Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1896-12-17

The New and the Old Way.
purchased at low figure the best pos
sible use Of time and money is in Sc
curixg and spreading this upon road
bed previously graded into proper
form. If the gravel is dumped upon a
perfectly flat surface it becomes mixed
with the soil during wet weather and
soon is lost. The first thing to be
done is to grade the road. The gray
cling or macadamizing can then be
done at leisure. The upper illustration
shows the best form of the road. The
dirt from the bitches ut the sides is
carried to the middle and left in a
rounded form, highest in the center.
Care must be taken to make the sides
slope all the way from the center to
the bottom of the bitches, or the water
will stand in the says and percolate
into the roadway, making it soft and
muddy. Make good outlets for these
bitches to carry the water off and keep
the road dry. and also that they may
serve for outlets for tile and for all
other farm drains.
Keep the surface of the road smooth
and free from sods, for those travel
ing will not make martyrs of them
selves and bump over the rough places
to wear them down if the sides are
smooth. Leave the sods at one side.
They will decay in a year OF two. A
large amount of road work can be
done in short time with comfort to
man and beast by using one of the inn
proved road graders. -Four men with
their teams make a good force; one
man and team for the plow, the others
for the grader. 1t will pay any town
handsomely to invest in the most inn
proved machinery for road work.
When grading the road, be careful not
to get the road too wide. Make it
Just wide enough for teams to pass.
1t will flatten out with use and wet
weather. Water will less easily stand
on narrow road.
A great aid in keeping the road dry
is row Of tiles laid on either side at
the outer edges of the grade. These
should be laid not too deep, for the
surface will become packed so that
the water will not readily soak
through. But if the grade is the prop
er form the water will run off the sur
face so rapidly that comparatively lit
tie will soak in; and as the tile and
laying them add largely to the cost
Of the road they may usually be dis
pensed with. All doubtless realize
the truthfulness of the lower ,llustra-
ton and the difficulty of getting about
over such highways, the loss of time
and money, the wear and tear Of the
horses, harnesses and wagons, result
ing from attempts to move loads at
the very season when farmers have the
most time to do such work. In the
summer when the farmers are busy
with their crops the roads are usually
dry and any kind is good enough. The
low price for which farm lands sell is
due in a large measure to the poor
highways. With better roads the value
of the lands rapidly increases. Exam
pies Of this can be found in every
county. Farms located along good,
hard roads are in constant demand at
prices far in excess of those situated
at a distance from such roads. Wher-
ever other work will permit, farmers
can well afford to give a few days
work on the roads instead of feeling it
hardship to have to work the time
required by law. Work them thor
oughly each neighborhod for itself.
The labor and time spent will return
one hundredfold in the increased value
of property and in the ease and COM
fort of traveling-Farm and Home.