Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1909-06-11

maintaining the boulevards and the
uniform excellence Of their condition.
Good roads naturally are rural
problem. In the cities no progress can
be made unless the thoroughfares used
for business and pleasure are paved
and maintained In good condition.
Country towns are concerned as much
with good roads as are the farmers
who use them. In country towns bust
ness practically is at a standstill in
rainy seasons. Bad roads keep the
farmers at home. IL the farmer had a
fit thoroughfare to the village he could
do his trading on days when he could
do no tasks in the fields. 1t is far
more desirable that the farmer should
visit his nearest town in the rainy
season than at any other time. as the
commodities he has to sell command
the highest prices when rain keeps him
at home.
The regents of the Kansas State Ag-
ricultural college were among the first
of the governors of agricultural col
leges in the United States to realize
the vital concern which good roads are
to farmers. Not only was there the
feature of poor roads following rain,
but there was the every day feature
of ruts, pools and poor roadbed gen.
orally.
The college board of regents named
Albert Dickens to take charge of eX-
perlmental road work in Kansas. Mr..
Dickens selected one-fourth of a mile
of road west of the reformatory at
Hutchinson to use in the first expert
ment. He reported upon the test as
follows:
The soil was a fair sample of the sandy
loan Of the Arkansas valley. AT the date
of its selection no rain had fallen for ten
days. The sand was several inches deep. |
Loads consisting of fifty bushels Of grain
made an exceedingly heavy load for
strong draft team. A good carriage team !
required much urging to pull the carriage |
faster than a walk
After the grading was completed and
the roadbed was well formed where fills
were required the entire road. one-fourth
nile In length and thirty feet wide was
plowed to depth of about four and one
half inches and thoroughly pulVeyized
with a harrow and disk, A disk, set
ta,,, as ,,i', '7,om e,'s,'' ~" 9tl
harrow followed the oil sprinkllns tank to
lhoroughly mix the soil and oil.
ne oi'is ~ "'I al uone @ .ile Il[st days r' ol
ank of 800 gallons would cover about
1900 square yards once. The harrow fol-
owed each applications When one gallon
he soil seemed nearly saturated TO- the
Iepth of the plowing. four and one-halt
nches' AFTER narrowing the iast time
ace In a week the road W.as siliiirientiv
rm to allow rolling twelve ton roller
vas used, going over the road several
I'm Artar ,uenI, mo ,ood was ,,god hy.
II kinds of traffic. 1t was firm. but not
ard. A sharp shod horse left the calk 1
the H p%iy pn ee ha Dut ,'u o' rGrt
'ot
One reason for building the road in the
,a tor was Th 10 Uoe a 'ne ei,et' vi l,Ge!5
,cted. 1t seemed that the coating at
led soil kept the underlying soil suffi- v
entiS t ury 10 prevent serious hea'ihs oS s
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