AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
FOR THE 
Farm, Cfarden, and. IT onselio1 cI. 
“AGUICULTUHE IS TI1E MOST HEALTHFUL, MOST USEFUL, AN1) MOST NOBLE EMPLOYMENT OF M AN.”—W* shinoto.v. 
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Office, 245 BROADWAY. 
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ESTABLISHED IN 1842. 
Published also in German at $1.50 a Year. 
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in October, 1S74, by the Orange Judd Company, at the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 
VOLUME XXXIII.-No. li. NEW YORK, NOVEMBER, 1874. 
NEW SERIES—No. 384. 
THE ROADS IN WINTER.—USE OF THE SNOW PLOW. — Drawn and Engraved for the American Agriculturist 
We could never understand why it is, that 
in those parts of the country where deep snows 
prevail, some efforts are not made by the town 
authorities to keep good roads during the 
winter. In the spring and summer the roads 
are repaired, and some efforts are made to keep 
them passable. But when the first heavy snow 
of the season falls, and ou every similar occa¬ 
sion afterwards, it is the business of those who 
are compelled to go out first to break the roads, 
and those who can wait, do so until others 
have made the roads passable. Then a narrow 
single track ia made, along which only one 
team at a time can pass, and if two meet, one 
must turn out into the deep snow, at the risk 
of upsetting on the piled-up bank, or in a con¬ 
venient ditch. Such, at least, has been our ex¬ 
perience, and to remedy this inconvenience, we 
have often turned out with a snow-plow, to do 
individually, what ought to have been the 
road-master’s work, or at least that of the 
associated neighbors. At such times we have 
improved on the usual plan, by making double 
tracks, thus rendering turning out in the snow 
for passing teams unnecesssry. The snow-plow 
used for this purpose is shown in the illustra¬ 
tion given in this article. It should he loaded 
as heavily as possible, and two pairs of horses 
should be used with it, so that the snow will 
be packed down firmly, and a well-beaten track 
made. Breaking roads in the snow is always a 
favorite job with the boys, and volunteers are 
never wanting. The chief thing is to procure 
the plow. As we have suggested, this should 
be provided by the road-master of each district, 
whose business it should be to turn out with it 
after each heavy fall of snow, and clear the 
roads. A description of the manner of 
making the plow will be found on page 412. 
