Uncle Sam's Lands

Washington, Oct 13.- -Judge Lewis A Groff, tjhe Commissioner of tho General Land Office, has submitted to the Secrctary of tho Interior the annual report of the oporations of his bureau f or tho fiscal year ended June S ), 1890. The report says that an agricultui-al domaln of nearly 19,000,000 acres has during the year been transferred to settlérs by patents issued to them. The area of coal and mineral lands patented has beon greatly increased over that of the fiscal year ended June 30, 1S89. Tho area patented to tho States under tho grants for edueational and iuternal improvement puiposes has increased 300 per cent. The class of patents known as "agr'.cultural" includea all patents Issued on final and commuted homestead entries, on pro-emption, titnber culture, desert, private cash, town-sito and other entrios embracing land of an agricultural non-mineral character. Tho number of such agricultural patents issued during the period covered by the 'report was 117,247, embracing 18,758,520 acres, as against 70,141 issued in 1889, with an aggregate area OÍ ll,2;30,5C0. The increaso for the year is, thorefore, 47,106 patents, and 7,530,900 acres of land. Of mineral and mili-site patenta 1,407 woro issued,' showing an increase in the year of 41)4. Of coal patents 234 wero issued. Tliis is an increase of 69 patents, representing 15,370 acres. The acreage of swanip lands patented to the several States during the year was 109,351 There were patonted or certiñed under tho law for the benefit of railroad companies during the year 303,882 acres. This is a decrease for the year of 01,183 acres. A statement of the acreago of publio lands disposed of during the fiscal year shows that by private entries 38,017 acres were disposed of, by preemption entries 2,204.90"; timLer and stono entries, 509,899; desert land, 478,849. The total cash sales were $3,302,. 846. The acreago disposed of by original homestead entries wa3 B,581,fiïS: timber culture, 1,787,403; bl..:r ■ rl"i:tions, school and swamp, 258,141; r; Í ...d selcctions, 1,752,758; and otheio w a miscellaneoua character making an aggregate of 9,362,085. The lndian lands disposed of aggrogate 133,305 acres, makinj? a grand total of 12,798,337 acres. The total cash receipts of the offleo from various sources during the fiscal year was 7. 781,. '517. Upon the suHjcct of the forests of the public domain the Commissioner says that he finds that tho most valuable timber on tho public lands is Ijeing rapidly exhausted, and that the several laws relating to the subject are utterly inadequato propsrly to protect either the public forests from unlawful appropriation or the Interests of the settlérs.