Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1891-06-27
EarH4 1Herfsfts,
Road Shaving.

EDITOR STANDARD; L enclose PreSl-
dent Chamberlain's article from the
Country Gentleman for the purpose of
calling the attention of our County
Court to the importance Of employ
ing suitable machinery whenever
practicable for reforming our mis-
cradle roads, Most of the drudgery
has been removed from the farm by
muscles of iron and sinews of steel.
Why not employ the same on our
roads? Think Of tive men, four
horses and one machine repairing
four miles of miserable road in one
day, and then think of twenty men
with pick and spade toiling eight
hours per day in the broiling sun on
one mile. And this is about the
average over the county.
S. Nc. RAMSEY.
say amen to the article on "Mend-
ing Country Roads; by G. S. Arnold.
Blessings be upon the head of the
man who invented the large road
shaving machine! Like most things,
this machine has had an evolution or
development. In recent drive of
40 miles l ran across it in its various
stages. First there was the 4.inch
plank, s feet long and 16 inches wide,
with strong, steel cutting.edge. The
pole is rigid, and set at an angle of
about l50 off from a right angle. A
small platform in the rear permits
two men to stand and drive and
weight it, and two standards and a
hand-rest steady the men as they
drive. Four horses draw it, and it
does quite good work.
Then there is the two wheeled sort,
of several varieties. This does truer,
better work. Then there are several
sorts of the four-wheeled variety.
With six horses these do grand work,
shaving the road true and smoothe,
filling holes and ruts, and grading
the surplus earth up toward the mid
die of the road. Each year of their
use the road becomes better and bet.
ter, if they are properly handled.
Our clayey roads become fearfully
rough and rutted by the frosts, thaws
rains and travel of our variable win
tiers and springs. The time to shave
them with these machines is just az
they are drying and hardening il
spring. This year that time did no
come here until about April 10. Or
the Goth our enterprising district su
pervisor got the big township grader
put six strong horses on, and in ont
day shaved smooth the four miles O
more of our main district roads. o
course we all "hated" to let GU
teams 90, but / knew 1 should ge
my money back twice over and S,
let my strong team go. On the 23rC
1 drove 40 miles to the great Paines
vile nurseries for a large load o
nursery stock for lawn and orchard
Well, l was glad 1 had let my team
go on the rQad-shaving three day
before. OF the 40 miles, about 35 ha,
been shaved and the rest not. TIL
difference was like that between
heaven and purgatory. One strip c
. miles in the township where you
contributor j. G. lives (not in his dis
trict had not been shaved. 1t is tn
worst clay soil, had been badly Gu
up, and it is safe to say that that 9
miles took more life and wear out {
team, wagon, driver and nurser
stock than the whole 373 miles be
sides. [ came over it on my retur
April 24th by the light of the flu
moon, and did my best to find tn
smoothe places. There were none
The wheels would get into deep, nal
row ruts, and it seemed as if the W;
gon would go to pieces or the stron
team be stuck with u cwt. of nul
sery stock. The team was in latf
er and ] think l never in my ii
felt more like drawing on my W
cabulary of unsanctifed monOsyll
bles," Gas DIR. Holmes puts it) than
did then. Let me draw on my Sigh
ly more sanctifed polysyllables an
say that it is an abominable and il
fernal outrage for supervisor to i
such roads remain in such conditiC
more than a full week, when at lea
one grader in the township migl
have been had.
More than a week later l had Occ
sion to drive another directiC
through a great potato-grOwing di
trict. Its farmers with their tho
sands of bushels of potatoes Ia
fall cut up those roads badl