Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1895-12-10

The Office Oh hoad Inquiry claGn6
Department of Agriculture has COM.
oleted an interesting investigation re-
lating to the traffic of the country roads
in the United States, the, results Of
which will be published as Circular No.
19, of the Office. 80,
With the aid of the division of statis-
tics of the department, reports have
been gathered from about 1,200 coun-
ties giving the average length of haul
in miles, from farms to, market or ship
ing points, the average weight of load
hauled, and the average cost per ton
per mile, and from this is deduced the
average cost per ton for the whole
length ofhaul.
These returns have been arranged in
groups of States and the result shows
that the average length of haul in the
eastern States is So miles; in the north.
ern States 60 miles; in the middle States
S.8 miles; in the cotton States 12.6
miles; in the prairie States S.8 miles,
in the Pacific Coast and mountain
States 1913 miles, and in the United
States 121 miles.
The average weight of load for two.
horses in the, eastern States is 2216.
pounds; northern States 2,136; middle
southern States, 1859 pounds; cotton
States, 1897 pounds; prairie States,
400 pounds; Pacific coast and mountain
States, 2,197 pounds and the United
States, 2,0O2 pounds.
The average cost per ton OF 1000
pounds per mile in the eastern States is
80 cents; northern States, 90 cents; mid
dle-southern States, 81 cents, cotton
States, 25 cents; prairie States, % cents;
Pacific coast and mountain States, %
cents, and the United States 25 cents.
The average total cost per ton for the
whole length of haul: eastern States
$1.S9; northern States, 81. Sc; middle
southern States, 1912; cotton States,
S3.05; prairie States, 81 94, Pacific coast
and mountain States, S5.12, and the
United States 1902.
With these data it becomes possible
to obtain approximately the total cost
of the entire movement of farm pro-
ducts and other classes of materials
over country roads.
Taking the census returns OF the farm
products of the United States for 1890,
adding eight per cent. for the increase
in five years corresponding to the in.
crease in the previous ten years, find,
ing the weights of the various articles
and reducing the total to tons of 2,0c0
pounds, we have q total weight of farm
products for the year 1895 of219, 1924, ,227
tons.
Comparing the amounts by States,
Iowa leads with 24,2S7, ,000 tons; Illi-
nois comes next with q, 600, 600 tons;
Kansas with II, 100000; Missouri, New
York, Ohio and Nebraska with ,12, ,0O0,-
GOO to 100000 tons; Indiana and
Pennsylvania about 100000 tons;
Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin,
100000 TO 5000, ,00O tons, and Texas,
Colorado, kentucky and Tennessee A.
0OO, 600 to 5 5000, 900 tons.
No information is available as to the
amount Of hay and grain consumed
npon the farms where they are raised,
nor is their any return of large classes
of materials moved over the
country roads, among which are:
Building materials, including stone,
lumber, brick, lime and sand fencing
materials road materials, gravel, stone,
etc.; fertilizers, commercial and DOM
este, lime and plaster; coal, ore and
metals; straw and fodder, home-killed
meats and animals driven to market,
garden products and grass seeds, poul-
try and eggs, merchandise, farm ma.
chinery.
1t is deemed safe, however, to Offset
these various items against home con-
sumed hay and grain, and so count
the equivalent of the total farm pro-
duct as being hauled or the public
roads.
The division of forestry of the de-
partment furnishes an estimate of
forest products as follows:
Annual cut of fuel, $4,000, ,000, 900
cubic feet; mill product, 5000, 100000
cubic feet; total, 2S,0O0, ,0O0, 900.
The chief of the forestry makes the
very safe estimate that one-fourth of
this total, or $3.50, ,0OO, 900 cubic feet is
hauled over the public roads. Adding
timber used for railroad construction,
4S5 900, COO cubic feet, makes total of
s ,2S5, ,OOO, 900, which at 80 pounds per
cubic foot. gives 93,525,000 tons of
1000 pounds. Adding this to the total
farm product gives S1S, ,349, ,227 tons,