The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-03-16
CONSTRUCTION Of
GOOD ROADS
OFFICIALS SHOULD ACT
Interesting Article Written by Fred
c. Evans, Superintendent of High
ways of Tompkius County, New
York.

YORK.
1t must be a source of great salts
faction to farmers all over the coun-
try to see and hear men engaged
in nearly all kinds of business striv-
ing and working for better roads.
With the advent of better roads the
farmers are profiting and viii profit
more than any other class of peo-
pie. In my opinion the farming
lands of Tompkins county have in
creased in value from ten to fifteen
dollars an acre during the past year,
owing to the improvements, both
made and projected, to the roads.
1t seems to me that the expert
ments in stone roads should be con-
fined to the development of a prop
er wearing surface. Many of us
know how to build stone roads, with
the different kinds of binders in
the top course; but the traffic should
never be allowed to wear out the
top course, or finished surface of a
stone road. The original construc-
tion should have the best obtainable
wearing course, and the work of
maintenance should be directed to
its preservation, so that no wear
should ever reach the course below.
In the course of experimenting
would it not be better to spend more
money on the earth roads, with the
materials that are in the roadways?
All practical road makers know that
sand and clay, properly proportion
ed and properly mixed make a
very good road. Why not do some
experimenting with the other ele-
ments found in our country roads.
Other surfaces may be found which
will be cheap and serviceable.
Chairman Hooker of the state
Highway commission says all roads
must be maintained" He is right,
of course, but so sudden and so
decided is the change from the old
conditions that the farmers and
many others hardly understand it
yet In Tompkins county, up to
last year, ii was a question of try
ing to get over all the roads with a
road scraper in each town every
spring, putting stone and sOds in
the roadway, and leaving the roads
in that condition until the next
spring. Scarcely any bitches were
opened: old stone drains under
driveways were clogged until you
could not drive a match through
them with a sledge; the wafer was
thrown from the gutter to run down
hill in the track, and ruin a road
which might, by accident, have been
well built.
The town superintendents and
other town officials are now realiz-
ing what has been the matter, and
in the future it seems as if there
will be more care exercised in Sc
lecting men for road work. In the
future men are likely to be selected,
not simply because they are good
fellows" and popular, but because
they are fitted for the position in
a practical way.
No town superintendent should
try to go over even One-haH his
town in one year, but should go
over only that part that he can
drain, widen and crown. The main
roads should be twenty-four feet
wide. with crown of two feet. and
side roads should be twenty feet,
with a proportional crown.
When an earth road has been
Strengthened. drained and crowned
the final finish to the surface can
only be given after a rain, when it
is muddy. Then put on rut
scraper, commencing at the gutter,
and smooth toward the center, see
ing that the dirt packs smoothly
This must be done quickly, as the
surface will dry rapidly and when
it gets too dry it only makes dust
This should be continued regularly
and often, and whenever the road
is in the least rutted, after each
rain.
The town superintendents cannot
attend to this branch of work. Even
with twenty deputies, he could not
properly care for the roads of his
town. This work should be done
by the farmers along the road. They
should be regularly employed, and
provided with rut scrapers. Usu-
ally this work is to be done when
the fields are too wet 10 work in,
and plenty of farmers can be found
who will do it for so cents an hour.
II is plain that if this method were
carried out it would not be neces-
sary to use large road machine on
the road once in ten years. and a
rivalry would be engendered between
the farmers as to which would keep
his road in the best condition for
the least money, When this condi-
tion is reached the problem OF gut
ters is solved.
A farmer should hav ethree or
four miles of road, or less what he
is willing and able to take care of.
If the work is done at the proper
time, Immediately after rain
and done well, the earth road will
pack smooth, and the traffic will
spread all over the road, and there
will be no ruts. When there are
no ruts in the surface OF a well
crowned road, the road is smooth