Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1895-12-06
FARM AND GARDEN.
THE CROP MOVEMENT.
Good Roads Would Distribute 1t Equally
Throughout the Year.


Good Roads Would Distribute 1t Equally
Throughout the Year.
With the approach of another crop.
handling season and the heavy move
,nent of tonnage incident to the large
prospective yield, comes anew the sub
ject of good roads as an auxiliary to
0 more equal distribution of movement
throughout the year, says the Railway
Review. Under present conditions
producers and carriers alike suffer
from the congestion which is necessi-
tated at certain seasons of the year bv
the demands of farm work on the
one hand and the impossible roads on
the other. Farmers, perhaps more than
any other industrial class, have their
hours Of labor regulated by the
weather. During rains or immediate
ly thereafter providing the rains be
long continued-it is practically impos-
sible for them to work. The fields are
in no condition for cultivation and the
roads are, in majority of cases, inn
passable, so that in the course of the
year the farmer is subjected to many
hours OF enforced idleness. The COM
mon carrier is also similarly affected
principally, however, as result of the
effect of the wet weather on the farmer
rather than upon himself. During the
period of dry weather, when crop
work is imperative, ard roads are
good, agricultural products are rushed
to the initial markets with the utmost
| dispatch, filling the warehouses and
creating q demand for cars that can
not readily be supplied, if at all. 1t
is no uncommon sight to see at many of
the western shipping points numerous
wagon loads of grain standing all day
and oftentimes at night, because of the
lack of transportation facilities to
carry off the accumulation with
which the various warehouses are
already filed. Indeed, instances have
been known where wagons were thus
obliged to wait three or four days
before they could be unloaded. The
remedy for much of this conges-
ton is to be found in the con-
struction of good roads of such n
character as not to be easily affected
by the weather. Some railroad com
panies, appreciating the value of such
construction, have offered to haul the
necessary material from the quarries
or other sources of supply, to the vari
GUS distributing points at extremely
charged. 1t is probable that the adop-
ton of rule of free carriage within
reasonable limits by all roads would
prove a profitable undertaking. The
advantage of regularly distributed
delivery throughout the year would
4 largely Offset the extra expense in
Cured by such regulation. If il
the free transportation of materia
could be added the employment oil
criminals upon the roads, instead oil
using them in competition with the
artisans outside of our penitentiaries
an additional benefit would result. II
is, of course, admitted that the adop
ton of this plan would increase the ex
pensc of the maintenance of the vari
Gus institutions of correction and pun
:shment throughout the United States
but that would cheerfully be met by
the property owners, in view of the
larger advantages growing out o
road improvement. 1t would also de
) away with the competition between
criminal and other labor, competi
ton that is now in some quarter,
severely felt and bitterly assailed.
This question is one which should b,
generally taken up by the local papers
of each community. 1t is believed tina
railway managers are sufficiently ad
vised of the advantage of such move
ment to willingly cooperate with thu
local authorities wherever any well
directed effort is made. The work vii
necessarily make slow progress, and j
therefore cannot be too early com
. menced.