Mower County transcript., 1908-10-14
FOR GOOD ROADS !
Rusticus Gives Timely Suggestions
REGARDING Work on our County :
Roads,

A gentle reminder of the duties OF
our road overseers may be of some
benefit to our public highways at
the present ime. In, driving through
the county, one gets into sections
where the cleaning of the roadsides
has been sadly neglected and this to
all appearancec where farmers are
Wideawake to improved methods of
farming. Why this should be I fail
to comprehend. Why farmers should
let burrs and weeds grow year after
year to mar the beauty of the land
scape and catch the snow and pre-
vent the drying out of the roadbed
in the spring is something that
stumps me. y days work On a mile
of road would put it into shape so
that a few loads of hay would grow
instead of brush and weeds. The
hay would more than pay for the
cutting and cleaning up while the
difference in the looks would many
times repay all trouble Some farms
owned by city business men are sore
ly in need of having the roadsides
cleaned up. The town boards on ght
the cleaning up where the farmers
neglect to 10 il.
Right now would be a good time
to repair culverts and open bitches
so the water could drain off quickly
next spring. Many plank culverts
are washed out badly. The water
is dried out now SO plank can be
set down deeper so as to prevent
washing out another year. The ap-
proaches to many bridges need filing
up in order to stop the many bumps
one gets on ten mile drive besides
Wracking his wagon. Sometimes we
see the roadside just piowed up and
a few scrapers full of dirt taken
away while the rest is left in heaps.
III you have to turn out you will get
more bumps. 1t is not good plan
to put much loose soil in the road
this late in the year as it. will not be
packed and wheeled down enough
before freezing and It will make "a
mud hole.
quite a number of districts have
not worked half Of their road tax.
The best way to do it now is either !
to repair culverts or do some plOw- |
ing or breaking just outside of the !
wheel tracks, five or six burrows |
wide, then give it a good discin,, and |
narrowing. This will put some loose
dirt on the road and put it in good
shape for the split log drag next
spring. A couple of plowings will
make quite nice road bed and do
it cheaper than any other way. Mo-
ruts should be allowed in the road
bed for the water to gather in to
soak up the bed and maks deep holes
Work at the right time will soon
make good and permanent roads.
Some people say they have no time
to fuss so much on the road. 1 be-
lieve it more lack of interest than
If time. Almost anything that we
take an interest in we will find time
to do something to help and benefit.
If this article shall interest one
person to take out the bump holes
If one bridge approach and clean up
one half mile of roadside will feel
0aid for the time I have spent in
it. and our mail carriers
and maybe some auto drivers will
appreciate it. Just four or five
weeks more before an actual freeze
lp and snow fall Not much time is
left to do the good work this season.
Of course if we neglect it now, we
will have all winters time to repent
for our negligence while we are
snow. In this case it is
better to act in haste than to repent
in leisure.
RUSTICUS.