The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1888-05-04
Care Of Country Roads.

following suggestions. 1t is needless
to remark that the JOURNAL has been
hammering away u this line for years.
Now that the general road law gives
our County Commissioners carte blanche
control Of the roads the public will ex.
pect thorough reform to be instituted
by them in our road management.
One reason why our roads through,
out the country are not kept in better
condition, is, that incompetent over
seers are appointed, meu who have lit.
tie or no practical kno Wedge or inter.
est in the work they are called upon to
do, often, in fact, doing more harm
than good. We require of ministers,
doctors, lawyers and teachers that they
hold certificates showing that they have
q knowledge Of well established prin-
ciples, which in a measure insure s
their continuing the work Of their
predecessors. Now cannot we adopt
this idea in our road system? There
should be two classes of roads. The
main roads between towns and cities
should be made and kept in order by
the county, and in charge of county
board with an expert superintendent.
The cross roads should be kept in or
der by the townships. and under the
control of the township committee.
The reason for this is, towns and cities
are largely benefited by having good
roads leading to them, and should bear
a part Of the expense. If they are left
to the townships they will not, because
Of their poverty often. put them in that
condition which the travel demands,
and their gaps SO lett often prove like
the poor links in chain.
MAKING GOOD EARTH ROADS.
1t is possible to have good earth
road for nine months in the year, and
passable at all seasons; when good
they are the pleasantest of all roads to
ride over, easy for the horses feet, and
free from the hard gritty noise of stone
roads. All surface stones larger than
a hens egg, either in the middle of the
road or on the sidewalks, are detri-
ment and should be dug out and carted
10 some springy, wet place and used
to make an underdraln in the cen.
tie Of the road and running parallel
with it. The drain should be two OF
three feet deep and two feet wide. An
earthen tile should be laid in the bot
tom and the stone used for filing up to
within one foot Of the surface. There
should be a free outlet for the water
from the drain. The road scrapers,
especially some lately invente !, are
valuable implements when rightly used
where the roads are not too stony.
They put the earth where it is most
needed, in ruts. holes and depressions,
and leave the road nicely leveled
There are times when theJ can be used
moro effectively than at others; in the
winter occasionally when the ground is
bare, and dry winds and few warm
days have taken the frost out of the
surface and left i: dry and loose, good
work can be done. In the spring, as
soon as the roads are dry enough and
before the ground becomes settled and
hard and the weeds and grass start, is
the choice season to work the earth up
from the bitches to the centre, make q
good crown and leave it leveled. Also
every month through the summer and
fall as soon after rain as the ground be-
comes uTy enough.
In laying out new road, or CON-
mencing to make good an old one, time
is not lost fixing the course. the righ,
grade, direction for the water to run,
width Of wagon bed, sidewalks. &c,
When once these are wisely fixed, they
should in after times be strictly adher-
ed to. An ordinary country road
should be wide enough to enable two
carriages or wagons to roll along abreast
without danger Of interfering, and then
a more abrupt slope to the bottom Of
the bitches on either side. Turnpiking
or rounding up the road should be done
before the first Of August, to give the