The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1900-10-18

Without the summer visitors the
chief means of support and the mar
ket for the greater part of the farm
products would be gone. Besides, good
roads help the farmer with his load
to market quite as much or more than
the pleasure drivers; therefore all cry
for good roads. To get and keep good
roads we must have good supervisors,
men who understand that roads in a
country with soil like this must be
crested in the middle, with a gutter on
each side, and a drain box now and
then to carry the water from one side
to the other; men who desire to keep
the roads shady not only because it
adds to their beauty and attractive
ness in the eyes of the summer visitor
but because of the infinite comfort
the shade is in hot weather to those
bringing loads into the towns, to say
nothing of the animals Who has
not rejoiced in the shady bits of the
road on hot August day and been
thankful for the trees By the time
the season comes when we want all
the sun we can get the trees have
shed their leaves anyhow and a road
that lies even through q thick piece
OF woodland is no longer shaded. In
parts of Pennsylvania and Massachu-
sets trees along the roadside are at
premium, and in many places part of
the tax is RENTED to farmers who
plant or leave shade trees along their
road lines. | own a farm in Pennsyl-
vania and last year two of my neigh
bors got quite large damages because
trees on their properties (but outside
their fence IineS) had been DESTROYED.
| do not know whether the MARYLAND
laws on the subject are the same and
that one can obtain damages here for
the destruction of road side trees not
actually dangerous to traffic, but in
Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and
some other states the trees cannot
be touched without notice first to the
owners and time allowed them to call
the attention of the chief authorities
If, in their opinion, the trees do no
injury. If this is not the rule in
Maryland l should like earnestly and
respectfully to call it to the attention
of the commissioners and urge them
to adopt some such measures for the
protection of trees by the roadsides.
Forest land is being cleared here so
fast that some roads are now exposed
to the full blaze of the sun for mile
after mile, and many supervisors,
when bit of bad road is complained
of, will destroy the trees along it say
ing lit needs more sunlight" to save
themselves the trouble and perhaps
the little extra work it would require
to properly drain the road. have
in mind piece of road which runs
east and west up gradually sloping
hill (Which would have greatly facili-
tated the proper draining), upon the
north side of which the supervisor
this summer destroyed some twenty
trees which could not be grown there
again in fifty years and which at no
time of day, except perhaps from IL
to O'Clock, could they possibly have
shaded that road. Nor was one word
said to the owner, although some of
the trees stood in the corner of the
snake fence and in the event of
picket or wire fence going up instead
of the snake would have been on the
inside of the fence. For such act the
Maryland law must have some redress
surely.
From the artistic point of view few
things are more Obstructive to the
beauty of the landscape or the pros
porous look of the county than the
quantity of girdled trees left stand
ing in the fields and along the road
side till they lose first their leaves,
then their bark, their limbs and at
last even the trunk falls.
IL VIII give me much pleasure If the
commissioners would allow me to
drive them through a road three
miles long, almost altogether in thick
woods, which has been in use for ten
years and had no repairs beyond an
occasional clearing out of a drain box
and one or two rollings per annum. 1t
might make some practical sugges-
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