Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-10-19
1Ae oospeL or COOP noADs.
A Hook by Isase n. Potter which u ron
81 itnpnttant rhings.

A Hook by Isaae n. Potter which u ron
Of itnpettant rhings.
A pamphlet has recently been Issued
from New York which In its siy'y-iour
pagcs gives tho farmers Of the United
States more good advice than they over
received through 20 small medium bs
fore. II ia titled "The Gospel Of Good
Roads," and Isaac u. Potter Is the author
Of IT, In It MIR. Potter shows In clear
aud conclusive way, with the use Of very
few statistics and without once bccom-
ing prosy or uninteresang that In tho
improvement Of country roads lies the
key to tho agricultural problem'-the
key that will open the vault in which IL
hid prosperity for tho farmer
One plan which Mr.. Potter has used to
make his arguments convincing Is very
effective. II conAsts Of SORES Of en-.
cravings reproduced directly from pho
togrnphs aud showing the vast contrast
between our Anglican roads with their
mudholes and ruis aud tho smooth.
hard. broken stone highways Of Euro
pean countries. IIo has had the camera
snapped on American farmers ai times
when their teams have been stuck IN the
mud with but small loads. and has then.
hy way o. an Offset, procured pictures
u European farmers hauling enormous
cargoos over their good roads while their
horses are apparently putting forth
scarcely any ril1rt,
Perhaps the Lcst way 70 show what
Mr. Potipg's arguments are Is TO quote
from thom. In one place no talks to tho
farmers like thiH
lyon will agree with mo that your
roads arc bad. You may not know that
they are the very worst In the world,
but you have never seen or heard OF
worse ones, nor, alas, perhaps Of better.
You live on tho main road In an impor.
tant county. ! saw you ono day last
spring trying TO drive your best horas
through the pasty depths Of that mys.
FERROUS streak Of public territory, aud
white the patient beast was pulling tho
harness In two In his efforts to HE you
and your scant load onto tho little
bridge near the mill, your Photograph
was taken. There were 1900
farm horses In your county on tho day
when this photograph was taken. aud
for about four weeks all the county roads
had boon In iust this condition Team
ing was out Of the question. TO haul -
lond 10 town was impossible aud the
10000 farm horses stood IN their stalls
eating their heads Of. Atwhat cost to
tho farmoni Assume that the cost Of
keeping each horse Is twenty-five cents
per day, including labor, food and all
other items, aud IN half q minute we
computo that 1t costs e. 800 n day, ti7,.
TOO per week aud exactly $4,000 tor the
four weeks that these horses have been
standing practically idle. \ bad road,
you scc, ilan expensive thing.
at is expensive not alone TO the farm.
crs OF your county. but to tho farmers OF
tho entire country Tho average rain.
fall IA tho United statos Is something
over forty inches per year. Tho dirt road
nbsorbs these forty odd inches Of water,
freezes aud thaws, dries, pulycrizes,
changes from paste TO powder and back
again from powder to paste, and for
weeks at tino Is practically impass'
able Farm traffic Is tied up. You have
produce TO sell. purchases 10 make. grain
10 grind, timber TO haul, bills TO collec,
and obligations 10 meet, but nil these
must wait because your only avenue u
travel Ia taking It's annual soak
Mr.. Potter writes; III do not intend 20
oyerdraw tho picture. aud 20 | have
travelled many iuiloa and gone 20 much
trouble In order that my letter 20 you
tho farmerl might contain only the
truth, ind lind tho country roads 10 bc
even worse thnn had supposed them q
be. worse than you think them 10 BE-
They are disgracefully bad almost with
out exception"
Tho deductions which Mr.. Potter
drawa arc sound aud OF paramount i'm
portanco. lie shows that bad roads IN
America destroy the American farmer.
horses, his wagons, his harnesses and hii
temper and increase by an apprccinbl,
length tho distance between him aud hi.
market
lilo also shows that good roads wouli
not only save him from TOO rapid con
sumption Of horscilosh, rolling stock
harness, leather and temper, and put hin
much nearer TO his market or RAILROAD
station, hut by making easier the worl
each horse is required TO do, they woul,
increase that horses capacity for use
fulncss and thus make 1t possible TO
tho farmer TO get along with fewer horse
aud save tho expense of buying, carinl
forand feeding tho extra animals. Goo,
roads, too. would bring about chang
IN tho social life Of country people. FAM
lies now cut ol from neighbors and tn
nearest village by miles Of implssabl
miro would, II that miro were change,
into hard, smooth road, be able to yisi
and exchange IDEAS and courtcsies witt
their neighbora aud reap whatever bcn0
III might he found In taking part IN tn
social life Of tho nearest village. More
over, MIR. Potter shows that wheroyc
roads have been improved land value
have Increased In IN astonishing ratio
aud that iscertninly result worth bring
ing about In this county Of mortgage
farms.
Near the conclusion OF his book, Nj
Potter writcs' II think you will agree
with mo that Your wagon roads shout,
be much better than they are, aud th
main difficulty that troubles you be
lieyo can understand, You arc wonder
ing how you are 10 got tho better road
which will give you the same advantage
] that uF.4 ulvNu t.f bs Tutsfrt4r1 az Eufa1u o. II