Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1907-04-26

Their Money Value.

The federal agricultural depart.
ment is preparing to issue a bulletin
which illustrates, in startling fash"
Ion, the actual money value of good
roads to the farmer and the people
generally, as well as the financial
losses they are now indirectly sus-
tanning from poorly maintained thor.
,ughfares.
The bulletin gets to the very meat
Of the proposition by showing, as the
result of careful investigation, the
average cost of transporting agricul-
tural products from the farms to
shipping points-an expense that in
evitably falls upon the farmer and
lessons his profits.
1t Is estimated that the average
load of cotton is 1902 pounds, the
distance of the haul 11.8 miles and
the cost of hauling sixteen cents per
hundred pounds. The bulletin then
sums up the cost of transporting the
leading American farm products in
actual money and the no less tangi-
bic investment of time, as follows:
THE total tonnage of farm pro-
ducts hauled on country roads In the
United States is not known, but of
twelve leading products 1t is esti-
mated that nearly $4,000, 900 tons
were hauled from farms during the
crop year 1866, at cost of about
$85, 100000, or more than five per
cent. of their value at local markets.
OF this traffic, 100000 tons rep
resent the weight of corn, wheat and
cotton, and the cost of hauling these
three products was $70,000,000.
''The number of working days
taken to haul twelve leading crops
from farms to shipping points during
the crop year 1905-6 is estimated at
21,417, 500, and the number of loads
taken as 30,319,O00."
The department makes very sensi-
BILE suggestions in the following
terms:
"The distance limit of profitable
farming for given crop may often
be extended by improving methods
and means of hauling. Better wag-
ons and horses may be used, roade
may be improved and better facili.
ties may be had for receiving the pro-
ducts at local markets and shipping
points. Improvements of this kind
tend to lessen the expense of hauling
a load, and thus make it profitable
for farmers to haul from greater dis
tances."
While these estimates are based
on general averages, 1t is fair to as
sumo that they furnish reasonably
accurate material for calculations
looking to the introduction of more
economical methods.
There can, therefore, be little
doubt that If the roads of the South
and other portions of the country
were improved to a degree of even
ten per cent, the cost of hauling
products to shipping points would be
perceptibly reduced. Less time,
moreover, would be required to make
the designated haul-another factor
which can by no means be ignored
in the final summing up. Fewer men
and fewer horses or mules would be
CdAASu AnCO ACQuAoAIAOA, VI IohCA away
from other tasks. The farmer would
find his profits sensibly increased.
and the opportunities for the extern
sion of his work greatly multiplied.
These are only few of the argu-
ments in favor Of a systematic cam
paign. There are the equally unde-
niable ones Of the enhancement in
property values, and the furtherance
of the social and educational facili-
ties of the respective communities.
Evidences are not lacking that the
sentiment in every Southern State is
rousing to an appreciation of the fact
that money spent In this direction is
productive of sure and substantial
dividends. - Birmingham Age-Her.
lid,