Immediately after such articles of association shall have been filed, the clerk of the district court of the county in which the proposed district is located and in case the drainage district be composed of territory situated in the different counties, the clerk of the district court of the county in which the greater portion of the land of the proposed district shall be situated, shall issue a summons as now provided by law. Such summons shall be directed to the several owners of real estate in such proposed district who may be averred to be benefited thereby, but have not signed such articles of association, which shall be served as summons in civil cases. In case any owner or owners of real estate in such proposed district are unknown, or are nonresidents, they will be notified in the manner as nonresident defendants are now by law notified, that the articles of association as aforesaid have been filed, and the purpose thereof, and that the real estate of such owner or owners situated in such district, fully describing the same, will be affected thereby, and rendered liable to taxation, or assessment for the purposes of draining such district, and that application will be made to have such district declared a drainage district for the purpose of draining and reclaiming the same.