The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-05-29

Edgar of Duval to whom all communica-
tons should be addressed.l
CULTIVATION OF COTTON.
To the Editor of the Statesman.
have read with great pleasure your
farm notes, and will say, although
am an old farmer and been on the
farm all my life, you have given me
many pointers that never thought
for. have tried your plan of check
ing cotton and find it lays over the
old plan of thinning with hoe. Ithas
reduced hoe work fully two-thirds,
and that is big item when labor is
both scarce and dear. My cotton is
clean both ways and my crop is safe
but if hadn't checked it l should
have lost most of it, as couldn't have
got hands to chop it out. About half
the farmers in this section are now
checking, and everybody likes the
plan and will stick to it another year.
Cotton is growing well; corn is tas-
selling and willbe a big crop; oats
will be ready to harvest in about ten
days. JIG.
NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS.
Please write on one side OF the paper
only, and in every case send full name
and address. By doing the former
you will save trouble of rewriting, and
by the latter be sure of your commu-
nication receiving attention. No at
tention will be paid to anonymous
letters. If "Black Waxy" will send
his name his letter will be published.
Correspondence on every subject per-
tanning to the farming and stock inter
ests respectfully solicited.
ROADS.
The Travis County Road associa-
ton has done some good work on the
Montopolis bridge road, and will this
week transfer their force to the Fisk
vile road. If all or even a consider
able number OF the people living on a
line of road would voluntarily con-
tribute to a fund for road improve
ment there would soon be change
for the better, but in many sections
little or nothing can be raised by the
vo antary process, and consequently
no improvement is made.
AS I have affirmed repeatedly, we
can have no thorough system of
county roads without large expendi-
ture of money which can only be
raised by bonds, but system has
been in force in Ohio, which, if applied
to Texas, would give good roads to
fb0ca ubo mo =, tod tbop, u,;fb0,,t b,,r
dening those receiving no benefit.
The following letter received by Mr..
w. B. Brady, secretary of Travis
County Road association, from the
auditor of Fayette county, o., explains
iow the thingis done:
- Dear sir-The subject on which you
ask for information is broad one and
also very important.
1t is almost impossible to give an
estimate of the financial benefits
derived from good roads. Road inn
provements commenced in this state
in 1867 and in some counties still
continues. In this county we have
about 400 miles of free pixies, and as
we have less than 400 square miles Of
territory in the county you can judge
that our principal roads are improved
Our road building was done under an
act of the legislature allowing ma
jority of the land owners to petition fol
the improvement of road whose lands
were within two miles Of the con
templated improvement. When the
petition had been filed with the board
of county commissioners, three free
holders who were disinterested anC
did not reside within the boundary o.
the road, together with surveyor
were appointed to 60 over the line, anC
from actual view estimate the cost O.
the improvement and apportion the
estimated expense among the lane
owners along the line of the road
The amount so apportioned to eacf
being in the proportion to benefit de
rived from the improvement The i'm
proved roads have doubled our lands
in value, in fact the benefit derived
from them cannot be estimated
Yours truly,
T. J. LINDSEY.
By this plan the land owners OF
any road can, if majority so decide
have said road improved to any ex
tent they desire and the cost charged
to all land owners living within tw'
miles of the improvement on any side
The expenses are divided pro rata il
proportion to the advantages confer
red. The county finds the money il
the first place and if necessary b.
issue OF bonds for any period not ex
ceeding five years, bearing interest a
7 per cent.
Whatever amount may be expended
on road improvement is assessed
against the propertp of the differen
landowners and added to their othe
taxes to be paid within five years
The work is done under the supervl
sion of competent engineer and
strict specification and contract, thu
ensuring good and economical work
As there appears to be no possibil
ity of change in our laws allowing
any general system OF bonding /
would be well for road reformers t.
consider this Ohio plan, which leave