77 



enormously to the wealth and productiveness of the State, you 

 will all appreciate that we are upon a more permanent and en- 

 during basis. We shall not be compelled them to be continually 

 running to the Legislature and to the Boards of Freeholders for 

 funds, which are not always voted us in an ungrudging spirit. 

 Furthermore, we are in the enviable position of the citizen who 

 has made two blades of grass grow where only one grew before. 



MKADOW^' DRAINAGE DATA. 



Zuider Zee: 



First report on project 1849, by Van Diggelen. 



First money voted by Parliament 1875, 10,000 florins for 

 borings. Total expended in investigations, 127,000' florins, of 

 which 28,000 florins was public money. 



Length of embankment, 29,300 meters. Height of embank- 

 ment, 5.2 meters above datum. Maximum detph of embankment, 

 10 meters at low tide. Maximum height of embankent, 18.6 

 meters. Area of fresh-water lake after improvement, 145 hec- 

 tares. Area of land to be reclaimed, 211,830 hectares. Esti- 

 mate of cost, 189,000,000 florins, exclusive of interest. Force 

 needed to cultivate land, 40,000' peasants and laborers. Esti- 

 mated that 250,000 persons will find means of support from the 

 reclaimed land. 



Rent of polder land in Zeeland per hectare : 



Light clay, 70 to 90 florins; clay, 100 to 12O' florins; light 

 sandy soil, 50 florins; heavy sandy soil, 90 florins. Estimated 

 average rental of Zuiderzee land, 75 florins per hectare, or a 

 total of 15,000,000 florins a year. 



Average gross value of crops per hectare for the polders of 

 Waard en Groet, the Ij and the Haarelemmeer, 382 florins, 374 

 florins and 283 florins respectively. 



Estimated average yield of Zuiderzee lands 350 florins per 

 hectare. 



The estimated average production per hectare is im the Prov- 

 ince of Noord Brabant, 357 florins. For the Island of Noord- 

 beveland, 359 florins, and Northern Groningen, 334 florins. 



