Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1891-02-04
CHEAP COUNTRY RoAps.

S1EAF ~OOGtNt Is f1CAl -.
ForPIaces where Dirt Beds. Open pitches
and Wooden CGIverts Are Used
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 a 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-
CURED imultaneousiy over Z large area.
the work would not be done so quickly
as when divided between several. super
visOrs; neither would 4he ono super
visor feel the persona interest in all
the roads that is taken by the officers
under the present systen. Let Che
small district remain. but elect the SUI
pervisor for term Of three or five
years so he can not only lay his plans
but have time to carry them out. Let
tho wages be sufficient to recompense q
good man for his time, and you, farm
ers, vote for such man irrespective of
party lines. | regret to say that some
of us do too much Sinking ard lying
in-the-shade when we go on the road to
work" when we ought to at least be
willing to do 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 Understandings pre-
cludes 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 the
bitches. For cUlvcrts, 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. have found boxes made
OF two-inch plank, using oak for the top,
more satisfactory than sewer pipe Be
careful to make them sufficiently large,
and put good plank wings at the ends
to prevent tho 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 culvert where it is handy ard soft
easy to plow. But mud is mighty
poor material TO FIJI mud hole with. In
such cases it viii pay TO draw better ma
terial from some distance.
The practice Of blowing up the beaten
track where IL follows the center of the
road should not be followed Let it
remain for a solid foundation on which
to build new road-bcd. In addition to
the use OF the grader and the small
scrapers, each district should be pro
vided with good steel pillow and be re-
quired to keep it bright and in good
order, and use it intelligcntly The
crooked slovenly blowing often done
even where there is d chance to do nice
straight work, would be disgrace to
Chinaman with his crooked stick. If
instead of starting the grades directly
in the sod, a couple of burrows were
drawn by stakes, for starter, would it
not be an advantage? When the road
side intended TO be worked is in sod, it
should be plowed up in the fall, using a
sharp pillow and taking narroN burrows,
except in case Of prairie sod when
regular prairie breaker should be used
and the burrows laid fiat.
There is another point to which /
wish to call attention. In travelling
one often sees the roadside occupied to
a great extent by noxious weeds, such
as cockleburs, thlstles smartweed, jim
son, etc, producing seed which will be
scattered by wind and water, by rab-
bits, dogs and stock to the lands of
good, careful farmers often miles dis
tant Therefore, whenever possible.
the roadside should be left in good
shape to be run over with mower and
the weeds cut before they go to seed.
Let us take more interest in having our
roads more uniformly good; for no mat
ter how far We are going or how good
the most of tho road is, we always have
to load according to the worst part.