THE CULTIVATOR. 
27 
canal would, for that purpose, mainly have superseded its 
usefulness. 
So, also, had such a road been constructed for the trans¬ 
portation of passengers by post coaches, the rail-roads now 
completed and going forward in that direction, would have 
rendered it, to some extent, a useless expenditure. Where¬ 
ver, therefore, canals have been made, or are to be made, for 
the transportation of freight, or rail-roads for the transporta¬ 
tion of freight and passengers, the improvement of the public 
highways, for the accommodation of the long freight or the 
long travel, is of less importance. 
As our public highways, so for as they relate to our agri¬ 
cultural interests, are to be connected with our canals, the 
committee think it not impertinent to refer to that branch of 
our public improvements. In casting our eyes over the state, 
it will be found that very much has been done. 
It is now 21 years since the commencement of the Erie ca¬ 
nal. That important work, extending from nigh the eastern 
boundary of the state to the western, has long since been 
completed. 
At Utica, less than 100 miles from Albany, the Chenango 
canal runs off at right angles, and parallel with the Hudson 
river, nearly to the line of Pennsylvania. 
At Montezuma, 95 miles further west, the Cayuga and Se¬ 
neca canals bring the borders of Cayuga and Seneca Lakes to 
canal navigation. 
The Crooked Lake canal, passing from Seneca Lake west¬ 
ward to Crooked Lake, opens the shores of the latter to a like 
navigation. 
The Chemung canal, commencing at the southern termi¬ 
nation of Seneca Lake, extends canal navigation south to the 
Chemung river, nigh the line of Pennsylvania again. 
At Rochester, 64 miles further west, the Genesee Valley 
canal, now constructing, carries cai;ai navigation over to 
Pennsylvania at Olean. 
Again—at the north, the Champlain canal carries a similar 
navigation to that lake and to the Canada line. 
At Rome, 110 miles from Albany, the Black River canal, 
now constructing, leaves the Erie canal at right angles, and 
runs off northerly to Lake Ontario. 
At Syracuse, 50 miles further west, the Oswego canal leaves 
the Erie again, and reaches Lake Ontario in 38 miles, at Os¬ 
wego. 
It may, therefore, be asserted, that there are comparatively 
but few cultivated farms in this state, whose produce, when 
made, is more than one day’s drive, with a horse team, from 
canal or tide water. And it is gratifying to know, that these 
improvements have been so made, and hitherto so conducted, 
as to furnish the means of their own support, and will ulti¬ 
mately pay the expense of construction, without leaving a 
debt chargeable upon the taxable property of the state. 
It is believed that lines of rail-roads will, at no distant day, 
be constructed from New-York, crossing the lateral canals, 
through the southern counties, to Lake Erie. 
From New-York, by the way of Albany and the Erie canal 
to Buffalo. 
From Albany and Troy, by way of Saratoga, to Lake 
Champlain at Whitehall, and probably from Lake Champlain 
to Ogdensburgh. 
England has expended her millions of pounds in McAdam 
and paved roads, for which vast improvement she is often 
triumphantly referred to. But what she has done in such 
roads, is now already done and soon to be done for us in the 
shape of canals and rail-roads. 
The improvement of our public highways, therefore, so for 
as they relate to the transportation of our produce and mer¬ 
chandize, or the accommodation of our public stage travel, 
will be mainly to connect the improved parts of our country 
with our canals and rail-roads; very much remains then to be 
done. 
Our public highways are generally laid at an early period 
in the settlement of the country, when but little attention 
is paid to their grade. The settler selects the most eligible 
spot for his house, and then arranges to bring the road to it, 
and frequently without reference to general direction or ele¬ 
vation. The inconvenience ol travelling over crooked and 
hilly roads follows, and we see it submitted to long after the 
wealth and business of the country demand their improve¬ 
ment. 
The market towns of our farmers are distributed over the 
state, at the most accessible points on the canals or rail-roads. 
To these points should our public highways be directed and 
improved. 
The value of the produce of a farm, and of course of the 
farm itself, so far at least as relates to the surplus, depend up¬ 
on the price in market, and tiie expense of placing it there. 
The produce which requires a team to travel one day to 
market, and another to return, is worth to the owner about 
$5 per load less on the farm than in market. 
