cost of clearing the land was low, that is from three to ten 

 dollars an acre. The amount realized from the timber cleared 

 cut down the cost considerably. The Island farm, exclusive 

 of buildings, is now worth more than $60 an acre. It pays 

 to drain the wet lands! 



Whenever plans have been made for the draining of the 

 land, land values have jumped. Land in and near the Flood- 

 wood swamp have jumped from twelve to twenty dollars an 

 acre since plans were drawn for the reclaiming of the balance 

 of the land. 



Land Values Increase. 



The Gun Lake swamp in Aitkin county, was offered for 

 about three dollars and a half an acre before construction of 

 the state ditch. The ditch has been completed and the land 

 is now worth from sixteen to twenty dollars an acre. 



Many other examples could be sighted of the increase in 

 values of the land. The fact is so obvious, however, that it 

 hardly needs emphasizing. 



In one county in Northern Minnesota where the state 

 owns 18,000 acres of rich, open prairie land, the increase 

 profit to the state will be enormous. A ditch has already 

 been completed and the land is being drained. Roads are 

 being constructed on the section lines. The state drainage 

 commission says that the cost of draining this land is about 

 one dollar and seventy cents an acre. The state auditor esti- 

 mates that the land will be sold as high as twenty-five dollars 

 an acre. This would mean a return to the state treasury of 

 $450,000 for an investment of $30,600. 



Continuance of Work Important. 



The importance of carrying on the work of reclaiming the 

 wet lands cannot be over estimated. It is a work that is not 

 only netting the state hundreds of thousands of dollars in 

 increased revenues, but is opening up a new empire for the 

 settlers who are tired of working soil that is worn out. Here 

 a virgin soil is to be found that has been enriched because 

 of being under water for a long period. 



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