Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1909-12-22
The Improved Roads.

lGlaHtM 4A4t LepA4 ---fNFzHr 10 paeE
The Improved Roads.
OF the 15S,662 miles OF improved
roads in the United States, Indiana
has the largest milesge-that is, 2S,-
ST. miles. Ohio occupies the second
place. with 1850 miles. Wisconsin
is third. with 1858 miles; Kentucky
fourth, with 1856 miles; California
afth, with $500 miles. Illinois. Mas
sachusetts and Michigan have over
1000 miles each; Minnesota over
5000 miles; New York over 5000
miles; Tennessee over. 1000 miles;
Connecticut, Maine, Missouri, New
Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania and
Texas, over 1000 miles each, and Ala
bama. Georgia, Iowa, Maryland. New
Hampshire, North Carolina, Rhode
Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Vir-
ginia and Washington, over 1000
miles each.
In about two-thirds of the States,
gravel has been the principal surfac-
ing material used in improving the
roads. The largest mileage OF gravel
roads was found in Indiana. Ohio.
Wisconsin, Massachusetts,, Michigan,
Minnesota, Illinois and California. In
eight States the mileage of macadam
roads exceeds that of gravel, and in a
few others 1t is nearly equal. Ken.
lucky has the largest mileage Of road
surfaced with stone-over 5000 miles
and Ohio is second with a little
over 1000.
BY comparing the percentage of
reads improved with the population
per mile of road, it will be noticed
that in most cases the States which
have the highest percentage of in
proved roads have the largest popu-
Iation per mile Of road, and vice
versa. While it cannot be claimed for
improved roads that they invariably
lead to increase in population, good
roads are certainly a powerful factor
in encouraging immigration, especial
Iy in sparsely settled regions.
The percentage of improved roads
in any community or State depends
upon a variety of causes. the most
important of which may be summed
up as follows: Cd Availability of
suitable road-building material; (2ls
wealth OF the State in agriculture,
manufactories, Transportation. ETC.;
i3) requirements OF traffic. Prosper
ity promotes a desire for the advan-
tages and benefits. to be derived from
the Improvement of the roads; but
whether a community is rich in agri-
culture or otherwise, If it has to de-
pend on materials imported from dis
tant places, progress in the improve
ment OF the roads will be rauch
slower than If local materials are
abundant.
There are several other reasons
whyfhe percentage of improved roads
lis higher in some Of the States than
In others. The high percentage of
Improved roads in Massachusetts,,
Rhode Island. Connecticut and also
New Jersey is due principally to the
facts that suitable road-building ma
teriaIs abound. that these States are
densely populated, and that many of
the roads have been built through
the aid of the States and under the
direction of competent State authors
ties. Indiana and Ohio have an I'M
usually high percentage of improved
roads, because these States are abund-
antly supplied with good road-build-
ing stone and gravel and because the
social and economic conditions were
favorable to the making of public i'm
provements.
A comparison Of the percentage of
roads improved with the acreage
values of farm lands in the United
States shows that the average per-
centage of the impreSsd roads in all.
States where th51and is worth less
than $40 per acre is 10 per cent,
whereas in the States showing an
acreage value of more than $40, im-
proved roads constitute an average OF
nine per cent. of the total mileage.
Expressed inversely, the States show
ing a high percentage of improved
roads have on the average relatively
high acreage values, while those
showing a low percentage have low
acreage values.
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