it in the strides that our farmers are making from year to year in the direction of a more intelligent and diversified production of crops. The fruits of the same are manifest in the great rush of students towards the school of agriculture, the outcome in no small degree of the liberal advertising that was given to the school in past years from the institute platform. There are traces of it in the lessened relative export of food stuffs from and manufactured within the state, and in the increased proportion of these that are being fed within our borders. And those benefits may be seen in improvement all along the line of farm practice, and to an extent that promises in the near future to place our agriculture in the very front rank when compared with that of other states.

THE RED RIVER VALLEY DRAINAGE COMMISSION.

The Red River Valley Drainage Commission was organized pursuant to chapter 221, General Laws of 1893, in August of the same year, by the election of Ezra Valentine as president. By law the board is composed of the governor, secretary of state and one person to be selected by the chairman of the board of county commissioners of Wilkin, Clay, Norman, Polk, Marshall, Kittson, Grant and Traverse counties, and one person to be selected by the Great Northern Railway Company. The sum of $100,000 was appropriated to begin the work. The total amount appropriated by the legislature of the state is $157.500 and the amount donated by the Great Northern Railway Company $25.000, making a total of all moneys received for this work, $182,500. Out of this money, with the exception of $3.335.91 still remaining, there have been constructed the following ditches:

MISCELLANEOUS.

From the above table it is to be seen that out of the total amounts received by the commission $162,412.62 was expended in actual construction of ditches, being 90 per cent of the entire amount received for this work. A record that is not likely to be approached by any state in contract work. Since 1893 the state has been engaged in the construction of these ditches which are located in the Red River Valley, and whose function is to furnish a speedy removal of the waters of spring freshets and severe summer rains. These ditches take the water from a point twelve to fifteen miles to the east of the Red river and carry it toward the west over a very gently sloping area and deliver it into coulies or old water courses three to five miles from the Red river. This tract of land is about ten miles wide, and the length of the valley is so flat that but few natural streams have been able to maintain open channels across it. The small current produced by this slope (one to three feet per mile) is not sufficient to carry the sediment or keep down the vegetation, and thus many streams on approaching this level tract spread their waters over the prairie, and, after weeks of sluggish flow, finally reach the Red river.

These ditches have greatly assisted this flow of storm water to an outfall, but the same action that obliterated the earlier water courses, if indeed there were any, set in at once and threatened to seriously impair the usefulness of these artificial rivers.

The growth of weeds and sedges and the filling up by sedimentation are the most threatening dangers to the continued efficiency of these channels. Two seasons' use was sufficient to develop these harmful tendencies.

To protect its own property, costing nearly $200,000, and to insure to this valley the continued beneficial effects of these ditches by keeping them open water courses, the legislature of 1897 created the

STATE DRAINAGE COMMISSION

and provided that it should have the care and supervision of all the state ditches; should inspect them each year and report their condition and needed repair to the several counties in which the ditches are located, the county in such case to make such repair at its own expense. Pursuant to this act a commission was appointed, consisting of George R. Roberts of Stephen, chairman; E. D. Childs of Crookston, and W. R. Hoag, C. E., of Minneapolis, secretary.

There are about 125 miles of these ditches, varying in length from two to fourteen miles, scattered in nine counties in the Red River Valley. They are from four to eight feet deep and from twenty to forty feet wide.

During the past two years all these ditches have been inspected throughout their length, as required by law, and the repairs recommended by the commission have, for the most part, been attended to by the counties.

The inspection of this commission has not only served to check, upon its first appearance, the vegetable growth, but it has been helpful in creating a favorable sentiment towards drainage projects in the valley by the county.

With the continued action of these ditches, which it is the purpose of the commission to insure, all this land, once water-soaked and unsuited for cultivation, is rapidly becoming as productive as any land in the state, and thus is being yearly added large wheat areas to the already famous home of "No. 1 Hard."

COMMISSIONER OF STATISTICS.

This office has been in existence since 1870. As constituted since 1887, the duties of the commissioner are confined to the gathering and compiling of agricultural statistics.

The farm statistics gathered by this department, although not as perfect as they ought to be, mainly through the indifference and carelessness of township assessors, and sometimes the neglect of county auditors, have an approximate value of great interest to the state, in showing the trend of certain farm industries and in giving a basis of figuring from which to obtain a money value as to the agricultural resources of the state. The annual reports of the commissioner contain an array of figures well worth analyzing by the political economist.

MINNESOTA STATE BOARD OF HEALTH AND VITAL
STATISTICS.

Minnesota was the third state to organize a board of health. This board has now been in existence twenty-seven years. The states preceding Minnesota in the organization of a board of health were Massachusetts (189 and California (1870).

La.

The first state boards of health had only advisory power, but circumstances seemed to demand executive power as well, in order to deal successfully with infectious diseases, and this was granted later.

In 1883 the laws governing the Minnesota board were again modified (chapter 132), and it is under this change that it is now operating.

In 1885 a law was passed (chapter 200) "to prevent the spread of contagious or infectious diseases among cattle, horses and other domestic animals." This law was displaced in 1897 by a new law (chapter 233), entitled "An act to prevent the spread of contagious and infectious diseases among domestic animals in this state."

Other laws, under the control of the State Board of Health, are found: In 1885 (chapter 222), regulating offensive trades and employments; (chapter 225) to prevent the pollution of rivers and sources of water supply; also, in the laws of 1887 (chapter 114), to provide for the collection of vital statistics; also, in the laws of 1897 (chapter 133), relating to the posting of