The times., 1899-07-23
PATHS OF THE nation
Good Reads Essential to the Prog
ress of the Country.
Principles Governing Their Location
and Treatment as Set Forth in nm
Official Bulletin of the Agricuitu-
raj Observation-Disclosures Absolute
Necessity in Farming Regions.

beauty of city or country than good roads.
The benefit of fine roadways is experienced
not only in the enhancement of personal
comforts but in the world of commerce.
which invariably suffers m more or less
degree when rough and rugged roads are
obstacles in its path, as they always are
Nothing is more enjoyable than a ten or
twenty mile spin on ailevei country road
There are some well1kepb' roads in and
around Washington that on pleasant days
are crowded with bike" riders, sidebar
buggies, phaetons, ana family carriages.
But, considering that washington is the
Capital of the Nation9 theiroads are few
to what they should be, and even those
that are most frequented could be greatly
improved. One of the strong attractions
on the other side of the Atlantic are the
well-kept roads. which for miles and miles
are nearly as smooth and even as is Penn
sylvania Avenue. But it is the develop
ment of the country and the betterment of
the farmer that make good roads neces-
sity. Many rich farms are idle and going
to waste simply because the roads leading
to market are practically impossible. The
question of country roads and their i'm
provement has recently attracted the at
tention of the Department of Agriculture,
the one department of the Government op-
Grated in the interest of the farmer. Sec
retary of Agriculture Wilson Is quoted as
saying recently that there can be no pros
perty unless the farmers of the country
are successful. The department has re-
Gently been making practical investiga-
tion of the good roads question, and has col
lected some valuable data, which has been
printed in bulletin shape for distribution
ba Eldridpp
under whose supervision the investigation
of roads was made, says in this Good
Roads for Farmers bulletin:
Bad roads constitute the greatest draw
back to rural life, and for the lack Of good
roads the farmers suffer more than any
other class 1t is obviously unnecessary,
therefore, TO discuss here the benefits to
be derived by them from improved roads
Suffice it to say, that those localities where
good roads have been built are becoming
richer. more prosperous, and more thickly
settled. while those which do not possess
these advantages in transportation are
either at standstll or are becoming poor
er and more sparsely settled. If these
conditions continue, fruitful farms may be
abandoned and rich lands go to waste. Life
on farm often becomes, as result of
'bottomless roads, isolated and barren OF
social enjoyments and pleasures, and coun
great disadvantage that ambition is check
ed, energy weakened, and industry paral-
yzed.
Good roads, like good streets, make hab-
itation along them most desirable; they
economic time and force in transportation
Of products, reduce wear and tear on
horses, harness, and vehicles, and en-
hance the market value of real estate. They
raise the real value OF farm lands and
for
horses. harness, and vehicles, and enhance
the market value of real estate. They
raise the value of farm lands and farm
products and tend to beautify the coun-
try through which they pass; they facili-
tate rural mail delivery and are a potent
aid to education, religion, and sociability
Charles Sumner once said. The road and
the schoolmaster are the two most impor-
tant agents in advancing civilization
The difference between good aud. bad
roads is equivalent to the difference be-
tween profit and loss. Good roads have a
money value to farmers as well as po-
litical and social value, and leaving out
convenience, comfort, social, and refined
influences which good roads always en-
hance, and looking at them only from the
almighty dollar side, they are found to
pay handsome dividends each year.
People generally are beginning to real
and that the best interests of American
agriculture and the American people as a
whole demand the construction of good
roads, and that money wisely expended for
this purpose is sure to return.
The Treatment of Ronds.
Road making is perfected by practice,
experience, and labor. Soils and clays.
sand and ores. gravels and rocks. are
transformed into beautiful roads. streets,
and boulevards, by methods which con-
fern with their great varieties of charac-
ters and with natures laws. The art OF
road building depends largely for its sue
cess upon its being carried on in conform
ity with certain general principles.
1T is necessary that roads
should be hard smooth, compar-
atively level, and fit for use
at all seasons of the year; that they
should be properly located, or laid out on
the ground, so that their grades may be
such that animate or inanimate power may
be applied upon them 10 the best advan-
tage and without great loss of energy; that
they should be properly constructed, the
ground well drained, the roadbed graded
Shaped, and rolled, and that they should
be surfaced with the best material pro-
curdble; that they should be properly
maintained or kept constantly in good re-
pair.
"All the important roads in the United
States can be and doubtless will be mac
aadmiZed or otherwise improved In the
not distant future. This expectation
/ should govern their present location and
treatment everywhere. Unless changes are
made in the location of the roads in many
parts OF the country II would be worse than
! folly TO macadamiZe them. ANY costly
resurfacing of the existing roads will fast
D
1 says General Stone The chief difficulty in
| this country is not with the surface. but
with the steep grades. many of WHICH are
| too long TO he reduced by cutting and aIl-
! ing on the present lines, and if this could
| be done II would cost more in many cases
| than relocating theta.
Many of our roads were originally laid
! out without any attention to general topo-
graphy, and in most cases followed the
settlers path from cabin to cabin, the pig
| trail, or ran along the boundary lines OF
the farms regardless of grades or direc-
! tlon. Most of them remain today where
| they were located years ago, and where un-
| told labor. expense. and energy have been
wasted in trying to haul over them and in
endeavors to improve their deplorable con-
dition.
The great error is made of continuing
| TO follow these primitive paths with our
public highways. The right course is tc
call in an engineer and throw the road
around the end or along the side of steer
hills, instead of continuing to go over
them or to pull the road up on dry solid
ground instead Of splashing through the
mud and water of the creek swamp. Fol
more time and money have been wasteG
in trying to keep up a single mile OF one Of
these pig track surveys than it would
take to build and keep in repair two mile:
of good road
Another and perhaps greater error i.
rnndn hv snmn nnrsnnSs in. the NNnst w hl