Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 19??-1918, 1916-10-13

| 1t would De dihicult TO forecast the
wonderful development that will fol-
low the opening OF this land grant
to homestead entry" said l.. l..
Sharp. who is In charge OF the field
work Of classification OF the various
tracts OF o. & c. lands here In south
ern and western Oregon.
Il know OF no other district that
has greater possibilities. yet agricui-
tural development in southern Oregon
Is farther behind than in any equal
area Of the northwestern states. due
TO the fact that so much OF the area
has been tied up In reserves and
granted lands" added Mr.. Sharp.
Work Has Been Rapid
II was midsummer before Mr..
Sharp and his party were put in the
field to classify the lands OF the
o. q c. railroad grant forfeited to the
federal government. But so well has
Mr.. Sharp organized his campaign
that he has already completed the
classification Of klamath. jackson and
Josephine counties. comprising the
southern Oregon district, and the
lands OF the unit will be ready for
opening as soon an the necessary de-
tails can be arranged. The opening
OF these lands will follow the home
stead law, and according to Mr.. Sharp
those already classified should be
ready for the land-hungry public
within very short time. The Klam-
ath lands. he says. should be ready
at this time. and the opening Of all
OF this district should be well under
way by the first Of the year.
The plan that will no doubt be fol-
lowed In the distribution OF the lands.
says Mr.. Sharp. is regulated by the
department. First. formal notice that
certain lands are to be opened for set
tlement upon a definite date is given
the public through advertisement by
the department. Filings are received
at a hxed date, the entryman to file
as ls required In any homestead entry.
He must have beon upon the land
which he wishes to homestead, and
must specify the exact piece for which
he applies. Should there be more
than one applicant for a certain piece.
lots are drawn and the lucky man
gets the tract, Upon the acceptance
OF the entry. the successful one will
pay so cents per acre toward the
$2.60 which goes to the railroad COM
pany. the balance OF the payment to
be made when Anal proof Is COM
pleted.
Classification Is Comprehensive
Under Mr.. Sharp's supervision. a
most comprehensive classification OF
the grant lands is being made. The
party OF about 100 is divided into
camps. each camp consisting OF cruis-
ers and compassmen. cook and camp
tenders, etc. The section lines are all
carefully established and each 40
acre tract OF land Ia reported upon
in detail, the report showing the topo-
graphy, the character OF the land as
regards Its adaptability to farming or
grazing, lts soil and surface condi-
tion, accessibility, and In fact nota-
tIon Is made of every point that
might occur to an inquiring settler,
A study OF the report win show exact
ly how much timber and OF what kind
can be found upon each Individual 40
acres, II viii tell the kind OF soil,
how much Ia fiat lands and what the
elevations OF the hills may be. In
fact, coming from experts, these re-
ports will toll more than the average
person could discover from days of
Investigation, and will be the most
valuable kind OF guide for intending
homesteaders,
Much Agricultural, Land
All tracts that carry 100000 or
more board feet OF standing timber
are classified MS timber lands and will