18 
ESSEX 
A large hotel and forty cottages at 
Conomo Point were threatened by fire 
shortly after 5.30 Friday evening, 
when the garage and stable owned by 
W. A. Homans of Centennial avenue, 
Gloucester, was burned, lighting up 
the heavens for miles around, and 
giving the impression to thousands 
that a big fire was raging in the town. 
On the sound of a bell alarm the de- 
partment responded, but owing to the 
distance, the garage was nearly burn- 
ed to the ground before it arrived. 
Within 50 feet of the garage was a 
large hotel which, if caught fire, 
would have destroyed nearly every 
cottage on the Point before the de- 
partment could be of any assitance. 
The garage was 25x20 and has been 
unoccupied for nearly two months. It 
is valued at $1000, partly covered by 
insurance. 
AGRICULTURAL STATION REPORT. 
READY For DISTRIBUTION. 
Part II of the Annual Report of the 
Massachusetts Agricultural Experi- 
ment Station is now being distributed 
to the public. It contains several val- 
uable articles of both scientific and 
practical interest. Among them are 
the complete analyses of the different 
samples of corn grown last year in 
the Bowker Corn Contest; a discus- 
sion of the use of chemicals for pre- 
serving the ammonia in stable-manure ; 
digestion experiments with corn fod- 
der, alfalfa hay, red-clover hay, and 
some of the so-called balanced dairy 
rations; the proper type of nozzle to 
use in spraying; tobacco injury due to 
over-fertilization; and notes on elm 
trees and the conditions favoring their 
growth. 
It is noted in these differnent arti- 
cles: that the total yield of grain in 
a variety of corn is more important 
than its chemical composition, in de- 
termining its value as a crop producer, 
and that he proportion of kernel to 
cob is a factor of much importance; 
that keeping the manure moist and 
well packed is more economical as a 
means of preserving its nitrogen, than 
the use of chemicals; that the high- 
grade balanced dairy-rations on the 
market are fairly digestible; and that 
tobacco injury due to over-fertiliza- 
tion, occurs on land that is underlaid 
by a close sub-soil, poorly drained. 
A copy of the Report will be sent 
to any citizen of Massachusetts on re- 
quest. Communications should be 
addressed to the Director, Agricultur- 
al Experiment Station, Amherst, 
Mass. 
NORTH SHORE BREEZE 
COL. SOHIER TALKS ON ROAD CONSTRUCTION 
AT ROADS CONGRESS IN CINCINNATI 
Col. William D. Sohier, chairman 
of the Massachusetts Highway co.n- 
mission, who was one of the principal 
speakers before the American Road 
Building congress at Cincinnati last 
Friday advised the use of oil or tar 
as a surface binder on roads subject- 
ed to automobile travel and instances 
the state highway between Magnolia 
and Gloucester as an instance of its 
successful use. 
The experience in Massachusetts 
and elsewhere, he said, has shown 
conclusively that large numbers of 
swiftly moving automobiles cannot 
successfully be carried over a water- 
bound macadam road or over a gray- 
el road. Such a road becomes ravell- 
ed very rapidly, rutted and disinte- 
grated. Our traffic studies indicate 
that from 50 to 100 automobiles a day 
make use of some dust layer or bind- 
er necessary. 
“With the motor traffic which we 
already have, we are forced, we think, 
both for economy and_ efficiency, 
where a road has heavy team traffic 
as well, to adopt in construction or 
resurfacing some form of bituninous 
mixture for the upper two or three 
inches of the road surface, at least 
some stronger road-like concrete. 
“We have saved many miles of our 
old roads by spreading a coat of as- 
phaltic oil—light or heavy—or tar 
over them. Today some asphaltic 
binder or dustlayer has been used on 
over 80 per cent. of our state high- 
ways, and the only roads on which it 
has not been used are those located in 
the country districts where there is 
very light traffic. This year we have 
used nearly 2,000,000 gallons of bitu- 
minous material in the construction 
or maintenance. Over 800 of the 930 
miles of our state highways have re- 
ceived some form of bituminous treat- 
ment. 
“We have a good many miles of 
old macadam road which have been 
saved and maintained by one-half gal- 
lon of hot asphaltic oil spread upon 
each square yard of surface and prop- 
erly covered with sand and pea stone 
or gravel. ‘These roads have, many of 
them, worn three years, and in their 
fourth year are still in good condition. © 
The traffic study shows that it is not 
the number of teams, but heavy teams 
—two or more horses, heavy loads on 
narrow tires—that cause the failure. 
“The failure of roads treated with 
heavy oil has occurred on a few miles — 
of road at certain places where it 
was clear that heavy horse-drawn 
teams were responsible. 
“One Gloucester road covered with 
a hot oil blanket, was rutting and 
wearing out quickly in 1909. Coal 
teams were passing to some hotels 
three or four times a day during the 
summer (carrying six or seven tons 
of coal on narrow tires). A motor 
truck was substituted for the coal 
team, and the surface of the road, 
which had been oiled, was again in 
good condition. It has worn three ~ 
years and now only needs patching. 
“A hot oil blanket surface, made 
of good asphaltic oil, will be econom- 
ical and will carry large numbers of 
auto robiles at high speed (over 1000 
a day in summer) for several years, 
will carry large numbers of light teams 
(500 a day), and quite a number of 
motor trucks (50 or so a day), but will 
be destroyed by a large number of 
heavy wagons especially with narrow 
“res 
SALEM NURSERIES 
(Branch of Highland Nurseries, 4,000 ft elevation in Carolina Mts. ) 
Beautiful Gardens and Home Grounds. 
The choicest Evergreens, Rhododendrons, Azaleas and Flowering 
Shrubs are always used in gardens Jaid out by us. 
Specimen stock that produces permanent results rather than LOW © 
PRICES 
Better do a little gardening well than a big garden poorly. 
Beautiful Catalogs, or call at Nursery on Marblehead Road, or office. 
Telephone Salem 820 
HARLAN P. KELSEY, Owner, 
287 Essex Street, 
SALEM, MASS. 
