DEAi:S"AGE OF lEEIGATED LAND. 33 



tracts in the midst of unreclainied lands has cost between S75 and 

 SlOO per acre, but these costs represent situations that would not be 

 encountered in regular operations. 



In regard to costs per unit of length of drain it may be said that 

 clay tile drains range in cost from about one-haK cent per inch of 

 inside diameter per foot of length in the smallest sizes, to about 2 

 cents per inch of inside diameter per foot of length in the larger sizes. 

 Hand trenching for tile up to 12 inches in diameter under ordinary 

 conditions ranges in cost from 7 to 15 cents per linear foot for an 

 average depth of 6 feet, while trenching in fluxible or hard material 

 will run up to 25 cents per foot. Rock work would, of course,- be 

 higher. When sheeting is required the work wiU cost 50 cents per 

 linear foot and upward. Machine trenching is usually cheaper, there 

 having been some jobs of 5-foot trenching taken as low as 4 cents 

 per linear foot. As a rule, however, machine trenching costs at 

 least $1 per rod for average soils and depths. 



COOPERATIVE DRAINAGE. 



The unit cost of drainage decreases as the size of the tract increases. 

 This is partly due to the fact that a system installed on a small tract 

 receives water from without the boundaries of the tract, and accom- 

 phshes more or less complete drainage over a considerable area. 

 Furthermore, the unit costs of all materials and operations are less 

 on the larger projects, and the required capacity of the drains becomes 

 relatively smaller as the unit becomes larger. Economy demands 

 that tracts as large as possible be handled as units, and, where the 

 land is owned by a number of pereons, it is necessary that some sort 

 of cooperation be effected. Cooperation by mutual agreement is 

 usually difficult and sometimes impossible to secure, owing to an 

 unprogressivc spirit among some of the landownci-s. However, the 

 legislatures of practically all the Western States have provided laws 

 by means of which cooperative work may be done. In general, 

 these laws provide for the formation of drainage districts and for 

 their government, prescribe their powers and privileges, and outline 

 the duties of their officers. The direction of the business of a drainage 

 district is in the hands of a board of drainage commissionei-s who 

 are either elected by the freeholders in the district or are appointed 

 by the county comniissionfu's or the district court, dependijig upon 

 which is th(! nniogjiized authority in the matter of formhig di-ainago 

 di.strict8. The district is granted the right of eminent domain, and 

 fronds may be sold to pay for the construction work. Contracts 

 rnuy bo hit and provision is mad(i for tlu^ e(jiiituble disdibutioji of 

 the cost of the work. The county officei-s are empowered to colhxit 

 assessments. The construction work is doixi iiiidfr (lie diicclion of 

 an engineer appointed by the conunissioners. 



