Morning journal and courier., 1892-07-26
BRTTER COUNTRY ROADS.

Now ENGLAND Will Have Better |
Country Roads emo of These Days.
Connecticut bicyclists are getting very
numerous and they like good roads. They
will, no doubt, ere long, as an organiza-
ton, move in the direction of having bet
ter roads in the country. That they will
have considerable interest in that direc-
ton there is no doubt. The following
from the New England Farmers CORE
spondence is to the point in question:
Now that our country has outgrown its
babyhood-is, in fact,a grown up nation
is it not pity that in the matter of roads
it has not, as yet. put away childish
thingsa Our roads in most rural districts
are poor. Railroads are blessing, but
they do not supersede carriage roads. 1t
is not practicable to have railroads from
every farm to the neighboring village, or
other objective points to be reached by the
farmer.
Who does not dread the annual road re-
pairing timer One might almost call it
perennial mending-when the ''road ma
chine" that "invention of the DEVIL"
which one farmer calls Course to the
country" makes its rounds, scrapes up all
the wash of the previous year from the
sides of the road and dumps it into the
middle, to be washed off again by the next
heavy shower, the stones being picked out
and thrown one side, only to be put in
as it were, undoing what the right hand
has done, and vice versa, in an exasperat-
ing alienation. Clumsy grassy sods are
piled on top, almost as if with malice afore-
| thought, till during the loveliest part of
| the year driving for pleasure becomes q
burden. The evil of the road machine lies
| in the manner of it's use rather than in the
machine itself, however. In many local.
ties the middle of the road is built up &c
| high that travel is confined to a narrow
space, where the wheel tracks, from re
peated wearing, become deep ruts, ove1
which the unhappy charioteer, as in thu
nursery rhyme, goes 'Bumpety, bumpety
bump!'
| Just as some of these evils begin to b.
"softened' little by time, the road mend
ing begins again to so little purpose tina
the melting of the snow the next spring
| together with the coming out of. the frost
make locomotion on wheels positively dan
gerous, and one is ready to despair, at ev
| cry laborious step, the patient horse is il
imminent danger of breaking one or NOR
legs and the vehicle sinks in mud or ella.
of the stickiest variety.
Two classes of people are benefited b,
the modus operandi described the laborer
employed and the oculists The loose sur
face soil is blown about by the ightes
zephyr, excepting in wet weather, obliginl
one to view the scenery with eyes shut o
to suffer from opthalmia.
Roads should have curve enough to max
the drainage effectual, but beyond tina
should be as level and broad as possible
The obnoxious roadside wash should be en-
tirely removed, the roadbed filled with
good foundation of ones (Which in NeN
England, where the crop is so plentiful
cannot be so expensive as the ceaseles
road tinkering Of the present day and GOV
cred by gravel or crushed stone. Even
only few rods were made in the cours
of a year, we should in time have goo
roads that would last. AS the best is tn
cheapest, it would be money saved to az
propriate sufficient sum for good steaI
roller and stone crusher. The intelliger
farmer would pay no tax more willingl
than that for improved roads. Every yes
the evil is growing worse. Why will NJ
our people wake up to the fact that this
one of the most important objects of tow
legislation, and appropriate the fund
necessary for better built roadss 1t
sincerely to be hoped that the appliance
for improved methods of road making wi
= have prominent place in the coming e.
position at Chicago.
With good country roads, the ideal far
life may become the attractive real, ar
orr young men born in rural districts mt
8 prefer tilling the soil for living to foe
ing to our already overcrowded cities f
employment, when living on a farm I
longer means being "twelve miles aw,
l., from lemon"