If, therefore, by the improvement of his market road, he 
can carry 24 hundred where he now carries 16, or 30 where 
lie now carries 20, he will save $2.50 on every load he takes 
to his market If his farm produces ten loads, he saves $25 
per year. 
The one-half, or even the one-fourth of this sum in a town 
or county tax, judiciously laid out in the improvement of his 
market road, would soon place it in a condition to reduce the 
expense of transportation in the above proportions. 
The first step to be taken towards such improvementshould 
be, so to change the line of the road as to bring ii as nigh as 
possible to a level grade. To go round the hills instead of 
going over them, for distance is of but little consequence in 
the transportation of tonnage, compared with elevation. But 
in many instances, both distance and elevation may be saved 
by the proper laying of the road. 
The laying out or altering of highways, is now confided to 
a board of commissioners, annually elected in each town.-— 
The principal roads of a town cannot be materially changed 
in their lines, without interfering more or less with the pri¬ 
vate interests of some of its inhabitants. This would in many 
instances create an interest which would displace a board of 
town commissioners, who should fearlessly attempt to dis¬ 
charge their duty in a way best to promole the public interests. 
Besides, it would be necessary in many, and perhaps most 
instances, to extend the alterations or the new lines through 
several towns. In that event, the benefits of the improve¬ 
ments in one town, might be defeated by the refusal of 
the next to carry them forward. 
These objections could be obviated by the appointment of 
a board of commissioners of highways for each county, or for 
each senate district, either by the governor and senate, or by 
election, who should hold their offices for three or five years. 
It should be their duty, upon the application of a certain 
number of freeholders in any town to examine the country 
where a new road or an alteration of an old one is proposed, 
and if, in their opinion, the public good required it, they 
should layout, or alter any public highway in or through any 
town or number of towns in their district. And where the 
benefits of the road are mainly confined to the town, let the 
expense be assessed upon the town, but where they are ex¬ 
tended to the whole county, then upon the county. 
Such commissioners should be authorized, if they deem it 
necessary, to employ suitable engineers to aid in laying out 
such roads. Such roads, when laid out, should be opened 
and worked under the direction of the commissioners or one 
of them. This is an important step towards obtaining good 
roads, and should be first taken. A suitable sum of money 
should be raised by the town or county, as the case might be, 
to be expended in opening such road, and placing it in a good 
condition for travel. 
Let a suitable sum of money be annually raised in each 
county, and placed in the hands ofsuch commissioners, to be 
expended in facing such roads, and the other principal market 
roads in each county, with broken stone or coarse gravel, of 
sufficient width for one team or more, according to the 
amount of travel upon the road. Such foundation could 
be made to the width of eight to ten feet, at a moderate ex¬ 
pense. almost any where, and a foundation of that width, 
well imbedded and shaped to correspond with the adjoining 
surface of the road, and kept in repair, would always secure 
a good track for one team, which would be sufficient in most 
cases. The turning out of wagons to pass each other, would 
not cut up the parts of the road not imbedded so as to injure 
its usefulness. 
This hard facing should be commenced upon the parts of 
the road most travelled, which would generally be nighest 
the market town, and carried back as the means furnished 
would permit. In this wav, every person contributing to the 
expense of the improvement, would share at once in its bene¬ 
fits. 
If the principal roads in each county were placed under the 
control of such board of commissioners, argl an annual fund 
put in their hands, to be raised by a light tax, and to be ex¬ 
pended in laying out, altering, grading, draining and facing 
the roads in a proper and economical manner, our principal 
roads would immediately put on a different appearance. 
The farmer would find an ample equivalent for his tax, in 
the reduced expense of taking his produce to market, and 
every body else in fhe comfort and convenience of good roads 
in their various errands of business or pleasure. 
The ordinary repairs of the common and more domestic 
roads of each town, may be left, at least for the present, to 
the management of the present town commissioners. 
The committee take this occasion however, to remark, that 
the present mode of assessments of labor for the repairs and 
improvements of our common roads, has, for the amount no¬ 
minally expended, produced but little beneficial effect. The 
committee do not believe they exceed the fact, when they 
say, that one-fourth the amount in cash, expended by skilful 
and faithful hands,-would produce more effect than the pre¬ 
sent expenditure. And could our farmers feel the force of the 
maxim that “ time is money it is believed they would cheer¬ 
fully submit to the payment of the lesser amount in money 
rather than the larger in labor. But as this branch ol the sub¬ 
ject—that is to say, the repairs of the less important roads in 
each town by the town commissioners—is not necessarily 
connected with what is deemed of the greater importance, to 
wit—the improvement of our more important and market 
roads, under the plan above suggested—the measures should 
be kept, distinct. The success of one should not be made to 
depend upon the fate of the other. 
