218 LAND DRAINAGE 



the mains become open ditches, often of considerable 

 size, and the expense of building or installing may be 

 great, both because of their size and depth. Sometimes 

 a drain must cross a farm that will derive little, if any, 

 benefit from the system, or even if it should derive bene- 

 fit, the right of way for the ditch, if it is an open ditch, 

 may require a considerable acreage of land, or may cross 

 the farm in such a way as to interfere with the operations 

 of the farm and in this, and other ways, result in lessening 

 the value of the farm. Some of the land-owners may ob- 

 ject to the expense to the district; some may feel they 

 would derive no benefit from such a system of drains. 



The laws governing the procedure in establishing and 

 putting into operation a drainage district are drawn to 

 equalize cost and assure justice to all concerned. Ex- 

 cepting in minor details, the method of procedure is very 

 similar in the several states, and is about as follows : 



291. A petition must be prepared. A petition must 

 be signed, in most states, by a majority of the land-owners 

 of the proposed district. In Illinois the petition must be 

 signed by at least one-half of the land-owners who to- 

 gether must own at least two-thirds of the land of the 

 district, or by at least two-thirds of the land-owners who 

 together must own at least one-half of the land of the 

 district. In Iowa the petition may be signed " by one or 

 more land-owners whose lands will be affected by or as- 

 sessed for " ; in Minnesota by " one or more of the land- 

 owners whose lands will be liable to be affected by or 

 assessed for the construction of the same," or "by the 

 supervisors of any township " and so on. In Michigan 

 the number of petitioners must equal one-third of the 

 number of persons owning land through which the pro- 

 posed drain will pass, and they must be freeholders liable 



