240 ■ BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



gravel," have been gradually cut down, and the gravel carted 

 upon the wet levels intervening ; the stones have been diligently 

 removed, and something, though far from enough, has been done 

 in the way of drainage. The result is that the grade of the road 

 has been decidedly improved ; throughout nearly the whole dis- 

 trict the road has a hard, smooth surface of gravel, and the ancient 

 depths of mud, which so vexed the travel of spring and autumn, 

 have all disappeared. This has come mainly from the people of 

 the district learning that one load of gravel on the road surface is 

 worth more than the largest amount of sand or clay, or vegetable 

 mold. But they have not yet learned the value of a zigzag road, 

 else they would thus subjugate the worst hill in their district, up 

 which the struggling ox and horse have toiled these three genera- 

 tions, with no better prospect for generations to come. 



How often it is necessary, in the work of transportion, to load 

 with reference to a single hill, or bog, or sandy stretch. But for 

 this one obstacle a much greater load might be easily carried 

 throughout the whole distance. Such obstacles should receive the 

 special attention of all managers of roads. One dollar spent for 

 their removal will do more good than five dollars spent on the 

 average road. 



The Worth of Good Roads. 



I began by speaking of the value of good roads, and I will con- 

 clude as I began ; for it does seem to me that they are not fully 

 appreciated by our people. There can be little question that if 

 our State had only good gravel roads, of proper grade and drain- 

 age, the cost of transportion, with her present meagre population 

 and volume of business, would be reduced one-half. There would 

 be saving of time, of labor and wear of men ; there would be sav- 

 ing of animals and of carriages. Where it now takes eight hours 

 to travel tliirty miles, we should see the same distance traveled by 

 the same horse in five hours ; and where one thousand pounds 

 now. make a load, we should behold three thousand as easily* 

 drawn. And the roads would be fairly passable at all seasons and 

 in the worst rainy weather. This would give a genuine increase 

 of wealth for all concerned — for those at and for those away from 

 the centres of business — for producer and consumer alike. How 

 much would thus be saved cannot indeed be very well determined ; 

 but it seems to me it could not be less than two dollars to each 

 inhabitant, or $1,500,000 for the whole State, enough to pay five 



