Middletown transcript., 1895-06-29
99ritultural.
OF Interest
ITO Farmers

How Good Roads Pay the Farmers.
In the matter Of road improvement
the State of New Jersey easily leads al
the rest. She has by far the best i'm
proved road law yet enacted and un
der its operation dirt and mud roads
are giving way to good, smooth, dur
able stone roads. Mr.. John Gilmel
Speed in the current number of "Lip
pincott's Magazine'' notes the pro-
gress of road improvement in New Jer.
sey and some of its results. The show.
ing is interesting and suggestive. The
State Grange of Pennsylvania should
circulate the article among their mem.
bers for their information and enlight.
enment.
The residents of Moorestown and vi
cinity in Burlington County, New Jer-
sey, have freely taken advantage of the
opportunity for road improvement
which the new road laws of the State
have opened up. AS result the roads
about Moorestown and connecting it
with Camden have been improved to a
large extent. The effect of it is seen
in a much brisker demand for farms in
that vicinity. For years past it has
bsen exceedingly difficult there, as in
agricultural sections elsewhere, to set
tie estates owning farm lands when
there was necessity to sell because
purchasers were rare and offers unin-
viting. The improved roads have
changed this and farm lands near Moor.
estown are in demand. In Camden
County on the line of improved roads
farmers find they get their produce to
market quicker and cheaper than for
merly. In the old time wagon weigh
ing 1900 pounds with four horses and
two men could take two and half ton
of produce to market and bring back
the same weight of manure in day if
the team had good luck and escaped
getting mired. Now one man with
two horses in wagon weighing 2300
pounds carries four tons forth and back
and makes the journey twice in one day.
The farmers are not willing to allow
their horses to reap all the advantages
from the Improvement Of the road. A
demand h IS arisen for larger wagons
and they are being furnished. Former
ly four-horse wagons were built to
carry fifty five-eights bushel baskets.
Now they are building two-horse wag-
ons with capacity varying from so to
125 baskets of the same size. In every
county or township in New Jersey
where the roads have been improved
farm lands bring bet ter prices and farm
products larger profits because more
easily and cheaply got to market. The
same pair of horses can draw double
the loads that it could draw on soft
roads and can do SO with certainty re-
sardless of recent rains and without
any risk of stalling, sticking or break
ng down because of mirey roads.
These are among the material gains
realized by the farmers from an i'm
only few years old in New
Jersey and which has made little ad-
vance in other States, mainly because
If the resistance of the same farming
;lass. A farmer is naturally conserva-
i've. His mode of life creates and con-
irms conservative tendency within
lin. He has become so accustomed to
he Old-fashioned dirt road-a strip of
lust in Summer and belt Of mire in
spring and Fall-that he hardly aspires
% anything better and is certain that |
better road would not pay him for in
creased road taxes. We sympathize
With his dislike Of increased taxes.
But if the farmer showed more zeal for |
,ood roads they could be obtained with |
title increase in local taxation. The
'osts of the New Jersey improved road |
re paid 33per cent. by the State, 81 |
'er cent. by the county and 10 per cent
y the property holders along the line
# the improved road, who, to get the
ood improved under the law, must pc
ition for it. Under its operation the
Burlington and Camden County far
ners get big return for their small
Investment in improved roads and find
t the same time that their land, farm
roducts and stock have an increased
alue because Of the greater ease of ac-
ess to the market. &
A bad road is a tax on those who use
!, and the worse the road the heavier
he tax. When the farmers Of Penn
ylvania realize this they will seek to
ghten their road tax by having the
pads improved, and if they are wise in
leir generation they will secure this
Improvement through reasonable State
i'd. id.-Philadelphia Press.
To Avoid
'ustipation is to prolong life. Ripans Tab
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'nstipation. One tabule gives relief.