Year: 1878

It is stated that the Stew rt bill !,
amending the Timber Culture Act, has
passed Congress. 1t reduces the area
to le planted from forty acres to ten
acres to the quarter section. 1t pro
vides that any head Of a family, or
any one who has arrive at the age Of
twenty one years, who shall plant pro,
tect aud keep in healthy growing con
di.ion for eight years ten acres OF tim


Der trees, not being more than four
feet apart each way, On any qa'rter
section, or five acres on any subiiv,


sion Of eighty acres, or two and a halt
acres on any subdivision Of forty acres.
or one eighth part OF any subdivision


less than forty acres shall be entitled
to patent for the whole. The proof
required is the same as under the old
Law. It provides that no: more than
one quarter Of any one section shall b.
thus taken and that no person shall
make mere than one entry. We can


not say that We regard the new !aw a.
an improvement on the old one. 1t is
simply exchanging one imr"aeticable
law for another equally SO. The only
reason for cnacting such law is TO
encourage the growth Of timber of the
timberlcss prairiss. To secure this
end it was necessary to put the matter
in such shape that individuals would
be personally benefited To plant and
cultivate forty acres Of timber accord


lag to the provisions Of the old law
would cost the person doing it more
than the quarter section would be
worth. Many persons were induced
to make entries under the law because
it did not require residence on the
land, and many others because they did
not know the amount Of labor required
to plant and cultivate forty acres Of
timber. We venture the assertion
that not one person in oae hundred
who made entry under the Timher
Culture Act, has complied with the
letter and spirit Of tn, law, and, gen
orally, because it was impossible. The
result is that they are liable to loose
their claims, with the alternative Of
doing some pretty steep swearing, and
the temptation to accept the latter is
very great. The new law reduces the
number Of acres to be planted, on a
quarter section, to ten and requires
shat the land shall be broken the first
wear. cultivated with some kind Of crop
the second year and trees planted the
third year. These are good features.
II will be great advantage to have
the land subdued before putting in the
trees. It also requires that the trees
shall be planted, protected and kept n
a healthy condition, not being n'ors
than four feet apart each rcy, c'gh'
years. This is the clause that makes
the whole thing farce. It cant be
complied with. All that can DO done
will be to plant the trees and swear
the rest through. One Of the bills in
troduoed, We believe by Maj Strait
provided that the trees should b
planted four " six feet apart aud that
At the end Of eight years, three hun
dred healthy growing trees to the acre
would entitle the claim'nt to a patent.
Such . law could be complied with
Three hundred trees to the acre il
about twelve feet apart and trees, aftel
four or five years growth. will mol
thrive any closer together. The new
Law will not add much timber to the
treeleas prairies and will not accomp
lish much Of anything except to add
another class " the school Of perjury