St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1900-10-20
SUMMER ROADWORK..
WATERS OF Trnpurtance. Tisat.--Neea
Z Looking Affer, But Are sNesIected
! ~ fsSa5s i'm Most &PIacesa 5#& ~Aa5


The country roads. have. now all been
scraped and that usually is the end OF
roadWofk fort thefseason.pl 4 Eatthere are
several matters that need looking after
at this time of year, which are, of con-
siderable Importance to the roads and
those who us e7them. asA-s0&
First of all are the bushels and wag.
on loads of stones which the scraper
has dragged into the driveway, es-
peeiaHy on hillsides. a recent 20-mile
bicycle trip convinced me that leay-
ing these stones in the highway -isnot
a failing peculiar to this neighborhood
alone. Stones from the size of d wal
nut to those as big as a pail, literally
by the Wheelbarrow load on hiilsides,
and by the wagon load in a stretch OF
road a mile or twelong, are coolly left
to bruise and worry horses feet and
necks, pound the rims of wheels and
set drivers teeth on edge. Would it
be well to call. a council of the wise men
of the district to see what might be
done about these stones? Or would it
be better yet to have them removed
.double. quick within "a hours after
scraping?
Next comes the .s'chuck holes" low
places that were mudholes last winter,
but now are dry and smooth, but lower
than. the general level OF. the road. You
can easily find them after rain, when
they are full of water. In dry, hot
weather this soon dries out and does
but little damage. But in early falland
later, when water does not evaporate
quickly, these places will become soft,
and the travel will soon cut them out
and make mudhole that lasts from enc
rain to another. Thus months before
the main part of the road becomes bad
these "chuck- les" have made the road
impossible for heavy loads, and in the
pleasant days Of late fall every clean
buggy that comes along gets. plastered
over with mud from these holes. The
time to fill them is now; the way to do il
is to send a good man with a long
handled shovel.
Again, in time of much rain in sum-
mer the hardest clay soil of the roadbed
| gets soaked and the next shower will
wash it away. La this way on hills and
| grades long cutters are formed length.
| wise, and the bitches along the roadside
become so deep and wide as to often
ruin the road, especially on steep hills.
Then comes kick from somebody
who has been injured. then a heavy bill
of expense for repairing the road. All
this can easily be avoided if taken in
| time.
| When long cutters are beginning TO
form simply cut small trenches and
turn the water into, the ditch at the
roadside. Where this ditch is begin.
ming to get TOO wide or too deep put
in the bottom a title hay. straw, weeds
or the, like, and put stones on this,
| These checks of stones and hay should
4 be at intervals of 90 to 50 feet, accord.
ing to the steepness and force of tho
water. They diminish the speed and
force of the water, catch all the soil,
and soon fill up level with dirt. Then
another supplyRofs grass and stones
must be put on till the ditch is filled
UP as high as desired. Be sure not to
/ put too much in, one place, and to put
in the checks at short intervals. Brush
and the like in ditch as usually put in,
is a positive damage.
Finally comes the matter of keeping
the roadside clean. To say nothing Oh
/ how it looks to see the front of farm
grown up to briars, weeds, brush, etc,
or how different it looks to see the
roadside well moved, there is this one
consideration that ought to decidetha
matter withthe orderly people oftesery
country road district. If the roadsidea
are left unmowed and uncared for, as
soon as the driveway becomes wet and
/ muddy all foot passengers are com.
/ PEELED to wade in the mud or in the
wet grass and weeds, high and thick in
early fall. / have seen little school
children compelled all Of an open win.
ter to thus take their choice between
mud ankle deep and more, or
wet grass and weeds higher than
their neads and this in a civ
ilized, prosperous community. II q
woman wants to go to a neighbours she
must tramp in mud, waller in wet
weeds, or stay at home, which latter
4 she usually does, and joins the League
i for Compulsory Building of Macadam-
lied Highways to Increase the Social
Advantages of the Rural Population,
Better NOW the weeds in time. An
4 ton Leister, in N. Z. Tribune.