Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1903-12-24
FOR CLEAN ROAD SIDES.
State Road mmissioner Sanford Of
fers Valuable Suggestions.

fers Valuable Suggestions.
State Road Commissioner ]. o. San
ford writes to the Londonderry Sitter
a letter, on the subject of keeping our
road sides clean, which may be read
with profit by everybody in the state
interested In the subject Of good roads.
He says: In September drove through
nine towns in Windham county exam
ming state road work and the condi-
lions of roads in general, and while
found the travelled portions Of the roads
In good condition for the most part,
the borders of the roads in many cases,
(mostly in the hilly towns) were sadly
neglected and given up to growing
bushes. I asked the road commission
err: why do you neglect the road
sides? Why don't you cut back the
brush at least eight feet from the GEN.
ter of the road as the law requires?"
In every instance l received practically
the same answer. There Is no money
for the purpose, the people are press
ing US for better roads and we are
obliged to lay out all the money on the
Travelled portion"
These replies raise the queries: Has
the standard for good roads recently
changed? Are the people demanding
better roads than they we're satisfied
with but a few years ago? We believe
this to be true and it may require adj
ditional appropriation for this work,
and we have urged selectmen to bring
this matter before the people at next
annual town meeting. The trouble is
not confined to Windham county but
Is general, complaints of the growing
nuisance having come to me from per-
sons operating mail routes in various
sections. 1t Is on the increase where
forests have been removed and new
growth is coming forward, or where a
ow grade of farming has allowed old
pastures or worn out meadow land to |
-un wild.
Many suggestions are made for a |
state law that shall obige owners of I
and to cut and destroy the road side |
brush. In our opinion doubtful ex-
oedient, although we are told New |
York state has such a law in force.
Certain 1t is, that the matter Is getting
serious and must be met; either the
rush must be cut back or some of the
oads will have to be abandoned. When
irving early in the day before the dew
vas gone my horse was wet and my
lothing saturated with water from the
verhanging boughs with which we
anne in contact. We often find the side
Iitches completely occupied by
bushes, the roots and heritage
the water flow. This
pongy mass together with the dense
hade holds the water which is eating
nto rotting and destroying the road
here is little chance for water to es-
ape either by flow or evaporation.
food roads cannot be maintained un-
er such conditions. Drainage must be
rovided by good clean open side
itches where water can flow TO low
r level, with sunlight and air to dry
he surface.
We have urged the road commission
RS throughout the state in operations
pom the roads, to have a regard for
ne natural attractions of the road
ides. In cutting the saplings the
'hte birches, those Fairies of the ;
Woods" where they can stand without
etriment to the road should be left ;
nd trimmed, and the same with a few
naples and other varieties, enough to {
lvite the frisky squirrel or to afford
esting places for companionable birds.
here Is intrinsic value in road side I
eauty which should be respected by Y
lie road commissioners first and he j
nould insist on others following his |
yample and have law to enforce it if l
ecessary. The old custom of using the t
,ad sides as dumping ground for all q
,rts of trash should be forever aban-
oned Whenever ii is necessary to
ave heavy material like rocks on the
,ad sides 1t should be done in a man 8
ar to appear orderly and attractive =
lther than repulsive. When loose
ones are removed from the road they
lould not be thrown upon the borders
the road nor into the field, but I
aced in cart and taken to some place
here they can be utilized in road
Hiding When culverts or bridges are
tilt or repaired the refuse waste
IouId be put out of sight. Roads and
'ush will not go together they must
separate.
For utility we will have well built
ads with clean borders and good open
tches. the beauty line TO begin on the
argin of natures garden, defined by
e boundary line of the highway