The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1891-12-24
= GOOD ROADS.
(From the Gospel OF Good Roads. .")

: GOOD ROADS.
(From the Gospel OF Good Roads,"
III.
And so it was-and so it is, all over
the:country. Last March the farmers
Of Chester County, Pennsylvania, were
using a six-horse team to draw q single
load of hay. On the 2lst day of that
month one of the t'leaders" in that
team stumbled and fell in the deep
mud and water which covered the road
and was drowed before lie could be got
out. In Montgomery County, Mary
land, during the same month, a lady
recovered $2.5O0 damages from the
county for personal injuries received
by reason Of the bad roads. Costs and
disbursements swelled the sum to
about 81 ,OO0 But these are only incl
dents. and they have no force except
as illustrat ons. The real unmitigated
iniquity Of mud road must be seen
by a more extended view.
Let Us try a few statistics. You
hate statistics and 81 do I. Take them
as they 90, they are dryer than IL
mouthful of dust, and we both know
what that is. But once in a while the
Government sends man 'round to
count things, just to see whether we
are all here aud how We are getting on;
very much in the same way that we
count eggs and chickens and measure
rye and oats. We are dealing in big
subject and one which concerns the
people. Let us look at it from Il
standpoint where everybody can see
the inspiring spectacle. want you to
understand, if you do not see it al
ready, that a bad road is really the
most expensive thing in your agricul-
tural outfit; that it is as much behird
the times as the hand-loom anu the
fail and the sickle; that it has no
rightful place in the domain of an in
telIigent people.
From official Government sources l
find that the farmers of this country,
in the year 1899, had upon their farms
draft animals as follows:
Horses ii. .213 1857, value $97S, SIG 562,
average price $6S; mules 2,33I,027,
value $1S2. 394, coo, average price SIS;
oxen, etc. 36, ,s49. .O24. $500 ,625, 1877, SIS;
total number IS 1893, ,SSS, value $l,72l,-
535,79S.
Now, to simplify matters little,
you see you have nearly $4,000 900, 000
invested in motive power of a perish
able, uncertain and expensive kind.
busy or idle these animals must be f. d
and cared for every day. They are
boarders that you can't get rid of
when the busy season is over and it
stands you in hand to keep them at
work. Two thousand millions of dol
lars make a large sum. Invested at 5
nearly 81 100, 600 per week. Then you
see there are more than sixteen million
of horses and mules alone, and to feed
and care for these it costs the modest
sum of 81 600, 600 per day. A little
while ago Il very clever and intelligent
citizen of Indiana estimated that bad
roads cost the farmer $15 per year fo'
each horse and mule in his service
This means 4 loss III the aggregate of
nearly $3.50. .0O0. .OC0 per year. Add wear
ard tear IF wagons rnd harness, $lGo..
mn 000. 1u,rnoi,foA wilma nT f.,rr
Lar ds $1,000 OOO, 900: total. twenty three
hundred and fifty millions of dollars.
Making the utmost allowance in
favor Of the farmer and granting the
necessity for the liberal use Of horse
power in the maintenance of agricul-
tural traffic, it Is easily certain that
the farmers of this country are keep
ing at least two millions more of
horses than would be necessary to do
| all the hauling between farm and
market. if only the principal roads
were brought to a good condition
Ifyou assume that eacl, of these horses
is fed the ordinary army ration of hay
and oats, it requires $4,000 tons Of hay
or fodder and seven hundred and fifty
Thousand busht Is Of oats per day to
| feed these unnecessary animals, which
themselves have money val ue Of
! $40, ,OOO. 900. The value of hay and
oats fed to these horses per day is
something like 100000 or about STA,
OOO, 900 per year.
| w.
| I was down at Hubmire's for a week
last April, and we had an occasionally
friendly argument on the question of
better roads. The wet weather had
hung on and the roads were in a des-
perate condition. Things were dull
about the old farm and Hubmire haG
been dividing mis- time between chores
and trout fishing to keep off the blues
One day he had to go to town. There
was something needed in the house
and dozen things to be attended t.
which could not longer be put off. T,
kill as many birds as possible with ont
stone, Hubmire hitched his team tx
the box wagon with the intention o
hauling out a load Of coal for the sit
ting room stove. l hadn't seen
newspaper for more than week ant
was glad of this chance to connec