36 BULLETIN 181, U. S. DEPAETMENT OF AGEICULTTJKE. 
work^ exclusive of that of clearing the main floodway varies in the 
different drainage districts from $15.72 to $44.36 per acre, the average 
cost per acre for the entire 36 districts being $23.06. It is recom- 
mended that the clearing of the main floodway be done by a separate 
organization comprising all of the overflowed land below district 
K"o. 1, exclusive of that of the floodway itself. On this basis the 
cost of clearing would be $5.21 per acre benefited. 
Especial attention is called to the necessity of providing sedimen- 
tation areas at the lower extremities of the several tributaries of the 
river, and of taking immediate steps to arrest the hillside erosion 
now taking place within the watershed. 
It is doubtful if conditions in the vaUey at this time justify the 
expenditure necessary for the complete reclamation as outlhied, 
although at least one of the districts (No. 1) should be carried out 
at once. A feature that contributes greatly to the high cost per acre 
for the levee districts is the narrowness of the bottoms as compared 
with the large amount of water that must be provided for. It has 
seemed advisable, however, to prepare plans for the reclamation of 
the entire part of the vaUey under consideration, as the increasing 
demand for agricultural land will doubtless make the ultimate 
reclamation of these lands desirable. 
In weighing the advantages of drainage as against the cost, the 
landowners should not lose sight of those benefits which may be 
termed secondary as distinct from those to which a direct money 
value can be assigned. First among benefits of this class should be 
placed the improved health conditions that foUow improvements 
of this nature. Experience has also shown that the betterment of 
roads, made possible by drainage, results not only in greatly decreased 
cost of then maintenance, but also in the cheaper transportation of 
produce and in generally improved educational and social conditions 
in the community. 
