24 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



does, so much public utility to all classes. Roads should be 

 under the charge of an expert, constantly occupied repairing 

 and improving them, subject to the supervision of an active 

 and intelligent official, to be paid for his whole time, instead 

 of the present practice of annually appointing some popular 

 farmer, whose honesty and skill as a farmer do not always 

 fit him for road-making, and who generally is too busily 

 engaged planting or reaping his crops to be able to attend the 

 roads at the time when the public interests require they should 

 be worked. Side-hill and stony roads, in many cases, are 

 allowed to be gullied with defective water-courses till they 

 become impassable, and in the dry, heated part of the summer, 

 if the road-master can spare the time from the duties of his 

 own farm, he scrapes up a loose, pulverized soil out of the 

 gutters, heaps up the centre of the road, covering up the 

 stones and gullies with a mixture of the most disagreeable 

 manure and sand, destructive alike to the eyes and throat of 

 man and beast. The fall rains come and wash this top-dress- 

 ing Of good manure into the gutters again, fertilizing the 

 rich crop of weeds which fringo such roads, and the next sea- 

 son the operation is repeated at public expense, and thought- 

 less men call this economy ! 



I will not trouble you with the defective roadways over 

 rotten bridges and narrow passages, which will not permit 

 two vehicles to pass without the danger of one or both foiling 

 off the high embankment, which false economy foists on the 

 public by a too rigid restriction of public expenditure, whose 

 safety of life and limb seems to be the last consideration. If 

 that noble animal, and faithful servant of the farmer, — the 

 horse, — could be permitted to address you on this subject, 

 the next town-meeting would witness a change of policy as 

 merciful to the horse as it would be economical to man. Good 

 roads are not only essential to economy, convenience and 

 comfort, but have a decided influence on the value of property 

 contiguous to them. Such improvements are second only 

 to railways in their influence on production and economy in 

 transporting persons and property. 



And now permit me, after pleading for the comfort and 

 safety of the horse against such road commissioners as practi- 

 cally murder the noble animal, and threaten your own life and 



