chief advantage from US.
ing an abundance of stone and grav.
el in road making is the incidental
drainage which these afford, even
when piled in the roads with no idea
Of this use. If the center of the road
uDderlaid with stone. and then ridged
up with earth or gravel, it does for
years form a good drain to keep the
roadroad dry But sooner or later frost
will penetrate to these stones and
upheave them Then the last condi
tion of the improved roadway will be
worse than the first
The fact is often forgotten that in
dry, compacted. road, well ridged
up, the soil freezes deeper than it
does in the fields. This is especially
so where the road is exposed to
winds and swept bare of snow. The
drain under the roadbed should be
not less than three feet, aud if posi-.
BILE, four feet would be still better.
Whether made with tile or stone, it
should be laid as carefully and the
covered as closely as if it were
laid in the fields. Then, with good
outlets and side drains to conduct the
water from the center in all the low
places, and with comparatively little
ridging up with stone or gravel, the
roadbed will be kept in good condi.
ton for years.
1t is not the amount or sharpness
of the ridge in the center that makes
roadway good, but the character of
the surface aud its uniform slope to
either side.
Ruts spoil roads quicker than any.
thing else. They are the reservoirs
for water, which, mixed by heavily
loaded wheels, grinding it into the
soil and making mud. renders it in-
possible for water to break its way
through Over the drain should be
foot or more of subsoil to keep the
frost out, then followed by stone to
the depth of six or eight inches,
pounded fine on top and covered with
gravel. There will always be an out
let under the stone to the drain be.
low, and if its outlet is kept open in
low places, the.surface of the roadbed
will always be dry. Such road
cannot become muddy except for an
inch or so on the surface.
1t costs something to thoroughly
underdrain a roadway and improve it
after this manner, but, once done, it
will last practically forever if the
drain outlets are kept open. Doing
little piece each year. the people in
any road district may in time have
good roads, that will Eeed only tri-
fling attention to keep in repairs. 1t
is far better than the wasteful way of
trying to improve lorg sections Of
roadway every year, and doing gen.
orally quite as much harm as good.
The difference between having good
and bad roads to market does practi.
cally affect the value of their land
more than most farmers think. Ii
they appreciated this as they should,
thousands of them would take great.
er Interest in the way their road tax
is worked out than they have ever
done before.