Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1893-11-02
ROADS ON THE FARM.
They Frequently Prove Among the Most
Profitable Investments.

Profitable Investments.
The subject Of good public roads at
tracts, and deserves great deal Of
attention, says the American Farmer
and Farm News, 1t Is a subject In
which farmers have a greater financial
stake than they have realized, While
the roads remain as they are the
farmers are constantly losing money
by the delays and dfilculties Of get
ting their produce TO market II ex-
tensive repairs and reconstructions
are attempted the taxes on farm
property will be considerably in
creased. II the money paid for put
ting the roads In order Is expended by
people who understand making roads.
and who are honest as we'll as intelli-
gent, 1t will be proftablY invested.
Good roads cost, but they also pay.
We ought to have them.
To some extent the principles which
are involved In making and maintaih-
Ing highways also apply to farm
roads. II no roads are provided, or
II the roads which are made are not
kept In order the difficultE and con-
sequentlY the expense, Of moving
loads to and from the barn Is con-
siderably increased. To provide and
keep in order good farm roads will in-
volve some expense, but the cost will
be many times repaid by the increased
facilities they afford for carrying on
some Of the important farm opera
lions
While every farm Of much size
needs one or more good roads over
which the heavier loads should be
drawn there are places which are In
more urgent need of attention than
are the farms as a whole. Wet or
soft spots, and hillsldes should have
good road beds even II a general sys-
tenn Of road-making for the farm can
not Immediately be adopted. 1t
probably requires more than twice
the power to draw a given load
though one of the "mud-holes" which
are found on so many farms than 1t
does to move 1t over a fairly good
road. AS fox drawing load up hill
everyone who has had experience
teamipg on an uneven farm knows
that the power required Is very much
greater than Is needed on a level
road. 1t not infrequentlY occurs that
small loads must be drawn from the
most distant parts Of the farm be-
cause there are one or two bad spots
between that point and the barn. A
little work on these spots would open
a pretty good road for the whole dis
lance. II fairly we'll done it would
last for years, but it would pay to do
this work IL 1t had to be repeated
every summer 1t would save many
long trips every season, would pre-
vent much annoyance both to the
team and to the driver, and would
enable the farmer to push his work
much more rapidly than he otherwise
can do. In some cases the hard pull
comes at some point where the ruts
have been formed. Here, there Is not
merely great increase In the labor
Of the teams, but there also Is q Sc
we're and altogether unnecessary strain
upon the wagons and carta Many a
wheel has been spoiled, and q con-
siderable bill for repairs has been in
Cured, by means Of these ruts, The
delay and inconvenience caused by
such a break down are always Vexa-
tious, and the expense involved Is not
always met with good humor. II the
time lost in waiting to have the ne
cessary repairs to the wagon made
were used putting the road into good
condition future losses and annoy
ances from this source might be
avoided and occasion for the use Of a
good deal Of very bad language would
be prevented.
To make first-class highways, over
which thousands OF teams are to pass
every year, requires a good deal Of
scientific knowledge. Such knowl-
edge, though valuable, is not indis-
pensable In making farm roads. In
order to keep it dry and hard the
road should be little higher In the
middle than IL Is at the sides. Ruts
should be prevented by forming as
solid a road-bed as possible and max
ing repairs as soon as the least de-
preston in the wheel tracks Is OBJ
served. Where the road passes
through wet ground the bed should be
somewhat elevated and a trench
should be made at each side for car
rying off the surplus water. Atten.
tion to these points, and to few
minor matters which will suggest
themselves, will enable the farmer to
make, on his own land, roads which
will fully answer all practical pur-
poses.