The San Angelo press. (San Angelo, Tex.) 1897-1907, 1905-06-15
GOOD EARTH ROADS.

somewhat lengthy presentation IN this
department of plan whereby the
common earth road may be wonderful.
~ improved at very small outlay, a
plan adaptable to all states and all
soils save sandy ones.
II goes without saying that bad roads
lnHict fearful tax upon the country
ut large, burden which should be re-
moved to rs great an extent as posi-.
bic. Bad roads depreclate the value Of
farm land, Interfere with the postal
service, cause gluts and famlnes in the
produce markets and are perennial
dlsturber Of the agricultural and com.
mcrcinl interests of the whole country
The roads are the worst wherever
the soil Is most productive. Fertility
Of soil means mud. Mud means money
and II also means misery. Where the
soil Is sterile and stony good roads are
natural sequence. Where big crops
can be raised there man gets stuck
hauling them to market.
The vast agricultural empire Of the
great west and northwest Is n country
OF bad roads, heretofore presenting an
almost unsolvable problem and one
which In the rapid development Of the
country becomes yearly Of more urgent
Importance.
1t Is conceded without argument that
an earth road Is the best road in the
world when II Is dry and smooth and
that when IL Is wet II Is the worsr road
t,, q lao orth
be kept free from water It would thus
become the ideal road.
II has heretofore been assumed that
this thing was an lmpossiblllty, and so
all lines Of road Improvement have
been based upon the theory that the
earth must be covered with some sub
stance-gravel or stone or burned clay
to make It impervlous to water or ut
least resistant to- its effects, no atten-
ton being given to the possibility OF so
treating the earth itself that 1t should
become practically waterproof. Fol.
lowing this assumption we have the
various methods OF road building
matchmaking paving and gravclng-
all Of which are very expensive,
slow OF construction, costly to main.
! tain, and which because Of the OK
cesslvc cost of construction and the
| difficulty of obtaining suitable mate
rial were only possible on main high
ways between cities In thlCkly settled
sections Of the country, Mt least for
the present generation. Such highways
cost from $4,000 TO $1,000 per mile to
! build There are about eighty miles OF
| highway I'm each civil township, or, say.
| an average of One-half mile to each
| farm. Taking even the lowest estimate
of cost-$2, 800 per mlle-the construc-
| ton of such roads. bonded debt prln-
clpal and interest, would mean bank
ruptcy and conflscatlon, and thus It
comes that the macadami2ed road Is
not a solution for the existing problem
! Of bad roads.
There are just three things which are
| Indispensable TO the securing Of n good
earth road which, as we have said, Is
the best of roads when It is good, and
these arc--lt must he smooth, 1t must
be oval. and 1t must be hard. Given
| these three conditions in conjunction
and we have the good earth road. The
| object of writing this article Is to show
| how this thing may be accomplished.
To make 1t plain and easy to be un.
derstood we will take stretch Of gum
DO soil, soil notorious as the begetter
OF the worst roads on earth. We are
going to assume that such highway
has been graded up and dltched so far
as possible to secure the escape of the
surface water. This much done, we
| find the following condition: The track
all cut up during wet time, bottom
less chuck holes and ruts, n ridge of
earth between the wheel tracks and
other ridges Mt either side. When II
| finally dries of for the water which
| falls on 1t cannot possibly escape, 1t Is
so baked and so rough that 1t Is almost
as bad dry ms wet: the travel Is forced
into the ruts, making them more deep
and water tight. If dry season comes
constant travel will finally smooth the
road down until it becomes fairly
good road, but the Irregularities OF the
surface Insure bad road Just rs soon
as n rain falls, and so It but rarely Is
ever n good road either wet or dry.
Every man Is familiar with this condl-
ton OF the highways. At'its best this
road Is possessed of but one OF the
| three essentials
Now, supposng that this gumbo road
could be so treated that the other two
factors, Quality and smoothness, could
be secured, 1t will at once become clear
that the problem of the earth road Is
| solved.
The country Is indebted to Mr.. ID,
Ward King Of Maitland, Mo-, for dis.
Notwithstanding on to, he says-a
method of doing this, the very SIMPLE
lty and cheapness and ease Of opera
ton of which plan make every man
wonder why nobody ever thought OF It
before. The tool can be made on any
farm by any farmer or by any farm
er's boy. A log of any wood, the light
er the better, ten inches in diameter
and seven feet long Is split, The two
halves are fastened together thirty
inches apart, split faces to the front
this done by putting three connecting
braces between, tightly wedged into
holes bored In the thickest part Of the
log with two Inch auger. The lower
edges OF the two half logs are trimmed
true and strip Of lron-an old wagon
| fIra nr tho hlnIna np IN nIJ otn |,