To show the comparative expense of drawing one ton over 
one mile, at different rates of acclivity, by a stage coach and 
by a wagon, the committee give the following table, furnish¬ 
ed by John McNiel, Esq. civil engineer, to a committee of the 
House of Commons of Great-Britain, on the 12ih of October, 
1831. By this table, it will be seen, that it eosts to carry in 
a wagon, upon an ascent of 1 foot in 10, or 5 degrees and 42 
minutes elevation, 52d.07; and upon an acclivity of 1 in 45, or 
3 degrees and 40 minutes, 280.70. Whilst upon an acclivity 
of I in 60, or about 1 degree, it costs 15d.20—that is, it costs 
about one-half as much Jo transport over a road of one degree 
in its acclivities, compared with one of three and a half de¬ 
grees; and less than one-third upon a road of one degree, to 
that upon a road of five and a half degrees, and the expense 
still diminishes as we approach to a level. 
Four horse stag 
rase speed t 
hour. 
3 coach, ave- 
en miles per 
Wagon and four 
rage speed iw 
miles per hou 
horses, 
o and a 
r. 
ave- 
half 
Rates of accli- 
Pence 
arid 
Rales of accli- 
Pence 
and 
vity. 
decimals. 
vity. 
decimals. 
d. 
d. 
1 in 
10 
77 
24 
1 
in 10 
52 
07 
1 
15 
57 
78 
1 
15 
28 
70 
1 
20 
50 
44 
1 
20 
22 
83 
1 
30 
44 
15 
1 
30 
18 
55 
1 
40 
41 
25 
1 
40 
16 
76 
1 
50 
39 
56 
1 
50 
15 
82 
I 
60 
38 
46 
1 
GO 
15 
20 
1 
70 
37 
68 
1 
70 
14 
77 
1 
80 
37 
09 
1 1 
80 
14 
46 
1 
90 
36 
64 
1 
90 
14 
22 
1 
100 
36 
28 
1 
10t) 
14 
04 
1 
150 
35 
19 
1 
150 
13 
46 
1 
200 
34 
64 
1 
200 
13 
18 
1 
300 
34 
09 
1 
300 
12 
91 
1 
500 
33 
65 
1 
500 
12 
69 
1 
1000 
33 
32 
1 
1000 
12 
53 
Horizontal 
32 
98 
Horizontal 
12 
36 
By this table, it will be seen, that we have no cause to re¬ 
gret that we have made canals instead of stone roads, for the 
transportation of our freight. The last item in the table shows 
that it costs 12.36 pence sterling, or about 25 cents, to trans¬ 
port a ton a mile on their stone.roads, whilst upon our canals 
it does not exceed one-sixth that amount. 
There are many roads in this state, over which considera¬ 
ble tonnage is carried, and over which postcoaches are drawn, 
whose acclivity is as high as five degrees. In a large propor¬ 
tion ofsuch instances, a skilful board of commissioners could 
so lay out a road as to reduce the ascent one-half or two-thirds. 
The committee believe there are more or less important roads 
in almost every county in .this state, whose lines may be so 
improved, and whose beds may, at a moderate expense, be so 
formed, as to reduce the expense of transportation upon them 
fifty percent, and add an equal proportion to their convenience 
and safety in travelling upon them for business or pleasure. 
S. CHEEVER, Chairman. 
Albany, February 6, 1839. 
N, Y, State Agricultural Society, 
The society convened, pursuant to adjournment, at 
the City Hall, in Albany, on the first Tuesday in Febru¬ 
ary, 1839, Alex. Walsh, Esq. of Rensselaer, in the 
chair, and James L’Amoreux, Esq. Secretary pro iem. 
Mr. Buel read a letter from Dr. L. C. Beck, transmit¬ 
ting a resolution of the board of Geology, appointing 
Messrs. Beck, Emmons and Hall a committee to confer 
with the State Agricultural Society, in regard to the 
points especially worthy of attention in the examination 
of the soils of the state. Whereupon it was 
Resolved, That Messrs. Nott, Beekman, Buel, Rotch, 
Cooper and Spencer, of Madison, be a committee to con¬ 
fer with the state geologists on the matters above refer¬ 
red to. 
