The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-03-27


the wide tires that they cause the load
to pull heavier; that they stick in the
mud worse than do narrow tires; that
they hit too many rocks as the wagon
rolls along the road surface; that they
will slip Ct the side of the hills, and
that, in short, they are practicable
only on good roads. If all these Or jsc-
tions were valid they would certainly
constitute an unansWerable argument
against the introduction of wide tires
in either Of the Oarolinas for some time
TO come. Here again it is we'll for US
to base our opinions on experience
rather than on theory and supposition.
I have myself seen wide tired wagons
used on earth roads in q number OF
different States and in CanaG a, and
have never heard the people who we're
using them raise any Of these objec-
tions or admit that they were correct.
have myself been using two horse
wagon with inch tires about Chapel
Hill, N. O, through two winters and
the driver said to me yesterday that
during ell this time he had never
stopped bis wagon on account Of the
roads being muddy and that he bad
never hauled a load on this wagon,
with two mules Of less than 2 600
pounds, and this notwithstanding the
fact that during the winter Of 169S-99
especially the roads in this vicinity
we're exceptionally bad and muddy.
It is q well known fact that in no
European country are narFow-tired
wagons and draft vehicles allowed on
public roads, and yet in these countries
the roads are all hard stone roads. The
use OF these narrow tires is prohibited
for the reason that they damage even
these hard stcEe roads far more than
do vehicles with wide tires. If then
100 years Of experience among the
farmers of Europe has shown it is
necessary to protect these hard road
surfaces from damage by naErow'ti
how much more important is it that il
this c1untry we should prote st cur soft
earth road surfaces in the same way.
Again, il we have post which sup
ports large weight, as some part OF
house or factory, we Certainly do moi
allow the lower end Of it to be sharp
ened or to be set directly on the soft
ground. We not only leave the lower
end of it as large as practicable bat We
usually fad it advisable TO set that
lower end on some broader hard sur.
face like stone or large piece of tim
Der in order to prevent it's sinking into
the ground. In the same way, if we
have moderately soft road surface over
which we wish to haul heavy load il
is certainly the sensible thing to have
the toupdation on which this load rests
as broad Of practicable.
Tnere lie no denying the fact that
both experience and reasonable theory
has shown the wide tired wagon to be
the best: % for the farm, for the
reason that it enables the team to pull
heavier loads over the fields, and the
wide tire cuts tE land to pieces lees
than does the narrow tire; ~ the best
for sandy roads, gyavelly roads, and
even clay roads, under ordinary COZ
ditions, for the double reason that they
roll and pack and make smooth the
road surtacs, and permit larger loads
being hauled; whereas the narrow tires
tend to cut these roads into ruts and
make them continually worse.
It will, of course, be admitted that
there are certain conditions, euch as
where the road is already cup into
deep, soft mudholes, and where the
road surface ia irregularly covered
with loose rock, under which wide
tires do not possess Rdvansages-and |
in some Of these cases is even at q de-
cided disadvantage; but these cases are
exceptional and will disappear entirely |
as wide tires come to be more generally |
introduced. Indeed the introduction |
of wide tires is one of the strongest in
centives toward Improvement of the |
earth roads, and there can be no rea
sonable doubt that the general intro |
ductiou Of wide tires will work an i'm |
mense advantage in the way of pro
tecting and improving the general sur
face of the road, and will also prove q
great stimulus in causing the proper
grading and draining of the public |
roads.
In opclusicn, it seems to me that the
intrpduction of the wide tire is emf
nently in favor ot the poor man and
the poor mans CouD try. In the pur
chase of new wheels or a new wagon
ON the wide tire costs but little more
than does the narrow tire; and indeed,