Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1910-03-18
IMPROVEMENT OF ROADS
PRACTICAL FARMER OFFERS
MANY VALUABLE SUGGESTIONS.
Calls Attention to Importance of Prop
er Drainage and Advocates
Use of Drag.

In these days of steadily increasing
interest in good roads, all discussion
of ways and means for the betterment
of public highways is entertaining and
profitable. recent communication
from G. F. Linxwiler, of Josephine
County, printed in a recent issue of
the Medford Tribune, contains so
much practical, common sense, that
the Observer is glad to reprint it for
wiler says:
"As there seems to be no end of
controversy on the road question, es-
pecially in the outlying districts,
would like to give you my views on
the subject. The trouble in this (the
Evans creek district) as in many 9TH
ers, is employing incompetent men to
supervise the working and grading of
the roads properly. The majority of the
men having charge of our roads
haven't the least idea of how a road
should be worked, and from the looks
of the roads in this section, don't
care, so they draw their money. Road
making is a business, and we can't
expect every Tom, Dick and Harry to
make good road boss any more than
you can expect any common laborer
to know how to pave your streets prop
erly.
THE first thing to do in making a
road of any kind is to first drain the
roadbed. Water is the most accommo-
dating thing in the world. 1t will get
away at the first opportunity. Hard
roads may come, and will come all
over the county in time, but the prop
osition involves too much expense to
be seriously considered now. We will
be confronted for some time to come
with the problem, how to make good
roads from the material we have on
hand. If the water is not allowed to
get within at least two or three feet
Of the surface, 1t is possible to make
good road; otherwise, it is impossi-
BILE, for the simple reason that the
capillary attraction will bring up this
water to the surface, and your cover
ing will sink, no matter how much
you put on. In some cases the neces-
sary drainage may be just open bitches.
In many cases it will require tile, not
in the center of the roadbed, but on
the sides, sometimes one side, some
times both. There are spouty places
in hilly countries where a strata of
clay crops out, and this must be rem
edied by tile so placed that the water
raised by the clay will be led into the
side ditch, before it comes to the
surface. The expense of this is very
small, and the mudhole will no longer
trouble you.
"The next problem is how to control
the roadbed at any one time. This
should be narrowed and rolled, or If
a roller is not available, allow it to
put on a couple of inches more, and |
allow that to be compacted by travel.
Frequently it is not necessary to use
the road grader at all, a well con-
drag being entirely sufficient
and much cheaper. These roads will |
rut up, but drag run over them af-
ter a rain will smooth them, and after
a while they will become perfectly |
solid and heavy rain will shed off |
'"rhe theory of road making is diff
ficult of application. The difficulties,
however, lie mainly in getting our
road affairs so managed that the water,
under water or upper water,
will be properly taken care of. The
ranches of Jackson county pay enough
In road tax to have good roads. They
never will have them until they es-
tablish a system of drainage, make
permanent culverts and bridges, and
employ men to supervise the construc-
ton of roads that know their business.
We shall never have this done so long
as we trust it TO some man who can
be persuaded to act as road supervis-
Or. II is difficult to persuade a first
class farmer to undertake this work
worth more to him at home, hence 1t
Is usually left to some man who can
afford to take It. Some minor changes
must be made in our laws before we
can expect to have good roads all
over the county. The efficiency of the
road drag, when properly used. has
been demonstrated as clearly as a
proposition. What is
needed now is some legislation, or, i'm
default of that, some understanding
between farmers so the roads will be
Trained. graded and dragged after the
rains. not allowing them to get per-
'ectly hard, and when this is done we
'hall have good roads. Until It is done
We will go on as we have in the past
Years, throwing away four-ffths OF
,ur money. There is enough levied in
poll tax in this section of the county
% drag the roads effectively, leaving
he cash levy to be expended in drain
ng. grading, where necessary, and in
Of permanent bridges and