﻿328 
  Geological 
  Survey 
  of 
  Louisiana 
  [Sect. 
  

  

  traveling 
  public, 
  indirect, 
  though 
  far 
  greater 
  to 
  the 
  resident 
  

   would 
  be 
  almost 
  beyond 
  calculation. 
  

  

  We 
  have 
  already 
  noted 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  as 
  time 
  goes 
  on 
  cultural 
  

   features 
  are 
  used 
  more 
  and 
  more 
  for 
  reference 
  points 
  and 
  lines 
  in 
  

   the 
  description 
  of 
  real 
  estate. 
  Here 
  then 
  is 
  another 
  reason 
  why 
  

   roads 
  should 
  be 
  well 
  located. 
  For 
  the 
  future 
  will 
  see 
  many 
  of 
  

   these 
  very 
  roads 
  used 
  as 
  boundary- 
  lines 
  between 
  subdivided 
  

   estates. 
  

  

  Road 
  Materials 
  

  

  The 
  common 
  country 
  roads 
  through 
  Louisiana 
  will 
  naturally 
  

   be 
  for 
  some 
  time 
  to 
  come 
  "dirt 
  roads." 
  There 
  are 
  however, 
  

   favored 
  localities 
  where 
  shell 
  and 
  gravel 
  can 
  be 
  freely 
  used 
  for 
  

   ballast.. 
  In 
  section 
  II 
  of 
  this 
  report 
  under 
  "Lafayette" 
  (pp.ioo- 
  

   104) 
  numerous 
  localites 
  are 
  given 
  where 
  quartz 
  pebbles 
  occur. 
  

   In 
  some 
  few 
  cases 
  they 
  are 
  sufficiently 
  abundant 
  to 
  be 
  easily 
  

   obtained 
  in 
  quantity, 
  and 
  will 
  doubtless 
  be 
  shipped 
  to 
  a 
  consider- 
  

   able 
  distance 
  for 
  road- 
  making 
  in 
  the 
  near 
  future. 
  

  

  So 
  far 
  as 
  dirt 
  roads 
  are 
  concerned 
  their 
  construction 
  and 
  main- 
  

   tenance 
  has 
  been 
  greatly 
  simplified 
  of 
  late 
  by 
  the 
  introduction 
  of 
  

   road 
  machinery, 
  and 
  we 
  close 
  with 
  the 
  following 
  paragraphs 
  from 
  

   circular 
  No. 
  31 
  of 
  the 
  Office 
  of 
  Road 
  Inquiry. 
  If 
  they 
  have 
  

   already 
  been 
  read, 
  they 
  certainly 
  will 
  bear 
  reading 
  again. 
  

  

  Roads 
  .^.nd 
  Road 
  Machinery 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  thing 
  to 
  be 
  observed 
  in 
  building 
  country 
  roads 
  is 
  to 
  afford 
  pro- 
  

   tection 
  against 
  water. 
  A 
  dirt 
  or 
  gravel 
  road 
  properly 
  built 
  and 
  maintained 
  

   can 
  be 
  made 
  to 
  shed 
  water 
  like 
  a 
  roof, 
  and 
  if 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  narrow 
  tires 
  and 
  the 
  

   wearing 
  of 
  ruts 
  could 
  be 
  prevented, 
  our 
  country 
  roads 
  might 
  be 
  excellent. 
  

   Water 
  always 
  runs 
  down 
  hill, 
  and 
  this 
  should 
  betaken 
  advantage 
  of 
  in 
  road 
  

   building. 
  If 
  the 
  road 
  be 
  properly 
  crowned, 
  that 
  is, 
  if 
  its 
  middle 
  be 
  properly 
  

   raised 
  .above 
  the 
  sides, 
  the 
  rain 
  and 
  melted 
  snow 
  will 
  naturally 
  run 
  off 
  into 
  

   the 
  ditches. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  if 
  the 
  middle 
  be 
  worn 
  down 
  by 
  travel, 
  the 
  

   water 
  collecting 
  there 
  will 
  soon 
  form 
  a 
  puddle, 
  and 
  ruin 
  the 
  road. 
  In 
  the 
  

   same 
  wav, 
  ruts 
  formed 
  by 
  narrow 
  tires 
  afford 
  a 
  trough 
  for 
  the 
  collection 
  of 
  

   water, 
  and 
  contribute 
  to 
  its 
  destruction. 
  

  

  Labor 
  as 
  they 
  might, 
  American 
  farmers 
  have 
  long 
  been 
  unable 
  to 
  build 
  

   their 
  roads 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  shed 
  water. 
  But 
  the 
  solution 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  road 
  

   grader. 
  The 
  American 
  farmer 
  is 
  quick 
  to 
  realize 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  machiner}', 
  

   and 
  the 
  rapid 
  growth 
  in 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  reaper, 
  the 
  binder, 
  the 
  separator, 
  is 
  

   an 
  eloquent 
  tribute 
  to 
  the 
  practical 
  genius 
  of 
  American 
  agriculture. 
  The 
  

  

  