It was resolved to reduce the annual payments re¬ 
quired from the society from two dollars to one dollar. 
The annual report of the Treasurer was read and ac¬ 
cepted. 
Messrs. Buel, Allen, Viele, Van Bergen and Spencer 
were appointed a committee to report the names of offi¬ 
cers of the society for the coming year, wh@ after con¬ 
sultation reported the following, and the report was 
adopted. 
ANTHONY VAN BERGEN, of Greene, President 
W. A. S. North, of Schenectady, I 
J. S. Spencer, of Madison, 
Alex. Walsh, of Rensselaer, 5 V. Presidents. 
E. Smith, of 
J. B. Nott, of Albany, J 
J. Buel, Corresponding Secretary, 
William Cooper, of Albany, Secretary. 
C. N. Bement, of Albany, Treasure ». 
John Townsend, Jesse Buel, and James L’Amo- 
reux, of Albany, H. D. Grove, of Rensselaer, and L. 
F. Allen, of Erie, Executive Committee. 
Mr. Buel read a communication from C. L. Fieisch- 
mann, accompanied with two memorials to Congress, 
one for the establishment of a National Agricultural 
School, and the other containing interesting and valua¬ 
ble data in regard to the culture of the sugar beet, and 
the manufacture of sugar therefrom 
On motion, it was resolved, that the thanks of the so¬ 
ciety be returned to Mr. Fieishmann for his communica¬ 
tion, and that Messrs. Nott, Buel and Potter be a com¬ 
mittee to memorialize Congress for the establishmentof 
a National School of agriculture, from a portion of the 
Smithsonian legacy. 
The society then adjourned to meet in the Assembly 
Chamber at 4 P. M. 
Assembly Chamber, 4 P. M. February 5. 
The society met pursuant to adjournment. 
The annual address was delivered by John J. Viele, 
Esq. of Rensselaer. 
Mr. North then presented a report, on farmyard ma¬ 
nagement, as it relates to the wintering of cattle, and the 
augmentation of manures. 
Mr. Rotch presented a report on the feeding and ma¬ 
nagement of sheep in winter. 
Mr. Buel presented a report on the best vegetable or 
root crops for feeding cattle, and the best manner of cul¬ 
tivating the same. 
Mr. Bement presented a report on the most profitable 
mode of fattening pork and rearing swine. 
Mr. Allen presented a report on meadow and pasture 
lands, and the best mode of renovating them, and seeding 
down lands to grass. 
[The address will be published as early as our limits 
will permit with the aid of an eight page supplement.] 
The society then adjourned to meet at the City-Hall 
at 10 o’clock to-morrow morning. 
City-Hall, February, 6lh. 
Messrs. North, Grove, Fry andNott, being appointed 
to designate subjects to be reported upon at the next 
meeting of the society, reported in due time the follow¬ 
ing 
1. On the most approved method of stall-feeding oxen 
and other neat cattle. [Committee Wm. H. Strong and 
Samuel Clark, of Seneca county.] 
2. On converting green crops and other vegetable 
matters into manure. [Committee, Messrs. Ball and 
Walsh, of Rensselaer.] 
3. Oil the tillage proper for the different kinds of soils 
—as clay, sand, gravel. [Each soil to form the subject 
of a distinct report, and J. P. Beekman to report on 
gravel, A. Van Bergen on clay, and J. Buel on sand.] 
4. On the proper time to cut timothy and clover, and 
the most approved method of curing the same. [Com¬ 
mittee, A. Van Bergen and W. Salisbury, of Greene co.] 
5. On the effects of lime, and its application to differ¬ 
ent soils. [Committee Messrs. Buel, Viele and Mather.] 
6. On the best means of eradicating the Canada this¬ 
tle. [Committee, Messrs. North and Duane.] 
7. On the manufacture of sugar from beets. [Com¬ 
mittee, Messrs. W ard well and Marshall of J efferson, and 
Cheever, of Albany.] 
8. On the comparative economy of employing oxen 
and horses in the usual business of the farm. [Commit¬ 
tee, Messrs L. F. & R. L. Allen, of Erie.] 
9. On the best mode of cultivating the potato. [Com¬ 
mittee, Messrs. Buel and Whiteside.] 
