The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1894-05-16
Blue Grass Farms, and r Dads.

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
word-famous section of the country.
He says:
"Here there are carefully graded and
macadamized pixies that run every
where, and the hills are not IN the way,
for the roads run around and wind
about them at a 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. 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 swinging trot,
which he did not break, save now ard
then where fresh rock recently put on
made it little rough, and whirled US
into Owenton in al hour and a half
without turning a hair. My driver told
me that he frequently made it in an
hour and ten minutes"
There is great deal more of value in
good roads than the simple pleasure
which is derived from riding over them
behind a speedy horse, and Editor
Ham states the case forcibly, as fol-
lows:
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. Tbesame methods
would do the same thing for US. The
towns are small, because nobody will
live in town who can help it. Their
method exalts the country and mini
mizes 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 cur people
want to learn; that life in the country
is the ideal life, and that a farm run
on business principles gives the most
independent life and the most satisfac-
tory returns of any business that the
average man can invest in. Good roads
have big influence on the value Of
real estate, and on the working of the
farm. 1t matters a great deal in the
cost of farming in the long run, though
it might not be considered in single
load, whether it takes one or two
horses to pull a wagon load to market,
and whether it takes an hour or three
hours to make the trip. This is a mat
ter which is not 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 be-
cause of bad roads, would amount to
enough, if it could be reduced to
dollars and cents, 10 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 finan.
cial result of the investment at the
end of the year. When good roads are
secured, and good business methods
control the work of the farm, we car
have as prosperous and as contented
dwellers on farms as are now to be
found ir the famous Blue Grass regions
of Kentucky.