12 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



shed or around a straw stack. One important condition that I 

 wish to mention is the transportation for the farmer When 

 the roads in this country were laid out they were laid out to 

 suit the conditions at that time. The old Public and Private 

 roads took straight up over the highest points of the highest 

 hills; seemingly no attempt was made to cross ridges and water 

 divides in low impressions. To make the roads still worse in 

 many cases, the trail dropped down in the brooks aul other 

 small streams, often crossing the same stream a dozen times 

 in the course of a mile. 



It is natural for both cattle and human beings to follow 

 in the same old paths. Many of these old public roads, crossing 

 high hills and dropping into low hollows are still used in the 

 same old way. Why they are used no one knows. The senti- 

 ment seems to be what was good enough for our Fathers is 

 good enough for us, but what was good enough for our Fathers 

 fifty years ago is not good enough for them now and much less 

 good enough for our present generation. 



There is no reason why other economical methods of farm- 

 ing should universally prevail and the farmer still adhere to 

 the antiquated cow paths for marketing his products — and for 

 pleasure driving. Railroads are not built up over hills and down 

 in hollows in the way that many of our wagon roads are; if 

 they were the locomotive could not even climb them alone, not 

 to mention a train of cars behind. Now, one of the most vital 

 things relating to the farmer is the road leading from the farm 

 to town; if the road is bad, the farming operations are crippled 

 and hence profits curtailed. The time is coming, of course, 

 when the roads will be graded and surfaced well, but it is a 

 shame that more good grading is not done before surfacing is 

 done. It is a partial waste of time and money to rock and 

 gravel up and down roads, then after a few years all will be 

 dug up for smooth and level grading. Cutting down hills and 

 filling hollows in the public roads will give larger returns for 

 the money than anything else that can be done. No farmer who 

 has a steep grade in the road past his farm should rest until the 

 high places are lowered and the low places raised. The legiti- 



