The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-08-02
GOOD ROADS. GOOD CROPS;
THEY GO RIGHT TOGETHER
Government Studies show How the
Agricultural output OF Cotut!
Depends Upon tts Highways.

Agricultural output OF a Couut!
Depends Upon tts Highways.
That an improved road VIII increase
vastly the productvcncss OF the area
through which II runs has now been
satisfactorily demonstrated by studies
conducted by tho United States De-
partmcnt vot Agriculture In Virginia.
Conditions In Spotsyly3nia County
were Investigated with particular care.
and the results have proved surprising
In 1909 the>Iounty voted 100000 10
improve forty miles of road. Two
years after the completion Of TINS wUrI,
the railroad took away in twelve
months from Frederic kshurg the conn
~ seat IL, 900 tons ~ agricultural and
forest products hauled over the high
ways TO that town. Ecforc the inn
provcmont Of The roads this total wa.
only $4,000 tons nnnydlIy, IN othcr
words. the quantity uIihc county's uro-
duce had ris"n iuorc than - per cent
sui moro intcrc sting, however j. :hc
increase shown III the quantity Of Tho.
dairy products. In 1909 these amount
cd to ll4.sl3 pounds, in 1911 TO 2T302s
pounds, an incr".Isc Of practIcaIIv ltu
per cont III two NcarS. In the same
lime shipments of whc..; had incrcnsc,
80 per cent tobacco ~ pcr cent aud
lumb"r and olh"r forcst products -
per cent.
In addition to tnis increase ia uu,n-
produce was materially reduced. IN
other words, the farmers not only pro
duce more. but produce more chcaply.
Tor the cost Of transportation TO mar
kct is of coursc. an Important factor
In the cost of production. From this
point OF view, il is estimated that the
100000 spent in Improving the roads
In Spotsylvani, couuty saved ;hc farm
crs Of that count $il.ooo year
In the past Two years the traffic
that approximately an average Of s..
900 tons OF outgoing products were
hauled over the improved roads IN tho
county an "vcrar" distance ar eight
miles, or = total of j2o.0o0 "tcn-miles
Before tho roads we're improved IL Was
estimated that The average COS, Of
hauling was 20 cent a ton mile. ar
ger tho improvement this fclI to IL
cents a "toi-Hiilc' OF q saving OF
cents. A saving Of ) cents per mile
on so. 900 ton miles IL Sfl.o 900 q year
Tho county, Investment ~ 100000
in other words. returns a hividcnd of
DO per cont annually.
Because this saving. IA case OF thi.
character, docs rot take tho form OF
cash put directly into tho farmers
pocket there H. 4 WIdcSi,rt ab tendency
% believe that it is Hctitious profit;
while as a matter Of fact 1t is jus, rs
real a source % profit as AN increase in
tbs price OF wheat.
In Dinwiddic County. Va. for exam
pic. where peanuts arc ono Of The sta
pie crops, tho average load FOR two
mules on main road was about loo
pounds before the road was improved.
After It's Improvement tho average load
Was found 1" toe @.ooO pounds. and The
umc consumed in hauling the larger
load to market was much rcduced IN
other words. one mau win . wayou
and two mules could do moro titan
twice as much work With ~" improN
road than win an unmprovod road.
This IS tn. explanation Of tho cNtraui-
binary rise In tho tutal output Of ..yri-.
cultural products III count Win :.
good road ~ St.fn.