HISTORY AND LEGAL BASIS. 23 



under section 2455 of the Eevised Statutes as amended by the act 

 of June 27, 1906 (34 Stat., 517). Under the act of March 28, 1912 

 (37 Stat., 77) , mountainous tracts ^vhich are not isolated by entered 

 land but which are unfit for cultivation may be purchased by the 

 owner of adjoining land in the same manner as isolated tracts. A 

 person desiring to purchase land in this manner; files with the local 

 land officers an application to purchase, whereupon, if the lands are 

 nonmineral and- are in fact isolated or mountainous, a public sale is 

 advertised, at which the lands are sold to the highest bidder. No 

 residence or cultivation is necessary, but the land must be nonmineral. 

 Thnber and stone lands. — The foregoing five classes of laws con- 

 stitute the principal types under which agricultural entry may be 

 made. There remains a sixth class of considerable importance, which, 

 while applying only to lands more valuable for other purposes than 

 for agriculture, is nevertheless more nearly allied to the agricultural 

 laws than to the laws relating to minerals, coal, or quasi-public uses. 

 Under the act of June 3, 1878 (20 Stat., 89), and acts amendatory 

 thereof nonmineral lands which are valuable chiefly for the timber 

 and stone thereon and which are unfit for cultivation may be ap- 

 praised and sold at not less than $2.50 per acre. Application to 

 purchase is made in a manner similar to that required by the laws 

 relating to isolated tracts, but there is no public sale. There is instead 

 an appraisement of the value of the land by an appraiser designated 

 by the Government, and the lands are purchased at the price so fixed. 



KtXCTEIlAXi-IiAirD liAWS, 



General provisions. — The mineral-land laws were in the main for- 

 jnulated in the 10 years between 1865 and 1875. They are based 

 largely on local mining customs which had attained the force of law 

 in the mining camps on the public domain. Their constant purpose 

 has been to promote mineral development. The act of May 10, 1872 

 (Eev. Stat., 2319), provides that "all valuable mineral deposits in 

 lands belonging to the United States, both surveyed and unsurveyed, 

 are hereby declared to be free and open to exploration and purchase, 

 * * * by citizens of the United States and those who have declared 

 their intention to become such." No important amendment of the 

 mining laws has been made since the date of this act. At that time 

 the known deposits of importance on the public domain comprised 

 only metalliferous minerals, and the laws were framed with such 

 deposits in mind, provision being made for two classes of claims- 

 lode and placer. From time to time since the adoption of the mining 

 laws one and another nonmetallif erous mineral has become important, 

 and its entry under the placer law has been authorized by Congress, 

 which has thus specially provided for the entry of lands that are 

 chiefly valuable for petroleum, salines, and building stone. 



