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Show GRADING OF COUNTRY ROADS Great Care Should Be Exercised In Selection Se-lection of Material for Bridges and Culvert. One of the most serious wastes in connection with our highway building Is the necessity which is often met with of destroying miles of gravel or stone road-bed, hardened and cemented cement-ed by years of' travel, but which is found to be out of line or out of level with the requirements of the highway as determined by the best engineering practice. When such a road is too high it must be excavated, at a cost considerably consider-ably in excess of that of ordinary soil or gravel ; and when too low, it is covered cov-ered by the new material, with a total loss of the original investment, writes B. O. Marshall in Progressive Farmer. The labor expended upon roads that have followed the lines of least resistance, after the manner of "The Path the Calf Made," may be found, when these are relocated according to modern methods, to offer but Blight assistance In the establishment of the permanent highway; but where they are the ordinary dirt or clay trails of many districts we may console con-sole ourselves with the fact that they never represented any very heavy investment. in-vestment. The lamentable thing is the laying of what should be permanent perma-nent construction under strictly temporary tem-porary conditions the building of the house upon the sand. Even In the counties where the population and the amount of taxable property are very small in proportion to the road mileage, it should be the practice to make any extensive improvements im-provements or alterations only after securing the advice of a competent highway engineer. The temporary employment of such an official is quite practicable; and the returns will be many hundred per cent on the outlay. out-lay. The loss on bridges and culverts in a relocated and graded road is generally gen-erally heavy. Most constructions, even if found in fairly good condition, are totally destroyed by removal. An exception is the corrugated iron pipe. When made from high purity iron, these culverts are but slightly affected affect-ed by rust, and can thus be rightfully classed as permanent Improvements, but they are also ideal for a temporary tempo-rary location, as they suffer no damage dam-age In being dug out and relaid. Brick, stone or concrete should only be employed where the location ia fixed for all time, and where also an absolutely rigid foundation can be assured. as-sured. In America, we do a vast deal of work which has to be undone a few years later. We want results, and want them quick; as a nation we have the energy and folly of youth. It is highly interesting to note the vast amount of labor on the farm, the highway and In the stores and factories which has to be performed as a result of earlier errors and miscalculations. mis-calculations. We build barns and silos and establish a milk route; and two years later decide that our circumstances cir-cumstances or our inclinations are better adapted to fruit raising; and an expensive dairy plant becomes Idle and useless. The storekeeper stocks up on a line that his customers don't want and can't use and the goods encumber the shelves until they are sold at a sacrfice. The manufacturer manufac-turer buys machinery and employs experts to effect a minor Improvement Improve-ment In his product, and the next year finds the article displaced In the market by some totally different and superior device. In several directions, however, Indications may be observed of the rule of a maturer Judgment. We are learning to conserve still more valuable things than lumber and water wa-ter power. The waste of time and of labor Is beginning to be understood as sacrifice of human life. |