No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 41 



whilst others, near by, and uuiinproved in this i-espect, are either 

 standing still, or retrogradiuy;. Quick and easy transportation has 

 become a necessity in the country as well as in the cities, and popu- 

 lation will leave a community where this cannot be had. 



Free Rural Mail Delivery also joins in the demand for good roads. 

 This great public convenience cannot exist, where the roads are un- 

 suitable for travel during any considerable portion of the year. The 

 farmers are coming to realize this, and are, after a fashion, endeavor- 

 ing to improve their roads, but the lack of skilled and constant super- 

 vision makes the etfort costlv, and the results altogether unsatisfac- 



%/ 7 CD ' 



tory. 



The Hon. A. W. Machen, General Superintendent of the Rural Free 

 Delivery System, U. S. Postal Department, in a paper presented at the 

 meeting of the International Good Roads Congress at Buffalo, declar- 

 ed that "the only obstacle now encountered in the extension of rural 

 free delivery is the unimproved condition of our country roads. In 

 man}^ sections of this country the roads are what are called dirt or 

 mud roads. They are narrow and tortuous, and the onlv work done 

 on them is practicall}' confined to going over them with a road ma- 

 chine or scraper once a year. The principal effect of this work is to 

 pile up in the middle of the road all the muck and rubbish which has 

 accumulated on the sides during the rest of the year, so that in wet 

 weather, unless the soil is verv saudv, the whole surface becomes 

 rutted and is soon converted into a series of mud-holes. This is par 

 ticularly the case in most of the farming sections of the middle west, 

 and to a large extent in the south; also as far east as western New 

 York and Pennsylvania. * * * Goods roads ave indispensible 

 to a really efficient service. * * * A well-built and well-kept 

 road wiil permit of such a service; over bad roads it cannot be main- 

 tained.'' 



This statement, coming from the source it does, is notice to the 

 public that free rural mail delivery will depend for its extension upon 

 the condition of the public roads. 



But the most urgent demand for good roads comes from the public 

 schools in the country districts. If, as is shown in another part of 

 this report, the consolidation of the schools is the only solution of 

 the problem of securing the proper and economical education of 

 country children, it certainly also is true, that the consolidation can- 

 not be completely effected until good roads make the transportation 

 of the children to and from school possible. Good roads and better 

 rural schools are dependent upon each other. The latter cannot be 

 had without the assistance of the former, and country people are now 

 coming to realize this as never before. 



The question of farm labor in the future must be largely solved 

 through the improvement of the public roads. The great obstacle in 



