Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1915-03-20
LARGER HOMESTEADS
Hundred and Twenty Acres-Ap-
plies to South Dakota.

Belle Fourche, S. D., March 16.-In
the last hours of the 63rd congress, bill
was passed extending to South Dakota,
the enlarged Homestead law which
Wyoming, Montana and other western
states have enjoyed since 1909. 1t is one
of the most important land acts of recent
years, and will benefit all present hol-
ders of land "not proved up on" as well
as the original applicant. In substance,
the law is as follows:
l. Any person qualified to make a
homestead entry may now file on 800
acres instead of l60.
2. Any person who has an improved
up filing on l60 acres, may take up 160
acres more, if any open land joins his
homestead.
8. This land must be "non-mineral,
non-irrigable, unreserved and unappro-
priated surveyed public lands which do
not contain merchantable timber"
4. The fees are the same as required
under the homestead laws. And fees"
applies to the additional 100, when the
applicant is homesteader, as well as if
he were first applicant.
5. The land taken by one who is
holding homestead must be contiguous
(adjoining) the land he is holding, and
so compact that the largest side is not
over l-2 miles.
6. An entryman (or entrywoman)
who has an unprotected homestead fl
ing of 100 acres and desert filing of 160
acres, may still enter l60 additional acres
under the enlarged homestead law. But
one entering an enlarged homestead
first, or increasing his filings to 320 acres
cannot afterwards make desert land
entry, because of the terms of his desert
land affidavit.
7. Cultivation. The second year of
entry, one-sixteenth of the total area
must be cultivated; the third year, double
this, or one-eighth must be under sue
cessful cultivation. One eighth is the
full requirement. Residence is the
same as now; that is, all entries are made
under the Three year law and must
be proved up within five years
But, no extention is given on the fl
ing already made; that must be proved
up within the statutory time. If that
time is too short to complete the require
ments of the law applicable as to the
second l60 entered, then supplemental
proof will be necessary.
Howey er. the cultivation may all be
on one of the quarters, and the residence
and cultivation on one Of the quarters
count on both, provided it be sufficient
to fulfill all the requirements of the law.
Native grasses, though they be irrigated
and cultivated, are not recognized as
crops under this act.
While irrigable land is excluded an
exception is made where the irrigation
is made from a spring; and the limit is
40 in this; that is, no more than that
much land irrigable by spring is al
lowed.
No entries under this act can he COM
muted.
Entry fees and commission on 800
acres, SIS; 100 acres, $l4.
Upon proper showing, reduction of
areas of cultivation will be allowed.
However, with the liberality of this law
in general, too much dependence on OBJ
tanning such reduction must not be in
dulged.
Filings under the new enlarged home
stead laws" are now being accepted by
the land Office at Belle Fourche. This
will segregate the land and hold it for
the entryman; the receivers receipt is
given, but the registers Certificate of
allowance" will not be issued until the
advice of the secretary of the interior to
the effect that such land comes within
the meaning of the law-that is, is mon.
mineral, non-irrigable, unappropriated,
unreserved, contains no merchantable
timber, and not susceptible of successful
irrigation at reasonable cost from any
known source of water supply"
We give these facts and understanding
of the law to the press that the people
who desire to make filings ofthe full 800
acres or who may wish to enlarge their
unprotected filings .by taking an addi-
tional 100 acres may be saved the time
it would take to write the Office for in
formation. We haye inserted the re-
quirements, so tnat all may iknow Just
what they are before deciding to enter
homesteads.
Respectfully,
JOHN A. ROSS,
Register
KIRK +. BANTER.