The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1896-05-29
"FARMERS' ROAD"
A NATTER OF IMPORTANCE TO
TILLERS OF THE SOIL.
Cuited States Department of Ag1icul-
ture Takes 1t Up-Macadam and
Telford Systenl-MOdel North
Carolina Roads.

hSTlCuItdTc ildS tdken up tilC malter Ol
farmers roads, avers the Chicago
Record, and Roy Stone, the engineer 6f
the department, believes the farmers can
build good roads without impOvcriSliny
themselves. On this subject Engineer
Stone says:
'In the first place the road that will
best suit the neel Of the farmers must
not bc too costly; in the second place it
must hc of the very best kind, for the
farmers should Ike able TO Go his heavy
hauling over it when his fields are too
wet to work and his teams are free.
The road that would seem to fill the
farmers need, all things considered, is a
solid, well-bedded stone road, 80 narrow
us to he only a single track, but having
an earth track alongside.
IA fine, dry, smooth dirt track is the
perfection of roads; it is easy ON the
horses feet and legs, easy on the vehicle
and free from noise and jar. Ii holds
the snow better than gravel or stone and
requires less snow tomake sleighing, and
where such road has IL stone road
alongside to Hke the travel in wet
weather it wiz; suffer hardly any ap-
preciable wear.
1.-The stone road. on the other hand,
wears by the grinding of the wheels and
the chipping of the horses calks in dry
weather more than in wet. Ii it can
bc saved this wear for in average of six
months in each year, 50 much will be
clear gain.
1.-The question rises regarding this
method of construction are: Can the
junction of the earth and stone sections
of the road be kept even so as not to have
Jog in passing from one to the other,
and the meeting and passing of loaded
teams be provided for!''
Mr.. Stone cited the condition of the
Canandaigua (N. y roads as evidence
that there is no sign of division between
the earth and stone, and added that these
roads say that no difficulty is found in
the passing of teams, since practically no
two teams ever turn out ut exactly the
same spot, and no rutting of the earth
road occurs.
The league of American wheelmcn
has taken up the cause of good roads,
and men who are accustomed to feel the
public pulse say that good roads will
soon bc dominant issue in State and
nj 'l,.,t
are doing at present was done by the
horSc!esS vehicle men of England in 1881
when their agitation resulted i'm the
appointment of Il committee of the
House of Commons Ito inquire into and
10 report upon the proportion of tolls
which ought to he imposed upon coaches
and other vehicles propelled 10y steam
or gas upon turnpike roads
II was lust about this time that James
-,lacatl;m. road surNeyOri and. Thomas
Tclfoitl, President of the Institution of
Civil Engineers, with their adhcrents.
were engaged i'll Il controvelsary regard
ing the relative merits of "Nlacadam:'
,'Telfprd'. roads.
Up to that time England'S best roads
were the remains of the old Roman roads
but Macadam and Telford began an era
of road building, each after his own
kind, which brought English roads to
high state of development and those two
systems which to day bear their names.
The macadam road has the earth
graded and rolled for its foundation.
The principles laid down by Macadam
were as follows: IL is the natural soil
which really rupports the weight of
travel; while it is preserved in a dry state
It will carry any weight without sinking.
:rlis native soil must previously be made
quite dry AND Il covering as much I'M
penetrablf TO ,aip us possible. mus! then
H placed over il to preserve if in that
dry state. That the thickness ofa road
should only be regulated by the quantity
of material necessary to form such
imperviOus covering and never by any
reference to its own power of carrying
weight
These principles, modified in some
respects, govern the making of Il mac
pllam roadway today. The natural
earth foundation is graded 50 tlat the
curve of the foundation will be parallel
TO the curve of the surface of the road
way when completed. The earth
foundation is rolled and rerolled under il
heavy roller until the earth is firm. com
pact and even.
On both sides OF the ROADWAY cyca-
rationS are made for the drains. I'm the
bottom Of the ditch thus made tiling is