84 RURAL CONVENIENCES 



a. Economy. Poor roads mean poor economy. The 

 following are the results of an extensive investigation in 

 Europe to determine the average cost of hauling a ton a 

 mile: 



Per ton per mile 



On earth roads, in poor condition 39 cents 



On stone roads, in good condition ..... 8 cents 



The Department of Agriculture of the United States also 

 made a similar investigation on American roads with the 

 following results : 



Per ton per mile 



On earth roads, in poor condition 25 cents 



On stone roads, in good condition 10 cents 



The results of both investigations show that poor roads 

 are expensive. 



b. Construction. In nearly all European countries it lias 

 been the common practice to place the construction and 

 maintenance of roads altogether in the hands of expert 

 road engineers, men who are versed in the technical side 

 of road building. For this reason, European roads are usu- 

 ally in excellent condition. In America, on the other hand, 

 the responsibility for the building and the upkeep of roads 

 is commonly in the hands of men who have never made a 

 special study of the road problem. This is one main 

 reason why our roads are inferior to those abroad. 



The essential points to be considered in the construc- 

 tion and maintenance of roads are: (1) grade, (2) foun- 

 dation, (3) surface, (4) crown, (5) gutter. 



By the grade of a road is meant its rise or fall from a 

 horizontal plane. The ideal grade is one which is prac- 

 tically level. In hilly countries a level grade would cost 

 too much ; but much can be done merely by lowering an 

 elevation here, and raising a valley there, along the level 

 of a road. Often to run the road around the base of a 



