174 MISC. PUBLICATION 218, U. 8S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 
to agriculture is more responsible for delinquency than the poor 
quality of the land itself. Apparently the wild land can bear a certain 
amount of taxes without any serious amount of delinquency but 
cannot bear the heavy taxes that accompany a scattered agricultural 
development. 
The extent of delinquency in this area, and particularly in certain 
counties of the area, is impressive. In 1926, when the figures were 
assembled, there were nearly 2 million acres in this block of 16 coun- 
ties that had been delinquent more than 3 years and over 2 million 
acres more that had been delinquent for a shorter period. More 
than one-fourth of the taxable area of Beltrami and Lake of the Woods 
Counties had been delinquent more than 3 years; in 2 other counties 
over 20 percent was in this condition; and in 4 other counties from 10 
to 20 percent. Of the total area of taxable land in the 15 counties, 
31.9 percent was in some stage of delinquency, and 13.9 percent was 
nearly ready for deeding to the State. 
While it was not possible to secure figures for the State correspond- 
ing to those given in the last table, it is known that these high delin- 
quency ratios do not obtain throughout the State but are limited main- 
ly to the cut-over region. Within this region there are wide variations, 
the counties with the highest delinquency appearing to be those in 
which a shrinking tax base is compelled to carry a relatively heavy 
tax burden because of an arrested agricultural development. 
A study was made of the relative long-term delinquency of different 
classes of property in selected towns of the forest regions of Minne- 
sota. The results are shown in tables 58 and 59. 
TABLE 58.—Portion of total area with long-term delinquency,! by property classes, 
1926; selected counties and townships, Minnesota ? 
Mineral and 
County and township Farm ? Cut-over Resort amihee 
Beltrami: Percent Percent Percent Percent 
CRIGS toss RN ee AOE eI 2.8 14.7 (43) Scere ee 
MTOR: See ek Be es ie et ES Re See ee 1.6 6.9 AYU Ul eet ns PS 
Pao ali: br ee OE ee ee 9.1 13.3 x Ol Rose 
ee SG VINE eRe eo Le WW ea ee Enea eee Sener 5OL5" | Sees eee (4) 
Hubbard: 
COE eR ID a eet as Ek Ue ee ae x0 1.9 y Nr fil Oe Neneh ee 
Crow Wine Wake 3525 sea ee ee 3.9 1.3 .0 (4) 
VEEN Caygl DY #00 00; Peabren eaememe eere sk piyenverepaneleg v-zv Rios eter Cipbel BE? OE ated 2.6 (4) 
Schooleraftee 2568. 220 Fee ee eee ee 8.5 8.4 5.4 5.9 
Lake: 
PRAVOSEN REECE Sa Wes oe otek eae ees Re ee a 3.9 14.0 (4) 0 
ERRSSTN Seles GOW eee = sae. SE ee Ceara (4) 23.8): ee ee 
3d DTS 38 ed on) I, eed ee eerie ae ee oS eis See Ne ee Boe eee 4.2 1253 
POSSESS LOS Wits ee 2 EE Se ee 256) DT, 4) | en | 2 a 
St. Louis | 
PEG ASIN cet ese NV oot eT Ls Oe pe | LOR a | Neg Rp 15.1 13.8 
NIT ALT ASS ee re et re eee 1:0 10/43/52 (4) 
TOLV Ola saree OE LO ee Sa a oe 4.3 2. 1) Bee eee See 
My hfand boING Re 4eWe_. 8 Oe (4) 2.5 (4) 0 
FG PANG GS rN eet 20 NV eee ee ea es ral | CR ere .07)-23. se 10.8 
1 By long-term delinquency is meant delinquency for 3 years and 7 months or more. 
3 Source of data: Computed from town assessment rolls, 1926, classified by field examination. 
3 Includes abandoned farms, which are important in Eckles and Crow Wing Lake. 
4 Less than 500 acres. 
