The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-11-11
BIG STATE bitches
MIDDLE RIVER ONE IN MARSHALL
COUNTY HAS BEEN COM.
PLETED
SYSTEM NUMBERS EIGHTEEN
These improvements I'm the Red
River VaIley-In That Section
sIso,ooo Has Been spent-The
Last One Completed ON Time Ac-
cOrdinE to- Agreement.

The contract let by the state drain
age commission for the completion
Of the Middle river ditch in Marshall
county expired yesterday. The COM
mission at its last meeting set Nov. 10
as the date when the work should be
completed, and a letter from the con-
tractors to Secretary Lomen states that
the work has been executed according
TO the agreement.
The completion of this ditch exhausts
the last appropriation OF Sl0O, 900, made
by the legislature OF 1895, for state
bitches in the Red river valley, and
winds up the work of the commission
extending over a period Of five years.
All told, the state has expended $780,
COO for drainage In the Red river val
ley. The Great North ern railway, how
ever, assisted and $50, 900 OF this amount
was contributed by the railway COM
pany, and expended under the super
vision of the state commission. AS a
result OF this large expenditure the
state has secured an excellent system
of drainage in the valley. which has
been worth TO the farmers many tine
its cost. The bitches have a total length
OF 1l6 miles and benefit the following
counties tributary to the Red river OF
the North: Kittson, Marshall, Polk
Norman, Clay, Wilkin, Traverse and
Grant.
The bitches completed by the com
mission average in length about eight
miles, the longest being the Sand Hill
ditch in Polk county, which is tn. rteen
and a half miles in leng h.
The first appropriation for this work
was made by the legislature Of 1898;
$50. 600 was expended during the follow
ing two years of the states money,
ard sl2,500 donated by the railway
company. In 1895 the legislature made
an additional appropriation Of 100000
with which TO further pursue the work
as many of the bitches commenced had
been left unfinished and the heavy
snow and rainfall in the winter and
early spring made Ii important that
the work should be pushed as rapidly
as possible. The last appropriation
was supplemented by another gift of
100 from the Great Northern. The
work which has just been compile ed
on the Middle river and Sand river
bitches takes the last Of this appro-
pTiation.
Secretary Lomen is preparing a re-
pert Of the work done by the commits
sion to be submitted to the legislature
The report will review the woI k OF the
last FIVE years, and will make some
suggestions as 10 its continuance.
The members OF the leg, stature COM
ing from the counties effected by this
drainage viii ask for another appro-
Iriation. as there is a large area in
the valley which has not been touched
by any of these bitches. The land in
the valley is uniformly low. The an
nual spring freshets cause the river
10 overflow its banks and submerge
the fields, working a great hardship
upon the farmers living in the valley.
The bitches drain the land so that il
can be sown to the golden product of
the valley two monfhs earlier than II
IL ere was no system of drainage in
operation.
The bitches average four and half
feet deep and about fifteen feet wide
at the bottom, and between twenty
five and thirty feet wide at the top.
The appropriations expended by the
commission during the last five years
have built the following bitches: