Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1890-08-27
GOOD COUNTRY ROADS.
WHAT THEY WOULD MEAN TO JOHN
SMITH AN OBJo FAPMER

GOOD COUNTRY ROADS.
WHAT THEY WOULD MEAN TO JONI
| SMITH, AN OHIO FARMER.
To an impartial observer it would seen
as if there were no excuse for the badness
of modern American roads. Neither pre-
cept nor example has been withheld fror
| the men who have their building and main
tenanoe in charge. Any intelligent farmer
can sit dcwn in his barn and figure cut or
the clean head of barrel, in fifteen min.
utes, the benefit that good roads would do
him. Why more farmers don't do it, and
| why the few who do don't act in the mat.
ter, don't get up and rustic for good roads
as earnestly as they hustle for good govern.
ment on election day, is rs unexplainable
as the proverbial Chinese puzzle.
Take the case Of Market Gardener John
Smith, who lives ten miles from the city
of Cleveland, for instance. Now Mr.. Smith
has a farm of fifty acres, on which he
raises, almost exclusively, vegetabl and
fruits for the city market. He has forcing
beds by the dozen and his orchards are
models in their way. He is practical man
in lie tine tense ef the word. Ccnse
quently he makes money. Yet it is very
easy uohtOh w RiONC W ILL., OuibA lAoO AO
might make good deal more. In fact it
has been proved to him many times that
the bad roads between his farm and Cleve-
land shave fully SO of profit off every load
of produce which he sends to market. And
yet be does nothing. Do you suppose that
if should 60 to Mr.. Smith and show him
that his way of raising celery was wrong;
that he lost $500 a year by not pruning his
trees properly; that there was waste of a
good round sum in the way he pulled his
onions, he would 60 on wasting and losing
money in these way7 Not at all.
AS soon as he found out these mistakes
he would correct them, and when he ap.
piled the extra 5000 or $500 to his bank &C..
count in the fall or used it toward lifting
that mortgage he would be we'll satisfied
and would probably thank me for my
trouble. Yet, strange as it may seem, l
can prove to this same practical, sensible
John Smith seven times week that by
permitting the roads in his locality to be
rough or sandy or muddy he loses just SO
much hard cash every year, and MIR. Smith
will only smile and go on Trusting in Pro
vidence to get his goods to market in good
condition through sand and mud and over
obstacles that would have made the ancient
Roman rend his toga or would have caused
the old time Aztec to believe that his fa-
vorite god, Chac Mool, had gone back on
him, despite the juicy human morsel which
had been offered in sacrifice the day before.
He regards the progress of railway build
ing, the erection of telephone or telegraph
lines or the dredging of the nearest canal
with great interest. He will work himself
into white heat over discussion of the
tariff; but when read improvements SUBJ
ject which has ten times as great bearing
on his prosperity as any of thesis spoken
of he becomes bored at once and goes off to
feed the pigs with disguised look on his
face
Mr.. Smith from the first day of May un-
til the last day of October sends at least
one wagon heavily loaded with the prod
ucts of his farm to the city market. In
order to get the load there early enough he
has to start it from the farm as early as 2
O'Clock in the morning, for il takes three
long hours to travel over the ten miles of
intervening mud sand and stones After
a rain or when from any other cause the
roads are in worse condition than usual
the loads have to start as early as l O'Clock
or even at midnight.
When the load finally gets to the city the
horses are tired out completely, the driver is
WCdty dho oiSS uctOu WILL lllCS L1uCu VI LILO
freshness has been jolted out of the load,
and as likely as not particularly deep rut
or two has caused some part of the wagon
to break under the strain. Often the farm
yields enough for more than one load.
Mr.. Smith sometimes has as many as six
teams, wagons and drivers on the way to
the city at the same time. Ia the latter
Instances the evils are multiplied six times,
that is all. Now what advantages would
accrue to Mr.. Smith if the roads between
his farm and his market we're hard and
smooth instead of muddy, sandy and
rough? Well, in the first place, the tenn
pers of his men would be saved from a
good deal of unnecessary pressure. This
would make their lives happier, they would
be better citizens, and would be more apt
to vote for Mr.. Smiths candidate when
Novmber comes along. They would not be
so tired when they got back from the trip
to the city, for If the roads were good the
trip could be made in half the time which
it takes now. If they were fresh and ener-
getic when they climbed down off the wa
gons after the drive home they could do
other work for Mr.. Smith.
They would have an hour or two more to
do it in, moreover, because of the saving of
time. 1t is quite reasonable to suppose
that this would enable Mr. Smith to carry
On the business of his farm with one man
less than he hires nova saving, counting
wages and board, of $50 month at least.
Then again over smooth, dry road
horses can draw more than quarter larger
load than over wet, rough road. This has
been proved time and time again.
Thus, if the roads between Mr.. Smiths
farm and the city were good instead Of bad
the aaviug of time would enable him to get
along with one man less. The lightened
draft would enable him to get along with
one team less. Much of the damage to
would be avoided. His men would
be happier and his horses would last long
er. 1t is difficult to put this down in dol
lars and cents. The following table some
what approximates it:
Wages. ETC., of one man six month at $780,. $3.50
w ear and tear on wagons, etc.. ...... so
Saving in horseflesh..... 49,. ......,..... 50
Iotal.....' s.''.s.x. '.....'...s.......,s2SO
Besides these would be the added COM
fort when MIR. Smith takes his family out
driving for pleasure, as he does occasional
ly, and the better prices which his fresher,
less iolted produce would bring when it was
placed on sale.
MODERN NEED FOR SLEEP.-There is
not one man or woman in ten thousand
who can afford to do without seven or eight
hours sleep. Ali stories Wri6sen about great
men and women who slept only three Or
folr hours night make very interesting
reading; but l tell you my readers, no man
or woman ever yet kept healthy in body
and mind for number Of years with less
than seven hours sleep. Americans need
more sleep than they ayo getting, This
lack makes thSn so nervous and the insane
asylums so populous. If you can get to
bed early, then rise early. If you cannot
get to bed till late, then rise late. 1t may
be as Christian for one man to rise at as
it is for another to rise at 3. l counsel my
readers to get up when they are rested
But let the rOusiug bell be rung at least 30
minutes before your public appearance.
Physicians say that sudden jump out of
bed gives irregular motion to the pulse. It
takes hours to get over too sudden rising.
Give US time after you call US, to roll over
gaze at the world full 10 the face, and