The Opelousas courier., 1894-10-20
AGRICULTURAL HINTS
THE TAR-HEEL A

4 Contribution to Good Roads Literatura
by Humorfst Bill Nye.
The prize medal was cheerfullv
awarded to the writer last year at
Chicago by a competent committee, for
the most picturesque display of roads.
lido not say this boastfully, bnt be-
cause 1t may encourage Others TO- make
a similar collection.
Western North Carolina is yerv
mountainous and therefore a beautiful
country, the soil in most instances be-
inga cheerful red, similar to the shade
adopted for secondhand cook stoves.
These vermillion roads wrap them
selves around the mountains Of Bun
combe county in graceful sweeps, or
pour in Venetian red cascades over the
ridges and hog-backs of Catawba
county.
Many of these roads liquify and run
over the farms, or slip down into the
fields during a shower, and remain
there to be called for. have two
stray roads still Oh my estate that
lodged there after a long wet spell in
April.
I3Ernethods of building and repair
ing r4A ds here are not adopted else
where, Except along the shores of Lake
yictoriaY Nyanza in South Africa.
When the roads are too wetelarge ir-
regular stones, ranging from the size
of Daniel Webster's head Ms that of
the pee wee egg, are placed in this
mud where they disappear, yet may be
noticed plainly by riding over them.
Each year, in the country region, the
adults are called together by the road
master for the purpose Of sampling
each others tobacco, and making mud
pies along the highway. The bed Of
the road is sunken several feet below
the level of the sea-, and then plowed
up and made mellow like an onion bed.
Where it is desired to defect a stream
of rain across the bed on a sid chill,
instead of putting in a %culvert, the tar
heel scientist constructs a soft, wet
ridge diagonally across the road, which
resembles the new-made grave of a
pathmaster, but unfortunately 1t is not.
The loss on rolling stock here is
easily 80 10 per cent, for | nave kept
an accurate account of it for three
years, Turing which time my wagons
have been renewed. Landaas and Vic
torias are not much used here, but a
hickory crotch is attached to an axle
tree of some hard and tenacious wood:
a pair Of cast off wheels from the wreck
of a four-wheeled wagon completes
the trap, unless one should be high
spirited and want a box, in which case
a common quail trap is nailed on the
axle.
Naturally the resident here is con-
tent with things as he finds them-or
as they find him. If a wood tick or a
Buncornbe county flea should attack
n man who was born here, the man
heaves q sigh, scratches the place, and
says to the insect without passion:
"Well, there! / hope now you are
satisfied
It is the same with the roads. II
chuck hole gets formed in the road
and s4uirts a yellow stream into his
Nhiskers, he waits till his whiskers
dry and then he is ready for another
dose. He also raises whiskers of a
color which matches the clay. and SO
it is not noticed.
The corduroy road was also origi-
mated in this country. After several
generations of corduroy, it is found
that most OF the people here are en-
tirely destitute of kidneys, these
features having been shaken loose and
lost after many yea of riding on cor
duroy roads.
But the material for making roads
here is good. In fact, that is about all
that it is good for. The stone is not
good for building, and the soil is not
capable of even raising q disturbance.
Last year l put $10s. So into seeds, and
S150 into a gardener. also hired the
ground plowedr and hired a night
Waterman to pit ear-mufs on the a
Of my sweet corn when the July frost
struck the mountains, and yet my
aageolet string beans. cost me 81 per
dozen, and the accursed garden pre-
vented my sons graduation at the
John Hopkins place.
The roads are in a sad plight after a
long rain, and look like a neglected
candy pull. | feel very sadly this con-
dition of affairs, for where the climate
IS SO healthful that people under 115
years of age attract nc attention, 1t
seems q sin to take our pull
let's TO market aboard a roam heifer.
We have a glorious climate the year
round, and the people come here from
the four of the earth to get rid
OF their tubercles; but the roads are SO
rough that one has to hold in his
broader principles with n hand and
his appendicitis with the other for
miles at a time. If congress But
that's out of the question when con-
gress has been In perpetual session for
Ayear, and has developed nothing but
paresis. We must go to the polls this
year, and the next. and the next. with
good roads at the top of ticket,
and live or die, elect only those men
who promise us upon their sacred
honor that this platform and this bat.
tle cry alone shall win.
I'm not much of a politician, but we
had better stop sending Bibles to other
nations until we have something to
show for roads aside from a long COW
trail OF dead horses, bleached bones
ead turkey buzzards outlining a loud
smelling quagmire that a barbarian
and . cannibal would scorn to use as q
war path.-Bin Nye, in Good Reads.
sample OF Yankee Ingenuity.
The way q Connecticut farmer util-
yes water on his place may offer sug-
gestions to some Of our farmers. lie