The government policies put into effect at this time were strong, fairly effective, and somewhat just in enticing people to move westward, mostly farmers, miners, and cattlemen. The government wanted farmers out in the west because they could make the barren land useable. In 1862, the Homestead Act was issued. This Act gave 160 acres of free land to farmers with the condition that they had to farm it and settle on it for at least 5 years. This land was rough and underdeveloped. Most settlers bought land around the railroads. Also at times, speculators would receive free land and then sell it to earn a profit. Although the Act was flawed, it resulted in a great increase in the number of farms. An attempt at repairing the fundamental flaws of the Homestead Act was the Timber Culture Act of 1873. This Act made it so that land would be doubled for a settler provided that the speculator would plant trees on one-quarter of the land within four years. The Desert Land Act of 1877 offered 640 acres of land if one would pay 25 cents an acre if they guaranteed they would irrigate the land within three years. Although these acts were strong and effective, they were not fully just because the government, using land, bribed the people into moving westward. Miners were already moving due to several gold findings in different parts of the west, such as Montana in 1863 and the Black Hills in 1874. The same went for cattlemen because of the 15 million bison located in the Great Plains. In 1878, the government issued the Timber and Stone Act. This allowed someone to buy 160 acres of land for $2.50 an acre. However, this land was uncultivated. The timber would be used to sell and stone would lead to metals. In 1866, the Mineral Act was put into effect. This Act granted mining companies millions of acres of land. The U.S. government was fairly effective, strong, and just in its policies to entice people to move westward.