AGRICULTURE. 



BOOK I. 



CHAPTER II. 



OF THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE SITUATION. 



Road making maybe considered under the following heads: 

 1st, Direction; 2dly, Formation; and, 3dly, Management. 



1. The direction of roads in level countries is easy. On such 

 as are hilly it requires some attention, surveying, and levelling, 

 so as to find the shortest and least fatiguing line. There are 

 few or no countries, though ever so irregular, but will admit 

 between their hills or mountains roads nearly level, or at least 

 very gradual ascents and descents: were it otherwise, the val- 

 lies would be continually covered with water ; whereas we al- 

 ways find some outlet or passage by means of which it easily 

 runs off. The most difficult cases are, when a road comes di- 

 rectly in front of a compact ridge of low hills, such as the Cots- 

 wold in Gloucestershire, or those between Thirsk and Helmsley, 

 called Whitestone Cliff, in Yorkshire*. In such cases, the only 

 way is to make the road ascend in a zig-zag direction to the 

 lowest part of the summit. There is no particular advantage 

 in having the surface of a road exactly level during its whole 



* Hills of this kind seldom occur, except in level countries, such as England. 



