782 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Fla. ; Gainesville, Fla. ; Jacksonville, Fla. ; Ajnericus, Ga. ; Athens, Ga. 

 Ilinesville, Ga. ; Statesboro, Ga.; Waycross, Ga.; Pendleton, Greg. 

 Salem, Orej;.; Southport, N. C; Abbeville, S. C; Newberry, S. C. 

 Sumter, S, C; Cumberland Gap, Tenn.; Beaver Dam, Va.; Emporia, 

 Va. ; Norfolk, Va. ; and Williamsburg, Va. Some were found in excel- 

 lent, some in fair, and some in very poor condition. Very few had 

 received systematic maintenance and many had received none at all. 

 In some instances tlie nature and the amount of tralhc have changed 

 very greatly since the road was built. The road, which may have 

 been suitable for the conditions and trafTic at the time of its construc- 

 tion, may not be suitable for the conditions that later exist. 



The road built in 1905 at Jacksonville, Fla., is a good illustration 

 of this change. At that time the country was sparsely settled and 

 no great amount of traffic went over the road. When it was com- 

 pleted, it was the best road around Jacksonville, and traffic, whenever 

 possible, was diverted from other roads to it. In a year the travel 

 over it had increased fourfold. A brickyard was established by the 

 road and many very heavy loads were hauled over it. As Jackson- 

 ville has grown, the road now carries city traffic. Automobiles have 

 increased in number from 100 in 1905 to 973 in 1910. 



The value of maintenance is well illustrated on the Cumberland 

 Gap-Tennessee-Virginia-Kentucky road. The entire road was built 

 in a similar manner and the condition of the road over its entire 

 length should now be the same, but this is far from being the case. 

 The Kentucky section has been well maintained and is in excellent 

 condition, while the Virginia-Tennessee section has received very 

 little attention; the side ditches have not been properly cleaned out, 

 and, as a result, in any instance where a seep occurs on the upper side 

 of the road, the foundation has become softened and the surface of 

 the road irregular. On account of the road being built in a side-hill 

 cut, with a grade of about 7 per cent, systematic maintenance is 

 imperative and any neglect of it is shown immediately by the rapid 

 deterioration of the road. 



Almost without exception, no improved roads had been built at any 

 of the places inspected prior to the building of the object-lesson roads. 

 In fourteen of the twenty-eight places the improvement of roads 

 continued and 730 miles have been built. Bonds also in the amount 

 of $1,500,000 have been issued. In the other fourteen places, while 

 no surfaced roads have been built, owing principally to the lack of 

 funds, a decided improvement was found in the work done upon the 

 dirt roads. 



It is the intention of the Office to inspect all the object-lesson roads 

 that have been built as soon as it is possible to do so. The demand 

 for engineers to build object-lesson roads has been so great that every 

 available man has been so employed, and the inspections made this 

 year were of those roads which were most conveniently located. 



CULVERTS AND BRmCES. 



With the constantly increasing attention that is being given to the 

 improvement of the public highways, there is also being made more 

 apparent each year the need for better and safer highway bridges and 

 culverts. Many of these structures have in the past been built of 

 timber, which is short-lived under such conditions of service and is 



