The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-05-23
Blue Grass Farms aud Roads.

Editor H. W. j. Ham is delivering
his lecture in the Blue Grass region
of Kentucky, writes an enthusiastic
letter to his paper, the Georgia
Cracker, about the roads and farms in
that world-famous section Of the
country. He says;
"Here there are carefully graded
and macadamized pixies that run
everywhere, and the hills are not in
the way, for the roads run around and
wind about them at specific grade,
up which horse goes at sweeping
trot, and down which he only keeps out
of the way Of the vehicle without any
danger Of staving him up. I left the
railroad the other night after sundown
to drive thirteen miles to Owenton,
which in our country would mean
three or four hours. With two of us
in the buggy the horse struck out at a
swinging trot, which he did not break,
save now and then where fresh rock
recently put on made it little rough,
and whirled us into Owenton in an
hour and a half without turning a
hair. My driver told me that he fre
quently made it in an hour and ten
minutes. F."
There is a great deal more Of value
in good roads than the simple pleasure
which is derived from riding over
them behind a speedy horse, and Edi-
tor Ham states the case forcibly, as
follows:
mo wonder these lands are worth
hundred dollars an acre and never for
sale except when somebody dies. No
wonder the farm houses are nearly all
built of brick, and the barns bigger
than the average Georgia Court House.
These people farm for profit, pursue
business methods, have good roads to
market, and are rich. The same
methods would do the same thing for
us. The towns are small, because no
body will live in town who can help it.
Their method exalts tie country and
minimizes the town. With US every
mans ambition is to get to town.
Here the dream of every man doomed
to live in towns, is to be able to own
farm and move to the country"
That is the lesson that our people
want to learn that life in the coun-
try is the ideal life, and that farm
run on business principles gives the
most independent life and the most
satisfactory returns Of any business
that the average man can invest in.
Good roads have a big influence on
the valae of real estate, and on the
working of the farm. It matters a
great deal in the cost of farming in
the long run, though it might not be
considered in a single load, whether it
takes one or two horses to pull wag-
on load to market, and whether it
takes an hour or three hours to make
the trip. This is matter which is
not only duly considered by farmers
in this country. The wear and tear
on vehicles, the undue exhaustion OF
horses and mules, the smaller load
that must be hauled and the time that
is lost in making the trip to market
because of bad roads, would amount to
enough, if it could be reduced to dol
lars and cents, to pay for good roads.
When country roads are well-kept
turnpikes, and it is no longer serious
undertaking to 60 from one point to
another, lands will increase in value,
and life in the country will be more
attractive. The farm must be con-
Quoted on the same business methods
that any other business has to observe.
No man in town would attempt to
carry on a business in town without
keeping some sort of books, showing
his expenditures and receipts, and yet
few farmers can tell you how much it
costs them to plant any given field in
any given crop, and what is the hnan-
cial result of the investment at the
end of the year. When good roads
are secured, and good business meth
DDS control the work Of the farm, we
can have as prosperous and as con-
tented dwellers on farms as are now to
be found in the famous Blue Grass
regions of Kentucky.