A SQUARE MILE OF LAND FOR THE ASKING 



215 



This shows Montana alone has given up more than 

 thirty million acres of her lands to new settlers in the 

 last eight years, and of her once vast open ranges amount- 

 ing originally to over 94 million acres, there is left for 

 future residents but 12 million acres. 



New Mexico lost to the new comers in the same time 

 over eighteen million acres and of her original 78 million 

 she now has but 21 million left. New Mexico, by the 

 way, is the fourth state in the Union in size, Texas of 

 course being at the head, but that state has no public 

 lands, they having all been retained by her when admitted 

 to the Union. 



Washington State which originally had 43 million 

 acres of public lands, has been so well covered by the 

 homesteaders that she is practically out of the list of 

 public land states, having a scant million acres left, most 

 of which is of little real value. 



So in spite of all the talk of the "Canadian hegira" the 

 public land states of the Union have recently furnished 



secure land under this law will remain on it a single day 

 after their title has been handed to them by the govern- 

 ment, let us analyze the requirements of this law and 

 see just what it offers the new settler and incidentally 

 some of the older ones; for it gives both a chance. 



Under its provisions any citizen who has not already 

 secured a home under the land laws can take up 640 

 acres of public land which is to follow the definition 

 in the law itself "chiefly valuable for grazing and rais- 

 ing forage crops, does not contain merchantable timber, 

 are not susceptible of irrigation from any known source 

 of water supply, and are of such a character that 640 

 acres are reasonably required for the support of a fami- 

 ly." These are the exact words of the law. 



Some of these phrases are going to call for very fine 

 definitions at the hands of the Secretary of the Interior. 

 "Chiefly valuable for grazing and raising forage crops" 

 for example, might well be said of a farm in Iowa part 

 of which is in pasture. 



THE CATTLE, WHICH MUST BE CARED FOR 



It will take a mighty good section of grazing land to supply the needs of this little bunch of cattle the year round, and the homesteader must 



find it. 



a very fair number of homes for the people of this 

 country. 



But this immense acreage taken from the public domain 

 still further reduced the value of what was left for 

 future settlers. So Congress again "raised the ante" 

 and after two years of discussion the "640 acre Stock 

 Raising Homestead Law" was the result. 



In this new law the fact was recognized that the 

 remnant left was of comparatively small value for ordi- 

 nary farming, but that it had possibilities for stockraising 

 purposes 



Passing over the big question of whether or not any 

 man eastern or western, can make a living and support 

 a family on 640 acres of purely grazing land such as 

 goes under that name in the western range states, and 

 also the equally live question as to how many men who 



Already the department has ruled that "Merchantable 

 timber" means timber not in excess of 500 feet to the 

 acre, a reasonable enough limitation. 



But who shall say what acreage of land, good or bad, 

 farm or grazing, may be "reasonably required for the 

 support of a family ?" Will it be a Rooseveltian family ; 

 must the family ride to school in a Ford or walk ? From 

 a rather intimate personal acquaintance with the values 

 of what is left of our public domain I am certain that 

 very few heads of families who take up lands under this 

 new law will need to worry over the payment of the 

 income tax, no matter to what point the necessities of the 

 war may reduce the amount to be taxed. 



Not only does the law allow a brand new entryman to 

 secure his 640 acres of grazing land, but the way is 

 opened to those who have already sat at Uncle Sam's 



