New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-01-31
GENERAL NirURE-NO. los. !

An act to encourage the growth of timber
on Western prairies.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of
Representatives of the United States of
America in Congress assembled, That any
person who shall plant, protect, and keep
in healthy growing condition for ten
years forty acres of timber, the trees there
on not being more than twelve feet apart
each way, on any quarter section of any of
| the public lands of the United States, shall
be entitled to patent for the whole of said
quarter section at the expiration of said ten
years, on making proof of such fact by not
less than two credible witnesses provided
that only one quarter in any section shall
be thus granted.
SEC 2. That the person applying for the
| benefit Of this act shall upon application
to the register Of the land office in which bel
or she is about to make such entry, makel
| affidavit before such register or receiver
that said entry is made for the cultivation of
timber, and upon filing said ati-I
dayit with said register and receiver
and on payment of ten dollars bel
or che shall thereupon be permitted
to enter the quantity of land specified; pro|
vided, however, that no certificate shall bel
| gwen or patent issued therefor until theI
| expiration of at least ten years from the !
| date OF such entry; and if at the expiration
| OF such time, or at any time within three Y
| years thereafter, the person making such
entry, or If he or she be dead, his or her
helrs or legal representatives, shall prove
| by two credible witnesses that he she or
| they have planted and for not less than Zen
years have cultivated and protected such
quantity and character of timber as afore-
sald they snail receive the patent for such
quarter section of land.
SEC. g. That if at any time after the filing
OF said affidavit, and prior to the issuing Of
the patent for said land, it shall be proven,
after due notice to the party making such
entry and claiming to cultivate such tim.
Der, to the satisfaction of the register of the
Iand office, that such person has abandoned
or tailed to cultivate, protect, and keep in
good condition such timber, then and in |
that event, said land shall revert to thu
United States /
SEC. 4. That each and every person WHIT
under the provisions OF an act entitled "a IL
act to secure homesteads to actual settler e
on the public domain" approved Nav twepE
tieth, eighteen hundred and sxty-two oil
any amendment thereto, having a homet
stead on said public domain, who, at the
end OF the third year of his or her Residence
thereon, shall have had under cultivation.
tor two years, one acre of timber, the trees
thereon not being more than twelve feet
apart each way, and in good, thrifty con
dltion, Tor each and every sixteen acres Of
""''ecNN' Shnli, upOu uuc proof
said fact by two credible witnesses, received
his or her patent for said homestead.
SEC D. That no land acquired under pro
VISIONS OF this act shall in any event be- /
come liable to the satisfaction of any debt
or debts contracted prior to the issuing oil
patent therefor.
SEC. 8. That the Commissioner of TIE
General Land Office is hereby required 70
prepare and issue such rules and regus
tlohs' consistent with this act, as shall k
necessary and proper to carry its provision
INTO effect; and that the registers and thu
receivers of the several land offices shaI
ne entitled to receive the same compenssE
ton for any lands entered under the prE
visions OF this that they are now entitled I'll
receive when the same quantity of land b
entered with money.
SEC. Z. That the fifth section of the seE
entitled: IAN act in addition to an act nE
PUNISH crimes against the United Statek
and for other purposes" approved Marcel
third, eighteen hundred and fifty-seyeIE
shall extend to all oaths, affirmatops anil
Approved March z 1872