Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1895-07-18
had upon their farms draught animals
as follows. These statistics are from
official records:
rntals IA 3aa SIS Sl "a. aaa. DDS

i IOlatS a.tA,OJotsNS Ti,t~AsSecsf"N
TO simplify matters a little, there are
nearly $1,000, 0o0.0 600 invested in mo-
tive power Of a perishable, uncertain
and expensive kind. Busy or idle,
these animals must he fed and cared
for every day. They are boarders
that can't be gotten rid of when the
busy season Is over, and TO keep them
AT work is part Of farmers economy,
Two thousand millions of dollars make
large sum. Invested at per cent.
interest, 1t would produce nearly
s., 100000 per week. Then there are
more than sixteen millions of horses
and mules alone, and to feed and care
for these 1t costs the modest sum Of
100000 per day. A little while ago
very clever and intelligent citizen of
Indiana estimated that bad roads cost
the farmer SO per year for each horse
and mule in his service. This meansAa
loss in the aggregate of nearly $780,
100000 per year. Add wear and tear
of wagons and harnesses, 500, 100000;
deprecated value of farm lands -
000,000,o00; total, S2,35o,o0o 600.
Making the utmost allowance in
favor of the farmer and granting the
necessity for the liberal use of horse
power in the maintenance of agri-
cultural traffic, ii is easily certain that
the farmers of this country are keep
ing at least two millions OF horses
more than would be necessary to do all
the hauling between farm and market,
If only the principal roads we're
brought to good condition. Assume
that each of these horses Is fed the
ordinary army ration of hay and oats,
il requires 1900 tons Of hay or fodder
and 100000 bushels of oats per day to
feed these unnecessary animals, which
themselves have a money value Of
S140,000,000. The value of hay and
oats fed to these horses PEI day is
about S30O0 900, or something like Sill
100000 pei year.
Ii the road question of this country
were placed in the hands of govern
mental officials and they were sent to
the European countries to study up
the matter, a good deal could be-
learned. France is nation of fine
roads. These reads are not built by
farmers, who work OUT their high
way taxes III the manner followed
largely in this country, nor by the in-
fantile implements employed here.
The government manages tie whole
affair by system as careful as the
rules which regulate our mint. There
is chief official who Is responsible
for the main roads Of the French re-
public, and through his subordinatesi
is kept constantly Informed of the COIL
ditions Of ali the roads. The work Isl
subdivided among hundreds ot sllpcr-
intendents end assistants and their as
sistants before the actual workmen are
reached.
In Belgium also the principal roads
are built and maintained by the gen
eral government, and in 1886 IN the
nine provinces of Belgium over 20
per cent. of the high roads were of this
class, the entire length Of high-class ,
roads being Alb English miles, out Of /
a total of 1886 of roads of all classes.
The best roads of Belgium are in the |
provinces of Namur, Iiege and Lux
embourg, and permanent employees are
kept on the roads under the direction
of the chief engineer Of the province,
for the purpose of insuring the obServ-
ance Of the regulations and looking
after the constant repair Of the high
ways.
In Baden the main roads are under