The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-11-21
CONVENTION HEARS
SECRETARY WILSON
HEAD OF DEPARTMENT OF
AGRICULTURE SPEAKS
UPON GOOD ROADS.
TELLS OF WORK DONE
USE OF WASTE PRoDrCTs HAVE
PROVEN OF SERVICE IN CON.
STRUGGLING HIGHWAYS
THROUGHOUT CoUN-
TRY.

In addressing the convention on
good roads yesterday. Secretary of
Agriculture Wilson said:
Good roads will help to reduce the
cost OF living when more intimate
relation In established between the
producer on the farm and the con-
sumner by the help Of the parcels post
Half the people, say, live on the farm
and half In the towns. Facilities for
getting from the farm to the town
should be the most perfect possible.
There u no reason why the parcels
post should not do much of this work.
and 1t can Ii the mail carrier has
good roads to travel over at all times.
He can haul more over good roads
for the same salary and his pay can
be increased when he does more work.
Relations between farmers and town
folks can be established for the
prompt transfer. daily or weekly, of
much that the farmer produces and
town people consume. At present
when the town dweller pays q dol
lar the farmer gets half or less. Other
countries have effected this method
Of selling and buying, and by 1t the
farmer gets more the carrier gets
his freight, and the consumer gets
his supplies promptly. fresh and good.
Dairy products. fruits, meats and
vegetables and transferred In this
way In other countries. with great
satisfaction to all concerned and with
less unhealthy food. fewer ptomaines
and less frequent stomach troubles.
But there must be good roads from
the field to the railway station or
wherever the consumer lives II the
States will see to this 1t will bring
pleasure. health and profit to all con-
cerned.
Farm Relations.
The relation between the public
ROAD ana the farm IS SO intimate tnat
ly determines the value OF The tent
OF production. 1t Is only necessary
TO compare land values along goou
Toaos with land values aAong bad
roads to realize how universaliy This
10 true. Moreover. 1t is quite eviaent
that the condition OF the roao deer
mines the character and extent of
PRODUCTION, for the reason that certain
products. such, tor example, as small
fruits. truck, milk and cream. can not
be transported any considerable dis
lance over d bad road. The market
for SUCH commodities depends upon
their regular and continuous delivery
In good condition. The farmer who -
isolated from the market by reason
OF bad roads Is compelled to utilize his
land In the raising OF crops when are
not perishabie and which may be de-
hyered as the roads permit. Lyen
In such case, he n seriously hanai-
capped, as illustrated by an example
which l will give you. A Wisconsin
farmer had one thousand bushels of
potatoes which he held for satisfac-
tory prices. In March he Was Of
hyIS mi at
that time the ROADS were so bad that
be was unable to &c. them TO market.
hen the roads nnaily dried out SO
as to make hauling possiuie, he totino
the market hooded, and only got tnIrty
cents uusnsl tor his poialoes. ANS
farmer was, therefore, compelled 10
lose more tnan sevv In sins.e year
on one crop, because of pad roaus.
This isolated example must be mdi-
uN..cu ~ .ne eArrr.enCes OF ulou-
sanos Oh otaer farmers. an orocr TO
obtain the cumulative effect OF pad
roaos.
investigate systsms.
Every farmer snouiu, merely as q
matter OF self Interest," De strong
advocate of road Improvement, ana
should Etvu pracu "a support TO q
movement looking to q bel.erment Of
existing conaitlons.
The Department Of Agriculture, be-
cause the question Of road improve
ment Is primarily an agricultural one,
IL devoting y great deal OF a,tention
educational ana ipvestigative work
dehigned to help bring ABOUT an I'm
provement in tho roads. There was
esta Dlished In the oepartnent. by
Congress, In lsS3. the ol,,cs OF road
inquiry. with an appropriation Of $lV,-
kao
tary OF Agriculture to investigate sys-
TENS OF road management through
out the United States. Since that
time. the scope of the Office has been
oroadenad. and the appropriations In
creased from time To time until we
have q corps Of sixty-three engineers,
chemists and experts, who are con-
stantly striving In the field and in
the laboratories to solve the various
problems OF road construction and
maintenance. AZ well az those prob
iems which nave to do with road
legislation and management.
II may interest you to know that In
one year. over l.0o0.000 square yards
OF what We term object lesson road
were constructed Ia tho various
stateR illustrating nearly every type
OF road. These object lesson roads
are constructed under the direction of
engineers sent out from the office TO
give actual demonstrations OF how
such types OF read should be built.
and In the course Of the work TO give
instruction to the local road builders.
| In order that they may continue alonr
the same lsDes without further az
aistance after the departure OF the
government engineer. The services OF
these engineers and experts are given
TO the local communities absolutely
free Of cost, but the road itself must
b built ut the expense OF the locality
the government simply paying the
salary and expenses OF the engineer
, in charge.
Twenty Eight Object Irssons,
Last year. In order to determin,
TO what extent the object lesson road,
had proven effective in stimulatin,
road construction, a careful inves
| tigatiOn was made In connection with
twenty-eight such roads, and II wa,
| found. from strictly ofllctal sources
that 730 miles Of additional road hat
been completed a. direct result O.
these twenty-eight short object les
sons. none OF them over q mile II
length, and that an increase Of 81.
100000 had been expended in TIL
work. " the -ame ratio holds GOO
With reference 10 the total numbe
CT object le~~cn roai 10 constructe,
III 3 9p to. s present time mum
sr g.. II would mean that s.4s,
miles Of good road may be trace
! able to the efforts OF the Office O.
j nthlic foada Our IabOrafnrtes IN