FARM ROADS. 559 



roads. A team will draw a much heavier load on a good, hard road than on turf -land or 

 simply a cart-path, which soon becomes worn into ruts by the wheels. These ruts not only 

 render the drawing more difficult, but furnish a place for standing water, after every rain, 

 which is soon converted into mud. Such paths are especially troublesome in the spring when 

 the ground is wet and soft. 



Although constructing roads on the farm will require some labor and expense, the bene 

 fits derived will soon more than compensate for it all, and when once properly made, a very 

 little labor will be required to keep them in repair from year to year. 



The manner in which the roads on a farm should be laid out, will depend upon the size 

 of the farm, its locality, and the relative locality of different fields, and that of the farm-build 

 ings, especially the barn. As a general rule, there should be one good road, which, with its 

 branches, shall lead from each field to the barn. 



Farm roads should be constructed in a manner similar to those for public use, the harder 

 and firmer the road-bed is made the better. &quot;Where the land is naturally dry, their construc 

 tion is very easy, but where the land is wet, considerable labor will be required, since drain- 

 4 age will be essential. The ground for the road should be plowed, and the bed so graded 

 that it will be elevated a little above the level of the surrounding land, and the middle of it 

 slightly higher than the sides, in order to admit of the water running off easily. 



After properly grading, it will be greatly improved by the use of a roller. &quot;Where the 

 land is nearly level a furrow should be plowed on either side for drainage, and to prevent the 

 road from being washed by heavy storms. Coarse gravel makes an excellent bed for a road, 

 and when it is convenient of access will on most soils well repay for the labor and expense of 

 procuring it for this purpose. On lands that are naturally wet and retentive of water, the 

 construction of roads is more difficult. 



The soil should first be thoroughly underdrained, after which the earth should be thrown 

 out of the road-bed to about the depth of two feet, and the trench thus made filled with 

 small stones or coarse gravel, over which the earth is placed. Care should be used to grade 

 it in such a manner that the center of the road shall be somewhat more elevated than at the 

 sides. Ample provisions should also be made for drainage at the sides. For this purpose 

 a trench filled with stones, tiles, or a deep open furrow may be used. Where the soil is of 

 such a nature that it is easily washed, the furrow will need to be opened frequently to pre 

 vent its filling up with sediment, where only the latter is employed for drainage. 



The Champion Road-Grader is an implement much used in many of the Western States 

 in road-making, and it is said to prove a very efficient and valuable machine for this purpose. 

 It is made by the Eureka Manufacturing Company, Rock Falls, Illinois; when properly 

 adjusted it will grade the road-bed as desired, and roll it down, rendering it compact and 

 hard. 



Farm roads need not &quot;be expensive in construction, since they are not in constant use 

 like public roads, but they should be made sufficiently substantial for all practical purposes. 

 Where the ditches at the side for drainage are shallow enough to admit of teams passing, 

 which will not frequently occur inside a farm, the road need not be made over ten or twelve 

 feet wide. Roads should always be kept in good repair. It is much cheaper and more 

 profitable to provide good roads than poor ones, whether for public or private use. A small 

 amount of labor, properly employed, will serve to keep the road-bed smooth and in condition 

 to admit of the water passing off readily, thus enabling it to become more and more compact 

 by use, while, on the other hand, if neglected, a small defect soon becomes a serious one ; the 

 surface gets worn and torn up, and places are formed for the water to accumulate. The soil 

 becomes soaked and softened, and gullies are formed which grow deeper by use, soon render 

 ing it either very inconvenient or unsafe for passage. 



Many serious accidents might be avoided, and expense and time saved by keeping roads 



