The record-union., 1893-08-14
GOOD ROADS
How Thrifty Illinois Farmers Make
and Maintain Them.

and MAINTAIN 1nems
In a late number of Prine's Crop BulIe-
tin we find an article on good roads
which contains letter from Mr. Phil
brick of " estern Springs, detailing their
method OF making good country roads.
From this we take portion which will
be of interest here.
The letter is of practical nature and
shows what the farmers are beginning to
do:
'In my conversation with you last
week in regard to the improvement of
highways l made mention of the fact
that in the township where ! live the
Highway Commissioners were making
some Improvements in the country roads.
THE farmers, as well as the merchants
and others residing in the township, are
in sympathy with the movement and are
not only willing to have the improve
ments made, but vote to pay their pro-
portion of the tax levy necessary to make
some improvements each year. AT pres
ent this township has about eight miles
OF good macadamized roads outside Of
village and corporation lines, and it is the
intention of adding to this each year
until all of the roads in the township
these improvements, and which the Com
missioners have power to levy, Is six
mills on the dollar, but last year the
people voted to increase the tax to ten
mills. This tax is levied against all prop
erty in the township; property in cities
and villages pays its proportion accord
ing to valuation.
'ln addition to the tax levy, the Com
missioners usually succeeded in getting
the county to bear one-third of the cost of
each improvement. The highways are
usually improved sixteen feet wide; but
some of the leading or more travelled
roads are made twenty feet. In making
the Improvement the road is first graded
ditched and rolled; the bitches at the
sides are so made as to carry all water
away, leaving no ponds of water along
the sides of the highway to soak into and
soften the roadbed. After the roadbed
has been brought to uniform crowned
service and rolled. the coarse macadam is
placed upon the sub-grade; then on this
IS placed finer broken stone and rolled,
after which fine gravel or screenings Of
the broken stone is placed on top and
rolled after being wet down. Ibis max les
compact and smooth road surface. The
usual cost or contract price per rod for the
above Improvement is from IS to $40,
depending upon the amount OF grading
and distance required to haul the stone.
Nv hen the first roads were being i'm
proved there was considerable objection
made by some people on account of such
large expenditure of money being
made. They thought it a waste of money
10 expend from -, 800 to 81, ,000 for a mile
of highway. But now the people,
farmers and all, seem to have changed
their views and are in hurry to improve
all the highways, and the more they inn
prove the more they want to improve,
and even if each one cannot have Ibis
highway first, he is willing TO help i'm
prove one by one until in few years all
the roads in Lyons township will be
Inacadamized. If the farmers through
out the State only knew more about such
improvements and could see even one
half of the benefits they would actually
derive, and could be made to understand
how small tax it is necessary to levy to
improve two or three miles each year in
each township, believe it would be only
few years until all the roads in the
State would be macadamized."