Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1893-04-28
THE NEW TIMBER cuLruRE LAW.

THE NEW TIMBER CULTURE LAW.
The land offices of the state have
received official notification of the
passage of the Act of March 3, 1893,
which allows timber culture entry
men who have complied with the tim
Der culture law for eight years, to
make final proof and obtain title to
the land without paying for it, whetll-
er they have succeeded in raising the
trees or not.
Following is the language of the
act:
That section one of an act entitled
ssAn act to repeal timber culture laws
and for other purposes" approved
March third, eighteen hundred and
ninety-One, be, and hereby is amend
ed by adding the following words
to the fourth prOvisO thereof: "And
provided further, That If trees, seeds.
or cuttings were in good faith planted
as provided by law and the same, and
the land upon which so planted were
thereafter in good faith cultivated as
provided by law, for at least eight
years by a person qualified to make
entry, and who has subsisting entry
under the timber culture laws, final
proof may be made without regard to
the number of trees that may nave
been then growing on the land.''
Receiver Macleod of the Aberdeen
district says the act is very liberal
in its terms and makes no distinction
between residents and non-residents.
Its benefits apply to all existing en-
tries, regardless of the date of en-
try, but proof cannot be made until
after the expiration of eight years
from the date of entry. Proof will be
made under the regulations hereto
fore governing final timber culture
proofs, except that publication will
be necessary, the same as in home
stead cases. The testimony may be
submitted either before the local land
office or before the Judge or clerk of a
court o. record within and for the
county in which the land is situated.
An entryman desiring to make
proof under this act should proceed
as follows:
I. File in the local land office an
application to make proof. stating
where and before what officer he de-
sircs to make proof, and naming as
witnesses four persons who are famil-
lar with the tract and have personal
knowledge of all the work performed
demonstrating, planting and cul-
tivation-since the first year of the
entry.
2. On the day set for proof the
claimant, with two of his advertised
witnesses, must appear in person be-
fore the designated officer and bring
with him the receivers duplicate re-
ceipt for his entry and the publish
er's affidavit of publication, also, in
case he is not a native born citizen,
record evidence of his naturalization
or declaration of intention to become
citizen. The officer will write the
testimony and perform all other cler-
ical and judicial acts necessary to
complete the proof.
). Entrymen must make proof in
person and they are cautioned against
producing incompetent witnesses.
The witnesses should be qualified to
testify from personal knowledge as to
the number of acres broken the first.
second and thiro years, the number of
acres and the kind of seeds or trees
planted each year, the acts of cultiva-
tion performed each year, and if they
have not previously done so they
should, before appearing, personally
measure the tract on which the trees
have been planted.
4. The fees of the land Office in
each case is sl.OO and in addition tif-
teen cents for each 100 written words
in the testimony.
The land offices. having received Of
ticial notification of the enactment of
the law. are ready to transact busi-
mess under its provisions.
Delegates Named.
Governor Sheldon has named as
follows ten delegates to represent
South Dakota in the Trans
Mississippi congress which will COM
mence at Ogden. Utah. April u: