276 FARM DEVELOPMENT 



transportation now well advanced toward completion. 



Road building must be pushed forward. While the 

 people have done much during this half century of rail- 

 way and shipbuilding to build up the country highways, 

 there is need of very much greater energy applied in 

 this direction. A new and mighty movement like that 

 which built up a system of railways is needed and seems 

 to be impending. The people are coming to the con- 

 clusion that the farm home and the farm business must 

 not remain walled in by miles of mud. The prosperity 

 accompanying cheap railroad transportation and the con- 

 sequent enlargement of our cities has given the farmers 

 and the states much larger means with which to build 

 wagon roads; and the people, now that they have the 

 railroad transportation in a nearly satisfactory condi- 

 tion, are showing their readiness to take up the making 

 of wagon roads as a general movement and are pushing 

 their construction forward. While the building of rail- 

 ways was a stupendous undertaking, the construction of 

 high-class wagon roads, generally, over the vast stretches 

 of roadway is even a more difficult problem. In half a 

 century our railways have been developed, but it is 

 questionable if the permanent construction of our high- 

 ways can be dealt with in so short a time. Many believe 

 that only by the general co-operation of the national 

 government, the state governments, the local govern- 

 ment and the farmers can this be brought about, with- 

 out too serious loss in waiting for facilities the country 

 cannot afford to be without. 



Road building has been neglected. During the period 

 of railway building the making of good wagon roads 

 was left almost entirely to the farming communities. 

 until during the present century. Now state and national 

 movements looking to general co-operation have been 

 started, though not yet generally well organized. The 

 cities, having grown very rapidly, have been occupied in 



