The Dickinson press., 1917-02-17
INSTRUCTIONS FOR
OPERATION OF $40 .
]. ACRE, HOMESTEAD

ACkE hUMESlEAD
The local land office officials are
in receipt Of the official instruc-
lions for the operation Of the new
s~tock-raising homestead law, the act
Of December 29th, 1916, about which
there has been SO much discussion
throughout the northwest during the
past month. There are many tech
meal points contained in the instruc-
lions and local officials give out the
information that they will continue
to accept filings as authorized until
the lands which come under this rul-
ing are designated. If the filings are
not accepted at that time the filing
fees will be returned to the entry
man. Special blanks for filings under
the 64O-acre law have been received
and the officials state that some OF
the recent entrymen will have to be
notified that their filing will have to
be made on the special blank. The
text of the law, in so far as it per-
tains to this section Of the country
follows:
What Lands Subject to Act.
81. The secretary of the interior is
authorized, pursuant to application
or otherwise, to designate unreserved
public lands in any Of the public land
States. but not in Alaska, as stock
raising lands This includes coded
Indian lands, unless entries therefor
are limited to a smaller area by the
acts governing their appropriation;
but it does not include lands In ma
tional forests. From time to time
lists of land thus designated will be
sent to the registers and receivers in
the districts wherein the land is situ-
ated and they will be advised Of the
dates when the designations become
effective.
"2. The lands to be designated are
those the surface Of which is, in the
opinion of the secretary Of the inter-
ior, chiefly valuable for grazing and
raising forage crops, which do not
contain merchantable timber, are not
susceptible of irrigation from any
known source of water supply, and
are of such character than $40 acres
are reasonably required to support a
family. The classification will be
made, so far as practicable, SO as to
exclude lands that are not chiefly
valuable for grazing and raising for
age crops, either because too valu-
able for such use or too poor for
such use. Lands which are capable
of producing valuable crops of grain
or other food cereal or fruit r not
subject to designation, being, if other
wise subject to entry, disposable
under the 16O-acre or 320-acre home
stead law, according to their charac-
ter. Lands Of such arid or poor
character that they r worthless or
fit only for occasional grazing IN
connection with large areas Of other
land are not subject to designation
and entry under this act. No tract
may be designated which contains
a water hole or other body OF
water and other tracts required for
access Of the public thereto, may
be reserved by the president and
kept open to the public use under
rules prescribed by the secretary OF
the interior. Whether the land will
or will not support a family is not
guaranteed in any manner by the
designation of the land as subject
to this act, The homesteader him.
self must take the burden of &C
cepting the land designated as Of a
character that meets the require
ments Of the law.
Qualifications for Entrymen.
"a. la Any person qualified un-
der the general laws to make home
stead entry (that is, who has not
exercised his right, or who is en-
titled to restoration Of his right
under general provisions Of law may
make a stock raising homestead
entry for not exceeding $40 acres
of unappropriated, surveyed land, in
reasonable compact form, which has
been designated by the secretary as
above indicated. No rights can be
acquired by an application for I'm.
surveyed land; but where a tract
of unsurveyed land has been de-
signated a settlement right on not
more. than $40 acres may be es.
tablished and maintained if the boun-
diaries are plainly marked on the
ground.
Entries Within 20 Miles.
&c. Any person, otherwise qualified
who has made a homestead entry
or less than GAO acres Of lano
which shall be designated as stock
raising land, and who has completed
the term Of residence required o.
will have completed it within siz
months, is entitled, under the first
proviso to section three Of the act
to make an additional entry for 8
tract of designated land within a ra.
dius Of 20 miles from the trac'
originally entered, and making W
Herewith an area of not more thar
GAO acres: Such entries may include
two incontiguous tracts if one Of
the tracts is contiguous to the or
iginal entry. But such applicant can
not be allowed to secure a trac'
incontiguous to his first entry unles!
he enters all available land contiguou!
thereto. If he applies for land which
is incontiguous to the original entry
he must furnish an affidavit tina
there is no unappropriated, unre
served land contiguous thereto, Of tn
character described in the act, othel
than that for which he applies. Thu
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