Arizona republican., 1895-03-05
ROADS IN VIRGINIA.
Ne. R 0. Nourse Tells How They Might
 Be Improved.


 Be Improved.
 Mr. D. o. Nourse, the agriculturist and farm superintendent of Virginia experiment station, has just published bulletin relating to the roads of that state-''if,'' 3 as he says, 'the tracks over which we are obliged to travel may be dignifed by the name of roads"-in which he makes a strong plea for plac- mg the building and repair of earth e,sds, in the hands of persons who understand how to do such work in ac- a0rdance with correct principles. What 8 wanted is an engineer or overseer for each county, to be paid Q regular salary, who would, if a man of honor, be Ealous of his reputation, and good <oads would be the result. Such an officer could, in few years, by keeping insufficient number of teams and em- pfoying men used to the work who would be becoming better workmen year by year, build up a department fhat would be credit to the commun S2y. It is no wonder that roads are FOOT when contracts are let to persons who hardly know good road from a ksd one-for it is just as necessary to Know how to build a highway as it is Co build a railroad. A few fundamental principles in the building and mainten- snee of earth roads are given.
 I. A common error is that of at tempting to repair without first re- moving the cause of the trouble. Drain age must be first attended to, as it is sHnply impossible to make a road bed so stand if the drainage is bad. We Gaxe, seen on one of the most travelled Deds. the water run for half a mile in tite wheel and horse tracks. when per haps the taking out of a stump or one Blast of rock would remove all ob- structions and allow good gutters." Water must be kept out of the road at always be by the conduits at each side.
 h Water never runs up hill. Often the gutters are sufficiently good in every respect except that the slope is sn' the wrong direction. The eye is not always true evidence of slope of ground, as the topography of the land Eray be such that the fall is more ap- parent than real. Apply the test of the simple level.
 2. A safe rule is to place bridges or sufyerts wherever there is a depres- son in the road; and unless the water may be conveyed to fields on each side, a culvert must be made in the lowest on thn rnad
 f Whenever mud hole is formed 1 an earth road, it should never be filled with a lot of stones, as this is all most certain to make two mud holes instead of one. First remove the mud and water from the puddle, and then take earth as nearly of the same nature zs the roadbed as possible and pound 4lis into the hole firmly so that wheels mzay pass over it at once without sink Mg into it. It should be filled some what higher than surrounding portions Se allow for settling.
 5.. Give the road bed the proper slope. Never allow it to be too flat, or lower In the middle than at the sides. A sec lion of road should, if cut transversely, present an arc in shape, sloping from she center to each side. This, of course, IS to prevent water from standing on the surface.
 6, Do not make roads too wide or EDO narrow. If too wide they become very expensive to keep in repair, and If too narrow the gutters become ob- structed from wagons running into khem- In general these rulesa apply with eauaI force to earth or rock roads, as, if aroclz road is to be made, these princi- Fies mnst first be carried out. The idea may appear absurdly simple, but there are thousands of instances in which tfrey are utterly disreGarded in road huiIding and repairs, and hence are the more necessary. American Agricul- 6uuiSt.
 ABOUT BITTER MILK.