land merely by living on it for a period of five years (now three)
and paying fees of about $40.00.

HOMESTEAD ACTS

The Homestead Act, like earlier laws, made a direct appeal to
men's desire to earn a living, to acquire property, and especially
to own homes. It has been modified from time to time, but in all
essentials it still remains in force and provides that any citizen
of the United States who has reached the age of twenty-one, or who
is the head of a family, may acquire a farm on condition of living
upon it for a period of three years, cultivating the land and
erecting a dwelling, and paying to the government a small fee. The
size of the farm that he may so acquire varies according to the
nature of the land, but the usual homestead on good agricultural
land is limited to 160 acres.

The purpose of the government has been to encourage ACTUAL
SETTLEMENT in order to secure the development of the nation's
resources, and for this purpose to allow each settler enough land
to enable him to support a family in comfort. It was decided that
160 acres of GOOD FARM LAND was enough.

Some portions of the public land, however, are less productive
than others. Where the rainfall is slight and where irrigation is
impracticable, and yet where crops can be raised by the "dry
farming" process, the law allows a settler to take 320 acres.

A settler may also obtain 320 acres in the "desert lands" of some
of the western states. These lands may be made productive by