Mexico weekly ledger., 1899-03-16
GOOD ROADS IDEAS.
Some Practical Suggestions offered
By Louis hubert, One Of Our
Leading Farmers.


Of the LEDeER.
MEXICO, NO., March 1S.--Much has
been written here lately In your val
uable paper regarding good roads;
that is, many good suggestions have
been made to bettcr the condition of
our roads. However, l believe with
our present means we could achieve
better results than heretofore. be-
lieve Mr.. BaFnebey, OF Youngs Greek,
Is OF the same opinion and / hope that
in his next communication he will
explain his ideas more definitely.
Iwould offer two suggestions which,
under our present law, could be ac-
oepted and hence the condition Of our
roads could be much improved. 1
believe the County Court has the legal
right and power to order, in the fret
place, all the road overseers In the dif-
ferent districts to begin their work In
April, provided the weather permits.
The road overseer should have the
power to rent good team, In case
the farmers should be busy at this
time with planting and plowing. How
ever, should they be able to obtain
the farmers help they should do 30,
yet / would prefer to rent team oi
mules so they would not have to
break In a fresh team OF horses every
day, as much time lie lost in this way,
Every reasonable man will under
stand that In the spring, when the
frost lie out OF the ground, the earth
is mellow and two teams can do az
much work then as four teams would
do in August. In the spring there Il
hardly any grass or weeds in the way
and the weather is cool. Then, Il
heavy rains come in May or June the
water can be run of and it viii moi
remain for days and weeks in the
road and will not make deep ruts
which 1t would do II the roads ART
worked in the fall, as they now are
You will find that the roads worked
In the spring will be the next wintel
in much better condition than wheI
worked In the fall. You know th'
worst places are always those which
were graded the year before.
/ In the second place, II we shoul'
ever want to build rock roads We vii
have to build first our culverts out o
rock You can't imagine q rock rca'
without q rock culvert, and, as vi
have no more white oak timber, an
satisfied that rock is the best for cul
, verts and the cheapest in the end.
we use good rock, good cement AM
employ good workmen who under
stand the work, we will have culvert
lasting almost forever. 1t would cos
somewhat more in the first four o
, ave years, but afterwards we woul
save considerable, as under the pres
emit method at least two-thirds OF th
money and two-thirds of all the tim
!. is lost in our culverts, and / am salts
fied our overseers will bear ne out o
this point. As a result, we have n
culverts worthy Of the name; most {
!. them are lying in the dirt or are to
small, as the water runs across th
: road on both sides and creates bl
!, chuck holes and the wagon whe'
viii sink In the mud up to the hub.
The merchants OF Mexico woul
appreciate good roads more durir
Christmas week. They would &c
!, thousands of dollars worth more goos
= in that week II the farmer, with h
= family, could come to town, but tn
4 last Iyear It was impossible. Let
improve our own affairs and cond
! tions and not bother ourselves
!. much with national affairs.
AL Respectfully,
~ 4. HUBERT,