Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1889-01-18
farm Copies.
IMPROVING CONTRY ROADS.

A writer in the Wagon Maker, on the
above subject, concludes that it is work
too little thought of, too negligently
done, and often so misapplied as to make
roads worse rather than better. TO see the
black mucky soil on the sides of road
ways plowed up and scraped into the
center, there to remain an impossible
ridge during the summer, finally degener
ating into an unfathomable 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 sins, if not
actually positive virtue.
In our climate, deep freezing combined
with too much water is the bane of road
ways. We cannot altogether prevent
deep freezing, but if there be ample I'M
derground drainage it will not effect
great damage. The first 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 or gravel do little good. 1t is Of
ten forgotten that the chief advantage
from using an abundance of stone and
gravel 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 is under
laid with stone, and then ridged up with
earth or gravel, it does for years form a
good drain to keep the roadbed dry.
But sooner or later frost will penetrate
to these stones and upheave them. Then
the last condition of the improved road
way 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 deep, and, if
possible, four feet would be still better.
Whether made with tile or stone, it
should be laid as carefully and the joints
covered as closely as if it were laid in the
fields. Then, with good outlets and side
drains to conduct the water from the CEN
ter in all the low places, and with COM
paratively little ridging up with stone or
gravel, the roadbed will be kept in good
condition for years.
1t is not the amount or sharpness of the
ridge in the center that makes a roadway
good, but the character of the surface
and its uniform slope to either side. Ruts
spoil roads quicker than anything else
They are the reservoirs for water, which,
mixed by heavily loaded wheels, grind.
ing it into the soil and making mud, rem
ders it impossible for water to break its
way through. Over the drain should be
a foot or more of subsoil to keep the
frost out, then followed by stone to a
depth of six or eight inches, pounded
fine on top and covered with gravel
There will always be an outlet under the
stone to the drain below, and if its out
let is kept open in low places, the surface
of the roadbed will always be dry. Sucf
a road cannot become muddy except fol
an inch or so on the surface.
1t costs something to thoroughly I'm
derdrain a roadway and improve it afte
this manner, but, once done, it will las
practically forever if the drain outlets
are kept open. Doing little piece eacl
year, the people in any road district ma!
in time have good roads, that will neeC
only trifiing attention to keep in repairs
1t is far better than the wasteful way o
trying to improve long sections of road
way every year, and doing general,
quite as much harm AS good. The differ
ence between having good and bad road
to market does practically affect the valu
of their land more than most famerr
) think. If they appreciated this as the.
| should, thousands of them would take
= greater interest in the way their road ia,
< is worked out than they have ever don
3 before.