262 HEARINGS BEFORE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE. 
Mr. Ropry. We have any number of roads in the West that have 
»een traveled for 250 years and they are fine roads to-day. That road 
material is a perfect road material, and if we could treat clay so as to 
make it the same as that it would bea good thing to do. Those roads 
are as perfect now as they ever were. 
The CHarrman. The soil itself? 
Mr. Roper. Yes. 
Mr. Wier. It is a sort of natural cement. During this past week 
I had a letter from the editor of the New York Herald asking 
me this question—and I hope the fact he assumes will come true. He 
said, ‘‘If you had a million dollars, write me what you would do 
with it for the advance of science.” Ihave completed a reply and 
among other things I said something about the principles of physics 
and chemistry in the construction of roads so that our roads will be 
lasting and serviceable; for I believe if this country had the system of 
England or France that the agricultural wealth of the country would 
be doubled thereby, and I believe that to-day. 
Mr. Lams. When we get the population we will have the roads. 
Mr. Winey. Yes; but if we have the good roads the population will 
come. 
The CHarrman. Has France pursued any idea of this kind? 
Mr. Witry. We borrowed our idea from France. They have a 
separate department of roads and bridges in France, and the idea of 
investigating road material started right there. That is where we got 
our start. We have copied in this. 
The CHarrmMan. Cesar started them, did he not? 
Mr. Wixey. He started roads. I do not think he started the 
methods of examining road materials. 
The Cuarrman. He buiit roads. 
Mr. Wizey. Yes, he built roads. There are some along the Medi- 
terranean now that he built. I have traveled along one of those, I 
know. 
Mr. Ropry. In my country there seems to be a sort of natural 
cement that caps the whole drainage of the country within thirty feet 
of the surface, that makes a sort of natural floor, and in some places 
the river has cut down to it for many miles and no water goes below 
that. That makes artesian water. 
Mr. Witey. Here are some pamphlets which I will pass around. 
This will show you about our experiments last year on sugar cane 
and sirup. Here is the result of our investigations in regard to insec- 
ticides. Here is what we have done in regard to olive oil. 
The Cuartrman. Does that all come to you? 
Mr. Witey. Not the use of insecticides, but the chemical principles 
of them—the composition. Here is olive oil and its substitutes, and 
some research work from a practical nature on the influence of envi- 
ronment on the chemical composition of crops. That is, what are the 
effects, not so much upon the yield as upon the actual constitution of 
bodies; and this is the fourth year on the sugar beet, which is a typ- 
ical plant. These represent to you the work which has been actually 
published since I was up here before. We have four or five additional 
bulletins in the press at the present time. 
; hae Ropry. Do these go out in the regular issue of farmers’ bul- 
etins? : 
Mr. Wier. No; these do not go out as farmers’ bulletins; they 
