IO] THE TENURE OF LAND BEFORE i860 T g 



because of exploitative methods of cultivation, were in- 

 spired through a fortunate draw to move to fresher and 

 stronger soils. 1 Many who drew prizes failed to take 

 out their grants. As indicated above it was provided 

 that fortunate drawers must take out their grants within 

 a certain period, else they would revert to the state. 

 Many acts supplementary to the general lottery acts were 

 passed for the purpose of extending these time limita- 

 tions, and many other acts were passed for the purpose 

 of reducing the fees connected with the taking out of 

 grants. 2 All of which goes to show conclusively that 

 there was not a universal eagerness among the success- 

 ful drawers to take possession of their lands. In many 

 instances the claims lapsed, and the lands reverted to the 

 state and were subsequently sold to others. 3 In other 

 cases the grants were completed, but the grantees dis- 

 posed of the lands thus obtained without even seeing 

 them. In still other cases the lands drawn in the lottery 

 were so poor or so badly situated, that it was thought 

 useless to have the titles made out. Some of the cases 

 of reversion, however, can be explained only on grounds 

 of improvidence. The fee of a few dollars incident to 

 taking out the grants and the energy required in estab-* 

 lishing themselves upon a new territory, were in such 

 cases too great a tax upon the easy-going spirits. 



The close of Georgia's policy of land distribution 



1 It would take a very detailed investigation into the most hidden 

 sources of information to get any trustworthy data on which to base an 

 estimate of just what percentage of those who drew lots were already 

 owners of land. 



3 Prince, Digest of Ga. Laws (1837), PP- 545-568. 



8 The records in the office of the secretary of state show this. The 

 gentleman now in charge of these records suggested to the writer that 

 perhaps twenty-five per cent of the lands reverted in this manner to the 

 state. 



