Morris tribune., 1895-07-10
FARM AND GARDEN.
IMPROVING ROADS.
Even the Worst OF Our Highways Can
Made More Passable.

Even the Worst OF Our Highways Can Be
i Made More Passable.
Road improvement in this country is
! passing from the theoretical to the
practical. But the transition is long
one. We have very few really good
roads, although the issue has been
kept before us in the form of road tax
alton almost from the beginning of
the republic The dreams of optimists
that our earth roads were soon to be
succeeded by something better, and
finally by the application of cleo
tricity, are already of several years
standing. We feel quite sure that it
will be many years yet to come before
the majority of rural jewellers cease to
travel on earth roads. If this is the
case, there is good reason, under pres
emit legislation and conditions, to con-
slider the possibilities of such road.
Without unreasonable expense the
common roads can be made much more
passable for ordinary traffic. Nearly
every township in this section has a
road machine, and thereby the main
tenance of an earth road is made more
practicable. These machines are built
of iron and steel, can resist rough
usage and the weather, and cost about
5000. In order of Importance I would
place maintenance first and reconstruc-
ton second.
AS soon as the roads are fairly dried
in the spring, the machine should be
passed over them to repair the dam
ages of the winter. Avoid incom-
petence here. Do not hitch more than
four Horses to the machine, which will
prevent the unthinking operator from
sinking the blade too deeply into the
grade and thereby bungling the job.
Let the blade touch rather lightly and
pass along oftener. This is the only
way that any except very skilled
operator can smooth the grade up
nicely. l have seen grading done by
all kinds of persons, but rarely have
seen neat job done by one who
thrusts the machine in at full capacity.
A few days of such smoothing will
transform the roads of an entire town
ship. Holes will be filed, grades
rounded, and the road fitted for that
most luxurious driving summer travel
on an earth road-a road as much diff
ferent from one not treated as happi-
ness is different from misery.
After the grade is smoothed, ths sids
bitches should be examined, There
should be suitable outlet to the ditch
wherever the water collects. 1t looks
homogeneous at this season to see little
canals of standing water beside the
road. If this must be, why have
ditch at all? The road machine, if
properly manipulated, can be put to
good service in opening these bitches.
Culverts should be wide enough to
prevent clogging by debris and sod
growths.
In building road that is to be earth
from surface to foundation, it is spe
cially desirable to do the work early in
the year, so that the earth will become
as compact as possible before winter.
OF all the farces in road building that
have come under my notice, the most
ludicrous is that of smproUipg stretch
of earth road just before winter. In
evitably the place SO treated becomes
terror to every teamster whenever
there is thaw.
The ability to throw up the highest
grade is a false virtue in this kind of
bodybuilding. High grades mean
much of the subsoil on the surface.
Ordinary subsoil is the poorest mate
rial for road service in wet weather.
The surface soil is much better. The
best earth road I ever saw is carcare-
Gus clay which has never been touched
by a scraper or pillow. It is fat from
fence to fence, but it does not become
soft. Were the subsoil dug up from
the sides and placed in the track, MAX
ing grade, the road would be spoiled. |
As rule, only the surface soil from
the side bitches should be used for |
grading. This contains more humus |
and will not be as impervious to water |
as the subsoil is. In case The side |
bitches are not deep enough, the sub
soil should be thrown outside alto |
gether. 1t is necessary to have good
drainage, but ordinarily the side ditch
slope sufficiently to allow grass to
grow upon them, which will prevent
washing of the grade.
A cheap substitute for the road ma
chine is the road hone" This is made |
by attaching a tongue and whif1etrees
to an oak plank, which is edged with
strip of steel The plank should be one
foot wide, eight feet long and two
inches thick. The pole should have
hinged joint to allow change of an
gle, which will pass the earth to one
side as desired. If used extensively,
provide seat for the driver and use
three horses This tool will soon pay
for itself in the betterment Of the track
surface. 1t will not answer so we'll for
grading. There are certain soils that
can never be made into good roads,
but scarcely any will not form a
better road if the surface is kept
smooth, the water drained off and the
best earth selected for the track. At
any rate, no road is so hopeless that
the holes cannot be filed when the
weather is dry.-Robert L. Dean, in
Country Gentleman.
Age at Which to Plant Trees.
Tho ono OF xxb;oh @,oas sLo,,1l ~ |