AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
JE?&uriri* Gra,rcLeii 9 ancL HoiaseliolcL 
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VOLUME XXXII.— ISO. 7. 
NEW YORK, JULY, 1873. 
NEW SERIES— No. 318. 
ROAD M 
hi the above engraving is represented a scene | 
ot veiy common occurrence in the majority of 
country districts. Working out the road-tax is 
generally made an occasion for mingling a little 
work with a good deal of good-natured gossip, 
some politics, and much discussion as to the 
propriety of this way or that Way of filling up 
a niiicl hole or repairing a ditch. II this should 
be looked upon m a way that would occur to a 
person of the amiable disposition of Mr. Grad- 
griud, he might object to such a method of do- 
ing business as far from economical, and as a 
waste of time. But Mr. Gradgrind was no 
rcoPYTUOTTT SECTTfrBD. 1 
E 1{ DIN G. Drawn and Encased for the American Agriculturist. 
We country road-making and mending, as well as 
firmer, and never worked out his tax. 
have done so, and we know how much a man 
feels better all over after an hour's shoveling is 
followed by an equal amount of rest, and 
moreover it always turns out that the road- 
work is "done," even though it. should need to 
be done over again in the same way next season. 
But yet, it did sometimes occur to us that this 
was not quite the way in which work was done 
at home, and the question "Does this pay?" 
came up occasionally for consideration. AVe 
confess to thinking it did not, and still hold to 
that opinion, and have little doubt that iu 
in almost all other things, "old things are pass- 
in" away." If there is one thing more than 
another in which we need to mend our ways it 
is in regard to our country roads. The better 
the roads the more valuable the farms alongside 
of them, and I lie greater the value of every 
ponud of produce carted over thein. This is 
true without a question. Then it becomes a 
serious mafter to have roads built so that 
they may be easily passable, and be kept so 
without needing the annual outlay of several 
days' work to each farmer in repairing them. 
