26 
BULLETIN 1257, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
Table 9. — Area in organized drainage enterprises in the United States, in 1920. 
Acres. 
_ 1 
Area in operating enterprises: 
With works completed 56,763.751 
With works under construction . 8,731,287 
Total 65,495,038 
Area in nonoperating enterprises in process of organization 3,924,821 
Area in all organized enterprises . 69,419,859 
Organization of drainage districts began before the middle of the 
last century, but about two-thirds of the land in organized enter- 
prises is in districts organized since 1905, and nearly half of it in 
districts organized since 1910. 
As is the case with irrigation districts, there are two general 
classes of districts, considering them from the standpoint of the 
purpose of their organization — those organized to improve land 
already in farms, or for the extension of existing farms, where no 
settlement problems are involved, and those organized to drain 
swamps not previously used for agriculture, where the utilization 
of the land involves settlement. The census data are not classified in 
this way, but the figures showing the areas of improved and unim- 
proved land in drainage enterprises indicate in a general way 
where districts of the two classes are located and the extent to which 
the drained lands have been put to use. These figures, by geographic 
division, are presented in Table 10. 
Table 10. — Percentages of improved and unimproved land in drainage enter- 
prises, by geographic divisions. 
[See Vol. VII, p. 375.] 
Total area. 
Improved land. 
I niinproved land. 
Division. 
Area. 
Per- 
cent- 
age of 
total. 
Timber and cut- 
over land. 
Other unimproved 
land. 
Area. 
Per- 
cent- 
age of 
total. 
Area. 
Per- 
cent- 
age of 
total. 
Operating enterprises: 
East North Central „ 
West North Central 
South Atlantic. 
Acres. 
31, 627, 176 
19, 217. 367 
2, 385, 384 
2, 323, 595 
7,924, 197 
810, 076 
1. 207. 213 
Acres. 
25, 282, 065 
11,630,279 
388, 345 
1,349,791 
3, 877, 166 
635, 868 
1, 124, 721 
79.9 
60.5 
16.3 
58.1 
48.9 
78.5 
93 2 
Acres. , 
1. 457, 151 
2,530,012 
862, 334 
914. 404 
2, 506, 431 
87 
13.113 
11.1 
13.2 
36.1 
39.3 
31.6 
.0 
1.1 
Acres. 
1. ^7.960 
5, 057. 076 
1, 134. 705 
59, 400 
1, 540, 600 
174, 121 
69, 409 
6.0 
26.3 
47. 6 
East South Central 
West South Central 
2.6 
19.5 
21.5 
Pacific 
5.7 
Total .--- 
65, 495, 038 * 
44, 288, 235 
67. 6 
11,283,532 
17.2 
9,923,271 
15.2 
Nonoperating enterprises: 
East North Central 
West North Central 
446, 558 
718,744 
1,051,503 
473, 235 
1,138,283 
78, 733 
17, 765 
270, 083 
406, 744 
36,800 
198, 494 
398, 171 
56, 729 
9,174 
60.5 
56.6 
3.5 
41.9 
35.0 
72. 
51.6 
77. 653 
314,640 
223, L8fi 
587, ! 17 
1,950 
17.4 
12.4 
29. 9 
17.2 
51.6 
2.5 
98. 822 
222. 557 
700, 063 
51, 556 
1T.2. 6('.:. 
20, 054 
8,691 
22.1 
31.0 
66.6 
East South Central 
West South Central 
10.9 
13.4 
25.5 
Pacific 
48. i 
Total 
3,924.821 
1, 376, 495 
35.1 
1,294,018 
33.0 
1.254,308 
31.9 
Total for States in- 
69, 419, 859 
45,664,730 
65.8 
12, 577, 550 
18.1 
11,177,579- 
16. 1 
