SEVENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART X. • 599 



I do not advocate the general building of the so-called permanent road 

 for the simple reason that it will cost twice as much to maintain the 

 macadamized road as it would to make as good a dirt road ten months in 

 the year as can be made with macadam, when kept in its best con- 

 dition. 



Again, macadam roads would be very expensive, even if they could 

 be had for nothing, in a country like the prairie states of the west, 

 subject to long periods of drouth, which shrinks the binder from the 

 rock, blows out the fine parts and leaves the road in as bad condition 

 as a mud road at its very worst. Better wade through mud than bump 

 over loose stones that have to be carried off and replaced by stones, 

 newly quarried. The expenses of maintaining macadam roads after six: 

 or eight years is from ten to fifty dollars per mile per year, except in 

 towns where the sprinkler is used to keep it from "raveling." There 

 is no question about this. 



Enough has been done in the state of Iowa to demonstrate to any man 

 who will keep his eyes open, that the road drag used as we have di- 

 rected over and over again, is the only practicable solution of the good 

 roads question. 



In fact, we have had experience enough with the road di-ag in the 

 last two years to satisfy any man that, after a road is once graded an 

 expenditure of less than $5 a mile will keep it in first-class condition 

 nine or ten months in the year. 



We never argue with the men that say the drag is no good, for the 

 simple reason that if they will make a drag and use it as directed, there 

 is no need of argument; and if they will not make a drag and use it, it is 

 useless to argue. 



Farmers, you should wake up to the reckless waste of your money under 

 our present system of road making. Let us all resolve now that we 

 will be honest to the township and work as hard on the road as we do on 

 our farms. 



HELP FOR THE LAME HORSE. 

 Locating the Sore Spot — Determining the Cause — Treating the Trouble. 



Metropolitan and Rural Home— A. S. Alexander. F. H. A. S.. M. D. C. 



The hard-working horse suffers terribly from many an ache and pain 

 and is unable to tell his owner in words just where the trouble lies 

 or what is causing it. Often we have thought it would be a grand 

 thing indeed were every horse gifted with the power of speech, like 

 Balaam's ass in the Bible, so that he might stop, turn around and say 

 to the driver: "Here, you! That old shoe on my left forefoot is out of 

 place and pinching dreadfully. For humanity's sake stop at the 'smith's 

 and have it reset." Or we can fancy him stopping suddenly and crying 

 out: "Great Grass Fields! I've stepped upon something sharp and it has 

 pricked the 'quick.' Won't you please see what it is and pull it out 

 for me?" 



