Why were the Articles delayed from ratafacation?

Answer 1

The great delay in ratifying the Articles of Confederation (passed by Congress on November 15, 1777) was caused by competing LAND claims -- of Western lands (esp. bordering on the Mississippi). A number of states immediately relinquished their land claims to the central government, but others wanted to impose conditions.

The last dispute to be resolved was between Virginia and Maryland, hence Maryland was the last to ratify (March 1, 1781)

http://www.sierratimes.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard//topic.cgi?forum=3&topic=433&start=10
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Articles_of_Confederation#Ratification

see esp. this article, which gives more details on the disputes
http://www.cooperativeindividualism.org/rubenstein_stan_yazoo_land_claims.html