282 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



the profit upon hundreds of acres in this State. "Would it 

 not be far better to place our roadsides in a condition to 

 grow grass, and take the same care of them we do of our 

 fields, thereby not only increasing the income, but the 

 attractiveness of our homes as well? 



If you wish to go still farther in beautifying these road- 

 sides and in making them more attractive, then plant by the 

 walls some of the following vines, — the small flowering 

 clematis, the Japanese trailing or memorial roses or the crim- 

 son and other varieties of ramblers, — and you will have one 

 of the most beautiful roadsides that can be found in this coun- 

 tr}^ Along our roadsides through the woods, especially when 

 the soil is moist, I believe the trees should be cut the entire 

 width of the road, so as to admit the sunlight and the air, 

 thereby making a better road, free from mud the greater 

 part of the year. This will make a great saving in the care 

 and maintenance of said road, and will also benefit the 

 health and the disposition of the travelling public. 



Our State Highway Commission has followed this idea in 

 almost every road it has laid out. The wood is cut and 

 the rubbish, removed, also loose stones and ever3'thing that 

 does not attract the eye, but leaving the large boulders and 

 those forms of nature that so many enjoy, and retaining the 

 native shrubs that are being used more and more in the best 

 park roads of our State. In many places, where the con- 

 ditions are adapted to it, what would be more attractive 

 than a solid border of ferns ? There are places that would 

 be improved by the planting of climbing vines and creepers. 

 Were we to remove all of this class of plants from the forests 

 and waste places, there would be a stiffness and barrenness 

 where beauty might prevail. We should also lose much 

 of the verdure of the summer and the rich colorino- of the 

 autumn foliage. 



This suggests that there are places which would be im- 

 proved in appearance by the judicious planting of some of 

 the most desirable of the many climbing plants. Probably 

 the most unsightly places are where the sloping banks are 

 left uncared for at the sides of our streets and roadways. 

 The wasting of these banks can be prevented by planting 



