Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1892-08-06
THE FARM AND HOME.
SUGGESTIONS FOR THE I'M
PRoVEMENT OF ROADS.
The Water and Stones In the Roads--Bc
for Feed-The Art of Pulling Heavy
Loads-Farn Notes and
Home Hints.
Improved Roads.

1
creasing interest shown throughout
the country in the improvement OF the
public roads and many suggestions
are for those of costly construction
requiring several hundred and even
thousands OF dollars for mile. Tax
payers are frightened with these sug-
gestlons and while public interest has
| greatly increased. the public roads
have not improved at all. in most To-
calities In few instances few aud
| far between short specimens Of fne
| and expensive broken stone roads have
/ been made, costing several hundred
! dollars mile, but the interest which
! brought them into existence was not
kept up; they We're neglected were
not repaired and this neglect resulted
In badly cut wagon tracks which had
they been mended in time would have
cost little, but with greatly increased,
expense afterwards
One OF the greatest difficulties at
present is the want OF interest and
knowledge on the part of large
portion OF The community generally
How can this interest and knowledge
be impaired? BY a continued and
wise discussion by competent speak
ers and writer's says the Country
Gentleman One of the best things
to be done in the first place is TO call
attention 10 making the best OF the
means we now have. For instance
| get rid OF the loose stones the roads
in large portion OF the country have
more or less of them-and the cost OF
removing them once u month. or even
once week would DO trihing com
pared with the advantages. We have
seen one mile OF road taken as fair
specimen and better than many
others, that had By counting and esu-
mate. 500 loose stones in the track.
varying in size from that of mans
fist 10 half the size Of his head. in this
mile OF length. From twenty TO fifty
wagons passed II in day. and strik-
ing these stones or portion OF them.
the wheels were struck with a force
not unlike that OF a sledge as they
passed and of course the owners OF
the wagons suffered formidable loss
in the durability OF their vehicles. II
each OF the owners drove over this
road Fifty times in year and re-
ceived fifty severe thumps from these
stones against his wagon wheels, or
not less than 2 500 thumps In a year.
and each farmer within three miles
did the same the whole damage
would amount to large sum Aud
yet the whole cost Of removing these
loose stones BY hand would not have
been IS.
Fixed stones could not be cleared
out so easily, but they would exert in
many cases even more damage. We
have law requiring the stated re-
moval OF stones but IN the majority
Of places 1t Is very rarely observed. II
the proposed cost OF macadam road
were applied 20 the expense Of keep
ing a public road clear from loose and
fixed sones, 1t would keep al the
roads In each OF several whole counties
free from this costly annoyance.
Another common cause of bad roads
is water Dry earth makes a smooth
track; water converts 1t into mud,
which is quickly cut into deep ruts
Good drains at roadsldes and one or
more tile drains filled with gravel or
broken stone running lengthwise I'M
der the track would make great
difference in the character OF public
highways
Using the best material for the
track Is Of great importance and often
overlooked. II is common in some
places to scrape up what Is called a
turnpike made OF sods and rich
surface soil The deep bed OF rich
soil thus made would be an excellent
place for raising a fine crop OF pota-
toes but when during a wet time. it
Is cut into ruts q foot deep. IL makes
heavy travelling. We have seen a
fine example of the reverse whore the
natural soil rich and soft had been
scraped away from the hardpan be.
low and left hard. bare surface for
the wagonway at a cost OF less than
fifty cents rod. the roadway thus
formed remaining comparatively
smooth and hard during tho wettest
seasons
These three modes OF improvement
removal OF stones efficient drain
age. and making the track of the best
hard material If efficiently used and
with Judgment through the country
generally. would be worth more than
a single costly macadam road, beyond
the roach OF nearly ali the farmers
who would have to be taxed for It
when living twenty miles from it.
A mistake Is sometimes made by
citing the example of the old Euro
pcan countries whose public roads
ars famed for their excellence, 10 that
they are constructed at very low
cost for labor while in this country
Of wide distances. the same amount OF
work would require a greatly ex-
ceeded expenditure. We should not
therefore cite their example.
Beets for Feed.
A man who has had experience in
beet raising. answers some questions
concerning the same through the