ist March, A. D. 1900. 



The Relation of Good Roads to Horticulture and Agriculture. 



CONTINUED. 



President Hadwen, by way of introducing the discussion of 

 the previous week's topic, said good roads have perhaps enlisted 

 more attention in the last few years than formerly. The State 

 has taken hold to help the towns in building roads and has done 

 good work throughout the State. But experience has proven 

 that the work is very costly. It was supposed that with this 

 assistance from the State, the towns and cities would follow the 

 example and go ahead on their own account to supplement the 

 State highway commission's work. But the contrary tendency 

 has been shown, and the towns evince a tendency to depend on 

 the State to build all the roads. 



Footpaths, I think, might be fairly considered as of almost as 

 much importance as the roads themselves. A footpath is seldom 

 heard of in a country road, but the building of footpaths is 

 coming. They are not only convenient, but they help in every 

 way. In Lenox, where you will find as good roads as in any 

 town of the State, the roads well out into the country are 

 accompanied by good footpaths and are well shaded with trees 

 that grow on the land of abutters on the road. Between the 

 roadway and the footpath are plots of grass which are kept well 

 mown and this feature adds greatly to the beauty of the roads. 



Good roads are affected by the soil in which they are built. 

 In a soil that is sloping and well underdrained the road is apt to 

 be in good condition on account of settling early in the spring 

 and keeping free from water during the year. Lovell street in 

 Worcester used to be very bad in the winter and spring, until 



