406 BOARD OF AGRICULTUKE. 



. The maintenance is, to my mind, more important than road-building. 

 We must secure a good method of maintenance before we can secure and 

 keep good roads. No road is permanent. A good system of maintenance 

 will make a good road better, and a bad system of maintenance Avill make 

 a good road bad. We must first learn to care for bad roads before Ave 

 will be able to have good roads to care for. As soon as a road is im- 

 proved it should be cared for, as it begins to need attention at once. A 

 "good road is one that is hard, smooth and serviceable in all seasons of 

 the year and under all conditions of the weather." If we apply this 

 definition to Indiana roads we would have very few miles of good roads 

 *in our State. 



There ai"e over 8,000 miles of gravel road in our State, principally in 

 the northern and central counties, and we spend on the maintenance of 

 these over one million five hundred thousand dollars annuallj\ This, 

 when estimated by the mile, is quite a great deal, and with all this ex- 

 pense our roads are in good condition not more than five or six months in 

 the year. 



While I would not advocate any immediate and I'adical change in our 

 highway laws, as some engineers do, yet I believe there should be a flexi- 

 bility given to our laws, so as to permit a variation of our methods of 

 maintenance as to enable us, with no greater burden of tax on the people, 

 to obtain better results. Cut out the personal method where it is desired 

 to do so, and try in its stead the method of "constant attention." My 

 idea is to begin with what we have and where we are and work toward 

 better results. I believe that the amount of money expended now shonUl 

 materially increase the quality of our roads. 



I believe that we should divide the roads into sections, and employ 

 one man to each section of 10 or 15 miles, and then require the man 

 and his team to put in his whole time in caring for that portion of the road 

 and keeping it in repair. Thoroughly systematize the work of mainte- 

 nance of our roads in this way, and we will have better roads and less 

 waste of money. 



I should like very much to go into detail, but time will not permit. I 

 wish to say, however, I hope to see the element of politics eliminated from 

 road maintenance, and would like to see men appointed to these places 

 who would be kept there as long as their Avork gives satisfaction, and no 

 longer^ — merit and eflSciency being their only recommendations. 



FORESTRY, THE ORIGIN AND CAUSE IN THE UNITED STATES. 



W. n. FREEMAN, INDIANATOUS. 



Forestry is a sign of the tirnes, a presage in the lumber situation. As 

 long as the impassive wall of the forest confronted the lumberman he cut 

 regiirdlossly, heartlessly, thinking only of the present returns :md pocl^et 



