The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1913-02-06
January 18th, 1913.
Hon. Secretary of the Interior,
Washington, ID. c..


Hon. Secretary of the Interior,
Washington, ID. C.
Dear Sir:
Please find enclosed copy II. r.
28O20 which l introduced yester
day and have asked the commit
tee on public lands to refer to
you for report.
The new matter in the bill re-
ferred to is to be found on page
2, beginning with the word "Pro
vided" in line 9, and including
all the following to and including
the word "acre" in line IS, read
ing as follows:
Provided, that the entryman
in lieu of cultivation required
herein may make improvement
upon his entry by constructing
fences or buildings, by slashing,
clearing, or in other ways prepar-
ing the land for cultivation, by
planting orchard, or by otherwise
making the homestead habirable
or capable of production, said i'm
provements to aggregate an
amount each year of not less than
81 per acre, except that in cas-
es of entries under section six of
the enlarged homestead law the
amount of improvements shall be
not Less than rs cents per acre !"
Conditions in the west touching
lands that are available for entry
under the homestead law are so
different in different sections of
the country that it is exceedingly
difficult to shape law that will
meet the situation in one locality
equally as we'll as in every other
locality.
!. The homestead law as passed
last year and approved June 9th,
in some respects works a hard
ship upon settlers that I believe
can be avoided by the amendment
embraced in the bill that | have
proposed and 1 trust that the
measure may meet with your ap-
proval.
Under the existing law it is re-
quired that the homesteader shall
cultivate not less than one-six-
teenth of the area of his entry
beginning with the second year
of the entry and not less than one
eighth beginning with the third
year of the entry, except in the
case of entries under the enlarged
homestead law and also except up
on satisfactory showing under
rules and regulations prescribed
by the secretary of the interior
In some parts of the west this
provision can be met with reason
able effort upon the part of the
homestead entryman; in other sec
tions it cannot be met, and even
in some places it is folly to re-
quire it because the land upon
which the entry may be made is of
a character suitable for agriculture
and yet not suitable for cultiva-
tion. One of the finest orchards
j ever visited is upon the side of
a canyon where the trees are
set out among the rocks and where
1T would be difficult or impossible
TO plow or harrow the land.
In other parts of the state there
is land that lends itself to pasture
purposes, but that is hardly sus-
ceptible of cultivation or at least
is of such a character that it
would be far better not TO cult
gate it, but rather to improve the
character Of the land for pasture
purposes by clearing off brush or
trees, by fencing and other ways.
Again, and probably of greatest
Importance, there are areas cover
ed with brush or timber, some of
which timber is of little value and
it is an exceedingly expensive
proposition to clear and cultivate
the land looking to the establish,
ment of home.
Sometimes crops are raised for
years upon land upon which trees
are growing, the farmer cutting
down the trees and removing the
stumps as he may have emporium
ity during a period of several or