The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1907-06-07
Good Roads Meeting Held
Here Yesterday.
Mr.. COOL EY'S SENSIBLE TALK
Gives the Patbmasters a Lot Of Coed
Advice on How to Build a First
Class Highway.
From thursdays Daily.

Inc Sood ROADS convention yesterday
afternoon was the 'best ever" About
loo farmers were present, and took an
enthusiastic interest i'm the betterment
OF the roads. There was none of that
suspicion of the city men that has al
ways manifested itself in previous meet
ln2s of this kind, but the farmers have
learned that good roads are used oftener
by them and are of far more immediate
benefit to them than to the city resi-
dents. Then, again, city men were not
recommending to the farmers that they
macadamize or even gravel their roads,
but merely that they go over them with
draSs. This means very little expense,
comparatively, and was not calculated to
arouse hostility. Several years ago it
was common at good roads meetings for
the city people to urge the farmers to
macadamize. This is entirely out of the
question and impracticable. 1t takes
nerve to ask farmer to pay for ma
cadamizing in front of an eighty or hun
dred acre farm, when it is one of the
most difficult things in the city to get
property owners to agree to pay for ma
cadamizing in front of forty foot lot
where hundred teams pass to one on
country road But the city people have
learned something as well as the farm
ers, and both have now come together
upon common ground. This ground in
cludes proper drainage, and the use of
the road drag, with gravel or broken
stone in the west places. Crawling or
matchmaking may follow in time.
yesterdays meeting. An earnest effort
was made to understand the new road
laws, and no criticism on them was
passed. When understood, the farmers
seemed to think that these laws should
be given a fair trial, and that very like
ly they would prove all that was claim
ed for them by Mr. Cooley and the other
speakers. =.
Taking up Mr.. Cooley's speech where
it was left off in yesterdays paper, he
said that road twenty feet wide be-
tween the bitches is ample, and the
bitches should be five feet wide. Not
much fall is needed for a ditch provided
it is kept clean. The fall of the Mis-
sissippi river from it's head to the gulf
is only three inches to the mile. In
building a new road it is not necessary
to remove the sod that is filled over,
but no sod must be put on the surface.
The law provides ample authority for
draining roads through private property.
In cutting a hill the dirt should be used
where it can be used to the greatest ad
vantage. We are working road improve
ment on all economical basis NOWADAYS.
In digging across a marsh we dig the
bitches fifty feet apart, which for Il four
foot fill on a twenty foot roadway al.
lows nine feet at the bottom on each
side. to run OH in winter when the snow
is off the top. A sodded bank will save
great deal of wash and save money.
A straight up and down cut through
clay will prevent the washing and caving
to great extent The bad places on
clay hills are near the top of the hills,
and should be taken care of by subdrain
age. either down the center of the road
or under the ditch. A six inch drain is
better than four inch one. The bigger
the drain the better fourteen inch
one is used in places, and where there
is fall enough it does not need to be
put under the frost line.
When we get all through with the
dirt roads they have to be taken care of
There is no better system than is i'll
use right here The farmers are under
obligations to the MankatO business
men. but the latter did it for business
principles, as they are good business
men. But it pays the farmers as well as
the business men. The split log drass
are splendid thing, but your kind of
drag must not be too heavy. Keep ever
lastinely after it with the drag, when
the ground is soft. Have the one idea
to haul the dirt to the center. The
road drag idea is a very old one. 1t is
i'm general use in Iowa and other states
and has made some of the roads like
asphalt when continuously used. A four
teen foot drag is better than Il smaller
smaller holes.
Your roads are in good shape, and
sometime you are going to gravel them.
1t paws to do this even if you have to
haul it some distance. I'm Hennepin
county it is hauled six miles. Gravel
should be selected for what is in it.
Lots of gravel used on clay roads is no
good for sand roads. Clay, lime and
iron are essential in gravel. The gravel
with iron i'm it is the best, and this
can be tested with an ordinary horse
shoe magnet. Lime and iron cause CO.
hesion and solid rOadbed.
Mr.. Cooley solicited questions. He was
asked what can be done with earth roads
in the spring when the frost is coming
out and they get rutty. MIR. Cooley said
that if the roads were thoroughly drain
ed there would be no water in them to
soften the roadbeds in the spring. Where
muskrats bother by digging into the
banks few pieces of thing will make
places for them to get into, which is
all they are seeking.
Those who are serving as road over
seers can 90 ahead this year as assis
tant to the ne wroad officers if the
county boards will do this. In eastern
states there is one county road super
intendent. and one road Overseer for each
town. There are no rights or preroga-
tives taken away from the county |
board or town supervisors by the new
law. Instead of several road overseers
in a township. hereafter there will be
but one but he can appoint assistants.
When there is but one Overseer there Is
someone to hold responsible. The sal
airy of the overseer is entirely in the