American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-12-19
Public Lands and Patent Statistics.
The following statement and statistics
are taken from the late report of the
Secretary of the Interior:

Inc following statement ana statlStlCs
are taken from the late report of the
Secretary of the Interior:
PUBLIC LANDS
During the fiscal year ending Jnne 30, 1874
public lands were disposed Of as follows: Cash
sales, 1,.4l. ss5 As acres; military.warrant loca
ber-cuitnre entries. sOe, s4547; Agricultural Col
lege scrip locations, liz e6 approved to Ststet
a. swamp, as, 1877 81; certified to railroads, sSo4,
3I4. -; certified for wagon-roads, N,921.i1 cert
for common schools, 69,sS9.s4; certified for uni
nsI 81 SIOUX
scrip locations, TO; Chippewa, DO, l,6I;ai
7ssss acres than that disposed Of the preceding
Cash receipts e I6s, sss 80, being S9ss,577 les,
During the year % 492 no. 43 acres were surveyed
making sa9. So o52 acres already surveyed, anc
The diminution in the aggregate quantity OF
lands disposed of during the year is chiefly owinf
acres in the year ending June 80, 1874, against
6OsS, 6.57 acres in that ending June ", 1873
Timber act which sngurs wen for the now treeles.
prairies of the West The entries under this ane
the Homestead act exceed by over half million
acres like entries during the preceding year
The rapid destruction Of timber in this coun-
try, and especially that which is found on the
person persons who have given the subject any con.id
Grafton. If this destruction progresses In the ~
Of the GoTernment viii soon be denuded Of ev
ervthino that 10 valuable Effective Legislation
protecting these lands from such waste lie abso
iutely necessary, and cannot longer be neglected
Under the laws now in force for the disposition
Of public lands it is difficult If not Impossible ts
obtain more than the minimum price ~ Is pei
acre) for land, however valuable when TIM I'm
ties, desiring to purchase, make such arrange
meuts and combinations as to prevent CON petl,
ton; hence the lands ifdisposed OF at all are Sole
at the minimum when offered at pubic
sale and. If not the then , sold, are ove nm
ment price by such parties The most effectual
means Of preventing these practices Is, IN the
Judgment Of the Secretary, to adopt the sugges,
lions of the Commissioner of the General Land
once that pine and tir lands sh all not be subject
to entry under the Exemption and Homesieao
laws; that . system Of surveys be devised ~
which the quantity of pine and fir timber ON eacn
smallest subdivision of Q section may be ~ least
closely approximately; that an immediate ex-
ploraffon by experts Of the unsurveyed portion
Of those States and Territories known to contain
pine and Or timber be made, with view OF as
certaining the geographical situation OF such
that the reports of such explorations
he followed by immediate surveys, appralsements'
proc!amatione and sales, at not less than the ap-
praised value, and for cash only.
PArsNrs-
The operations Of the Patent once during the
year show a large increase over those OF the pr e
cedipg year The number of applications. IN
clusiye Of reissues and designs, was 2l,oi, OF
which IL 515 were allowed; 2sy applications ior
extensions were filed, OF which 2o were
Granted, and 1850 patents were allowed Dut
mot Issued on account of failure to pay the maj
ices Six hundred and ninety-s1x applications
far trode-marks and labels have ais been Med OF
which $50 were granted registration. Inc Ioi t
amount of fees received was So, iil-3o, ana 'ne
total expenditures were S69i,U15 ~ leaving pal
aucc of a. o5565 sum greater by $24,oooo o imam
that of the preceding year.