The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-11-10

ton of the roads in this vicinity.
The road should not be too wide
twenty to twenty-five feet is am
pie, in fact twenty feet is the
standard road of the highway COM
mission, and is ample for all coun-
try traffic. Too wide means extra
expense in maintaining it; too mar
row means trouble in passing teams
and automobiles.
When grading can be done so
cheaply is there any excuse for not
having all our roads well graded
without further delay? Even if the
road tax is not sufficient to grade
all the roads it certainly would be
no hardship to grade the main
roads, where necessary, by donations
of work, though this is seldom nee
essary. If I were a farmer
would rather donate sufficient time
to grade and maintain the roads
about my farm than to endure rough
and muddy roads. There are many
miles of road in this rich and pop
ulous county of Blue Earth, some of
them important ones, that are al
most in the same state that they
were twenty or thirty years ago.
When we have succeeded in drain
ing and, grading the roads, the next
important step is to maintain them
in smooth, hard condition. The
ideal road is gravel for this section,
but it costs time and money to
gravel roads, and until this can be
accomplished, we must depend on
dirt roads. Fortunately it is an easy
matter to keep roads smooth and
hard. A man had brilliant idea
a few years ago. He somehow dis
covered if he drew plank or piece
of log at an angle over road that
was badly cut up into holes and
ruts after rain, just when the
road was partly dry, the holes and
ruts would be filled and the road
would pack down very hard.
A heavy rain will soften up any
road that has not been well drag
ged and small ruts and holes form,
which catch the next rain and hold
the water, making a. bad matter
worse, and if left alone it is not
long until the road is in mighty
bad shape. On the other hand, if
the small holes and ruts are prompt
ly filled and packed down by the
drag, there is no chance for the
road to grow worse, but it will con-
tinually grow better, smoother, hard
err and more browning, which is the
ideal condition.
If the three steps have been taken
you are ready for the final, which
is graveling. We occasionally have
long continued wet spells in this
country. We have just had one,
rain follows rain, with no opportu-
nifty between to get out and drag
the roads. Then we do have roads,
but there's no adjective to describe
them properly.
How the few gravel roads we
have were appreciated the past few
weeks! The farmers on these roads
could use them every day, hauling
any load they wished. Traffic came
from every side s:to get. to these
roads. They harvested splendid OBJ
ject lessons, and have stimulated
desire for more of them. Farmers
have generally seemed to think the
cost of these roads made them be-
yond their reach, but l do not be-
lieve it.
In any section where gravel can
be obtained, these roads can be
built at a cost ranging from $500 to
$500 per mile, depending on the
length of haul. Our main roads
should be made state roads as fast
as possible. On such roads, where
the work is done under the super
vision of the highway commission,
the state will pay one-half the cost,
the remainder being paid by the
county and the ones benefited.
About three years ago, some
farmers living south of Mankato de-
termined to- build a good road. They
formed a little improvement. socie-
ty of their own. Some of them do
mated from thirty to sixty days
work each in hauling gravel. They
secured a small amount from the
Commercial club and in couple of
years or so they had splendid
gravel road out six miles. One Of
these farmers told me a short time
since: mot for $1,000 would l have
the road back in it's old condition."
Another said: "My farm was worth
$500 more the day the gravel road
reached my place." and they were
right. Any farm lying on a good
gravel road, reaching to any market
town, is worth SIS to $40 more per
acre on account of the road. There
have been several pieces of good
gravel road built in the same way.
Good roads are an asset and should
be SO considered; the same as good
buildings or equipment.
What has been accomplished on
these roads can be duplicated on
any road where gravel can be OBJ
tanned. Gravel has been hauled six
miles and at that it pays handsome
ly to gravel the roads.
A man must have some public
spirit in order to be a really good
citizen. He must be willing to do
some things for the good of others
as we'll as for himself. Where men
are public spirited, they are willing
to cooperate with others for the
benefit and advancement of the. COM
munity in which they live, and
where there is reasonable amount
of this spirit, good roads can be
had and will be had as soon as the
community realizes what they act
ually mean.
In Steele county year or SO ago
picked up farmer one day who
was walking to town and as we