The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1900-01-04
B GOOD ROADS NOTES,
Country Roads.

Country Roads.
The average country road, as at
present maintained and repaired, is
constant source of unnecessary e1.
pense to taxpayers and an almost con-
slant vexation to travellers. at its
best the dirt road is good for only
few months IN the year, and those
months the time when the farmer-the
man most interested in good country
roads-is using his horses On the farm.
In the fall, winter, end early spring,
when the great bulk of teaming is to
be done, the roads are in bad shape,
except when kind Providence sends
snow that makes good sleddin'."
Bad roads mean small loads, and small
loads mean to the farmer proportion
ately small profits. I know many
farms where the saving in time from
| hauling larger loads, the saving in
wear aud tear of horsehesh, wagons
/ and harness, would over and over again
pay for the increased initial cost of
good macadam road. Made OF the best
dirt obtainabie, applied under intelli.
/ gent supervision, and kept in order
with proper road-making tools, the
dirt road is never entirely satisfactory.
What can be expected OF the quality of
roads made of the material most easily
obtained, applied by men ignorant oi
thtfcallv principles OF road making,
y flo ~ ,ithout proper tools, and SUI
a thew day men equally ignorant. OF
!. TO DIGue remedy for poor dirt roads
:; Mmacadam. But with no greater
IT diture OF money than now, the
. TO emit road might be vastly i'm
= ltbaad. The road tax should be paid
ikotsh. The system of loa6ng out
! tNa2x, under pretense Of working
| the roads" should be abolished. This
money should be expended under the
immediate supervision of one man for
each towpship, selected for a knowl-
edge of road making. and put under
boals for TIE faithful performance of
his duties. This would introduce in.
to the system the element Of response.
biiity, which IS sadly lacking at pres
ent, and to the lack of which are due
many OF the abuses OF the present
methods. One man, hiring his labor
where he pleased, and paying cash for
days work, would get considerably
more done for the money than dozen
or fifteen roadmasters working out the
tax in conjunction with their neigh.
i bors aud fellowfarmers.
!. Proper tools should be provided to
! work with. Roadscrapers are almost
j unknown in many country districts,
and plows aud shoyeis are the tools
most commonly used. Very good
road scrapers can be bought for only
two or three times the cost Of good
pillow, and two men, two horses and q
roadscraper will do the work of an
equal number of horses and ten men,
with shovels, and do it better. Only
the best obtainable materials should
be used in repairing the roads, gravel.
when possible, and when not, the dirt
most nearly approaching it in quality.
The use of "gutter wash" sods, and
stones larger than two inches in diam.
eter, should be forbidden. I have
seen roads "merded" with sods, that
were fer weeks impossible at any gait
faster than a walk, and I have seen
holes in the road bed filed with large
stones that were nuisance for years
The roads should be worked at
proper times. The need of the dirt
road is little repairs often made. The
common practice is to do almost all
the work just after "corn planting"
This is wrong for two reasons: it is
too late for the best results, and too
much is done at one time. Six inches
Of dirt or gravel will make a far better
road if put on in layers of, cay two
inches at intervals of a month or so,
than will the entire quantity applied
at once. Just as soon as the roads
are settled in the spring, and before
they have become dry and hard, the
scraper should be put to work level
ing and filing the ruts that were worn
during the winter, and slightly round
ing the road bed towards the center.
The ground being still moist, and not
compact, as it is at the usual time OF
doing this, the work can be done more
easily and rapidly and the road will
pack better. Later, light coat oil
earth or gravel should be applied, tc
be followed by another when the first
becomes packed hard, and this in turn
by third ii possible.
Vide anI Marrow TIrea