The Mena weekly star., 1913-10-02
Best UtntG Uo
 Bulb Roans
Conditions for Making Good Roads Are Best During the Months
 of May and June.

To the Editor:
 Without any desire whatever to discourage the road building boom that is now sweeping over the state, and the United States. for that mat ter, 1 desire to make a few sugges- tiuns regarding the most favorable season of the year for building roads, and right here 1 want to say that road-buIlding ill Arkansas, par ticularly ill this part of the state, Is far more simple and less eXpen- siNe than ill any of the many states have travelled over. In my na- tive state of Ohio, all public or county roads are macadamized and called turnpikes, and they cost all most as much as the grading for a railroad. In an early day these turnpikes were built and main tained by companies and toll gates were stationed at certain distances, the travelling public having to pay so much per mile. Later these bikes were purchased by the various counties and for many years have been free roads, being kept up by road tax. At one time there was an old plank road in Ohio, and one can readily imagine what road would cost after being properly graded and then covered with Z inch oak boards spiked to log sup ports.
 In the state of Indiana l found remnants of old corduroy roads, the name being due to the fact that the roads were constructed by lay ing logs of uniform size side by side on the grade Road builders in Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia and the Old Dominion state have sticky clay to contend with. In In- diana they have the same problem to solve, and in Illinois a bottomless black mud. Kansas maintains good roads at small expense, and many of the farmers whose land borders public highways take great pride in keeping the roadsides free from weeds. In fact, some of them sow blue grass and white clover seed along the roads, and in certain localities it is like riding or driving through a lawn to travel Kansas road. And 1t all pays, too. A good clean road, nicely bordered with tame grasses running through or by farm is just as much of an inn provement to that farm as fine orchard, a neatly painted house or a big red barn. In fact, work on, or money spent on, good roads Is the best investment a land owner can make, and it is certainly grati- fyiue to note the fact that the peo- pie of Arkansas have joined the good roads movement Public in difference on this question in years past has been largely to blame for the bad roads in Arkansas, and bad roads have had much to do with retarding immigration and holding down land values. But I have di- gressed from what I started to say In fact, the road proposition is a big one, and a man is liable to scatter some when he starts out to discuss it.
 That a great deal of useless and unnecessary work is done on our public highways is plainly appar- ent to the close observer, and the main object of this article is to call attention to the fact that, while some good can be accomplished by road work at any old time, the best results can be obtained by doing the most work at a certain season of the year. In my humble opinion, and that opinion is based on a wide range of experience of observation, l the best time of the year to work the roads is during the months of May and June. Of course. | realize ] That this period covers a very busy Itime with the farmers. but at the mo .me lha condition of the l ground a. That season of the year mo. only mucu better for grading l .Uan at anE aOhea .taa bu0 Inc new works e. .ha full hrned. of the ] |-al.iuq and hanj.uine aGt.'s of the
 umWr and rlv fal weather. ] .uro s.n rH.Is r.d.5 I'D !a.e in
 fat. .ha .e.ama almost im- aa.a when .he winter rains be-
 G .o Ga'|. and har. 1 b0eey
 ds built mp TT .h. U months . .m were firm and hard a, win ] .or.
 Tafe the road work Ha. was done
 Hue tae angHiHe weather of 'a-. Au-usl and duiu1 the first p9rl .af September when .he ground wa,
 hard That iJ was almost imper- HVous Q dynamite, let alone a fonr- |Hnse D'ow. and wa find 'hll very I'it.lc real good was accomplished 1 X road grader was simply au' ouI Of business and the pick and shove .nroaess makes slow work. Yes
 nlomen. lhora is a proper tim. ! 10 plant, 10 sow and 10 reap, nc 1 'hue is a proper time 10 huilr roads Some of our farmer friend. l nIaim that lhe automobile owner. are behind the Good Roods move nenl and all I have 10 say is ina. | # This is true give us moro aulo- mobiles.
 Yours for BeliPr Roads.
 T. P Fulton.
 Cove. Ark. Sept. 29. 1913.