MEANS OF ACQUIRING LAND 



1900 it was 838,591,774. The importance of free 

 land in this increase in the total area of land in 

 farms is shown by the fact that between January 

 i, 1863, and June 30, 1900, 188,149,032 acres of 

 land were entered under the homestead laws. It 

 is estimated that public lands had been disposed of 

 by the government prior to June 30, 1860, to the 

 extent of 417,587,322 acres; 1 whereas 524,509,- 

 414 acres have been disposed of since that date. 



The following figures show the number of acres 

 of land disposed of by the government for each 

 year from 1863 to 1904. In column A is given 

 the acreage of original homestead entries. In col- 

 umn B is given the area disposed of for cash, the 

 total acreage of original entries under the Home- 

 stead Acts and the Timber Culture Acts, the total 

 acreage located with agricultural college and other 



1 Donaldson (Public Domain, p. 519) says: "The disposi- 

 tion of the public domain from its origin to June 30, 1883, is 

 estimated at about 620,000,000 acres." From this number 

 has been subtracted the sum of the amounts annually dis- 

 posed of each year from June 30, 1860, to June 30, 1883, or 

 202,412,322 acres. It will be noted that the total amount dis- 

 posed of from the origin of the public domain to June 30, 

 1904, according to these figures is 942,096,736 acres. Whereas 

 according to the report of the Land Office for 1904, the total 

 area appropriated prior to June 30 of that year was 794,794,384 

 acres. This discrepancy is easily accounted for by the fact 

 that considerable quantities of the land selected by railways 

 or entered by individuals under the various Acts, was restored 

 to the public domain and became subject to entries and selec- 

 tions a second time ; 794,794,384 acres represents the net 

 amount disposed of for the whole period, but it is impossible 

 to ascertain the net amount disposed of each year, so the 

 amounts disposed of each year, without regard to the amounts 

 restored to the public domain, are taken as representing the 

 importance of this means of acquiring land. 

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