EDITORIAL. 105 



the basis of the average haul and at the lowest average rate over unim- 

 proved roads, 23 cents per ton per mile, the cost would be $432,400,000. 

 If the cost of hauling can be reduced to one-half the present average, 

 or 11^ cents a ton, the resultant saving would exceed $200,000,000 

 a year. That such a saving is reasonable is indicated by the experi- 

 ences in other countries and in localities where improved roads are 

 found. The cost of hauling on such improved roads is placed at from 

 8 to 10 cents per ton. The introduction of wise and equitable road 

 laws and good business management would, it is estimated, save 

 $40,000,000 more in the administration of the country's roads or 

 leave it for more advantageous use. 



The rapid increase in urban population has greatly imdtiplied 

 the demand for the perishable products of the dairy, truck farm, and 

 orchard, and the value of such products depends to a large extent 

 on their speedy transportation from the country to the city. For this 

 and other reasons the auto truck and similar product-carrying mo- 

 tors are taking the place of the horse and cart and the farm wagon. 

 Public sentiment in favor of better roads is rapidly spreading to 

 each farm and hamlet. As a result of this awakening, our 2,000,000 

 miles of earth roads can not much longer remain in their present 

 condition. American farmers can not atl'ord to pay on an average 

 23 cents to haul a ton a mile when 10 cents avouIcI suffice if the high- 

 ways were improved. 



In casting about for ways and means to bring about a change, one 

 of the vexing problems is the honest and efficient expenditure of road 

 funds. The States Avhich have decided in faA'or of better roads would 

 receive much more benefit from their expenditure if the agricultural 

 colleges had seen fit to establish good courses in highwav engineering. 

 The main purpose of such instruction at present is evidently designed 

 for the benefit of the municipal engineer in the construction of 

 city streets and pavements, since tlie time given to the subject is 

 inadequate for a comprehensive study of both city streets and coun- 

 try roads. 



In 1003 a committee on rural engineering, appointed by the Asso- 

 ciation of American Agricultural Colleges and Experiment Stations, 

 submitted a report in which it pointed out that " the marsh and over- 

 flowed lands along our seacoast and the bottom lands bordering 

 many of our rivers are at present unsightly, unproductive, and in 

 some instances a menace to the health of surrounding districts. They 

 need only to be diked and drained to be the most valuable lands in 

 the country. The carrying out of these improvements will add im- 

 mensely to the agricultural values of the country and the work is 

 certain to be undertaken in the near future. It involves, however, a 

 larger knowledge of agricultural engineering than can now be ob- 



