The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1907-03-21
Country Roads.
BY o Bates County Farmer.
Continued from last week.

NOW as 20 tne 0verseer. deenOulu
be man OF business ability and the
best road man in the district. he
should also be a man OF influence, be-
cause he would be able to make bet
ter contracts
The roads OF an entire township
will be from so to IS miles. He
should be able to view and contract
8 miles In a day, taking from 10 to
Is days He should go over the
roads from time through the year
overseeing In a general way the work
being done. He could collect the
taxes himself, or deputize the town.
ship ,llector to do It for him
TIE Board should pay him the
limit, 50 u day, for his services, and
the kind of man, | have described,
will not put In more days than are
necessary, because his time is worth
as much or more in his own affairs
There will be some bridges and cul
verts to put in and some extra bad
places to repair. 1t may be neces
sary to- contract this work to some
one other than the farmer interested,
but 90 per cent OF the work will con
sist of filling holes, grading and drag
cling.
The farmer can do this as well az
the average overseer and by using
his own teams and force at the most
convenient time can do 1t at less
. cost.
Thecontractor should have the use
OF the tools belonging to the district
when not In use by Others, but il he
has drag and pillow, he won't need
many more He will probably have
a scraper, II not his neighbor will
lend him one to use on the roads.
. lie must have a drag OF his own and
have 1t always ready. II he has, he
will find he can do large part Of his
dragging ut times when he would do
little or nothing else. IL he has 80
y borrow, he will lose this advantage.
There are drags and drags, But it
has been proven that the split log
! drag Is the simplest, the cheapest
and the best and 1 feet the best
in length,
As 80 grading that can be done
qnite well with the drag, II one does
not try TO move too much at one
time. There il a home made grader,
almost ss cheap as the drag, that
does as good work In most places
and in some better than the big
machine.
With one of these, two horses and
a pillow, | have taken furrow from
\ the side bitches, placed 1t In the mid
die, and narrowed 1t down Tor hell a
mile OF road in day. In grading
) up short place, it is better, because
itis easy to turn around, and in mud
will 20 through where the team will,
| while the other will nire down. These
graders can be made at cost OF So,
J and township can put one on every
mile OF road for the cost OF one big
machine.
A great many think the only kind
of good road is made OF stone, and
! a iew miles through mud to the axle
makes the thought look reasonable,
but well kept dirt road for ten Or
| eleven months in the year is the best
for nine.t enths OF the country roads
|! and very much less costly.
Now as to the cost OF maintaining
|! a dirt road under the plan | have
outlined. | have had the care OF n
mile Of road for the last three years
! 1t was Just an average road and had
had no work on it for two ye9rs be-
fore, and none since other than that
done by myself. | put in two cul-
verts, the township furnishing the
tile, graded and kept 1t in condition
. with the drag, the grader mentioned
and the ordinary tools and teams on
the farm. | have kept no account oil
+ this work, but think | am sale in say.
Ing that il l counted every hours
= work at 20 cents or 81 day for q
man and team that the whole
= amount would not exceed $25 or s.
a year for the 3 years. The result
: has been always a good road and In
first. class condition now at the end
/. of the road year. think my neigh
bors will bear me out In saying that
there has been no time In the thret
7 years, when q fairly good team could
not draw ton over II, when'it wal
i not filed with snow. ] think it will
. be worth about 81. so to keep II that
way another year, and am ready &c
contract TO do 80 at that price II
can. II can't, I'll do It for nothing
as before.
Suppose the 60 miles OF road In 9
township we're all like mine, and VI
= could get them kept that way FOL
even SO q mile, II would take LEST
than 5000 out Of the 81 900 revenue
b for road purposes leaving $500 iol
bridge, culverts, bad places, &c
4 Wouldn't we soon have good roads,
Is seems to me that the problem o.
good roads is not so much in thu
9 making OF them, as keeping then
and gradually making them better
q To do this they must have constan,
care, and the one who can give thil