DeSoto times. (Hernando, Miss.) 1879-1898, 1890-12-11
CHEAP COUNTRY ROADS.
Por Places Where Dirt Beds, Open bitches
and Wooden CuIyerts Are Used,

ana wooden tulFerts Are Useu1
Plowboy, Oneida, Kan, writes Orange
Judd Farmer: That which will do the
most good among the rural population
under existing conditions is discus
sion of the best practical methods of
building and maintaining good dirt
roads at least expense. ! do not APP
prove of the proposed plan of doing
away with the small road district and
placing the roads of whole township
under the control of one man. 1t would
bring the office more into politics, and
fear the tendency would be to give the
more public roads between the towns
more than their just share of attention.
Also in time of high water, when bridges
are washed out and prompt action is re-
quired simultaneously over large area,
the work would not be done so quickly
as when divided between several super
visors; neither would the one super
visor feel the personal interest in all
the roads that is taken by the officers
under the present system. Let tho
small district remain, but elect the su-
pervisor for term of three or five
years so he can not only lay his plans
but have time to carry them out. Let
the wages be sufficient to recompense
good man for his time, and you, farra-
ers, vote for such man irrespective Of
party lines. | regret to say that somp
Of us do too much shirking and lying
in-the-shade when we 20 on the road to
work." when we ought to at least be
willing to do a decent days work to
have the road smooth and straight.
To maintain good roads good drainage
Is necessary, and when properly con-
structed the open side ditch is the
most practical and efficient The ex-
pense of artificial under-drainage pre-
cludes a discussion of its merits here.
The bitches should not be deeper than
necessary and should be of as uniform
depth as possible, with good outlets
provided in all low places where water
would stand without them. Let the
roadway be of medium width, rounded
evenly and uniformly from the outside
of one ditch to the outside of the other,
with the center sufficiently elevated to
readily carry surplus water into tho
bitches, For culverts, stone arches are
of course superior to wood, but we will
have to pass them, along with paving
and understanding, for a large part of
our country. haye found boxes made
of two-inch plank, using oak fo1 the top,
more satisfactory than sewer pipe. Be
careful to make them Sufficiently large,
and put good plank wings at the ends
to prevent the banks being washed
away. 1t is not good plan to cover
the plank with earth, as they soon rot
under it. On either side of these cul.
verts mud holes are sometimes formed,
and it is common practice to fill these
with earth taken out near the end Of
the culyert where it is handy ard soft
easy to plow. But mud is mighty
poor material to fill mud hole with. In
such cases it will pay todraw better ma
terial from some distance.
The practice of plowing up the beaten
track whore it follows the center Of tho
road should not be followed. Let ID
remain for solid foundation on which
to build new road-bed. In addition to
the use OF the grader and the small
scrapers, each district should be pro-
vided with good steel plow and be re-
Quired to keep it bright and in good
order, and use it intelligentlv The
crooked slovcnly plowing often dono
even where there is a chance to do nice
straight work, would be a disgrace to