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<br />-OC::IOO <br /> <br />irrigation. At the pre.ent time &nd in muoh of the oultivated area, <br />..peelally in the Rio Grande Division, the high water table has elimina- <br />ted, to .. larp extent, Burfaoe applioation of irription wator, usually <br />mown a.a "flooding". <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Where .ub-lrrlgatloD 18 pratrticed, muoh of the baok_breaking <br />labor at'tending the distribution of irrip.tlon .ter to the orop. haa: been <br />'" " <br />eliminated. However, the .ub-irriptlon method has required an exten- <br />sive system ot oontrolled 8ub--drainage, 10 derleed to permit. .. T8l1" <br />010801y oontrolled ground......ter elevation. To f'urther effeotuate the <br />luee... ot .ub-irrigation. a. ..11 &8 nOJ"'ll!ll,l irrigation procedures. the <br />land owners, e8~oially durlD~ the last ten year.. have made exten81~ <br />and costly eutlaYl to level their lands in "loh .. _nner that the de'Pth <br />to the water table is oonstant througp.out the area or the traot. Th. <br />oapital COlts tor thl. work haTe been' .T8raging about 150 per aore. <br /> <br />The oitizenship in the,Valley haa reained, for the moat part, <br />the original settlers and their desoendant.. There han been but few <br />reo....,t immigrants or new-oODSn into ~he Valley, and tbere ban been no <br />attem;.+:. to deT810p farming operationi aD a oorporate or oompan:;y basis. <br />The la.nd reoo....a_ show thi. to be .true" There are land transaotions <br />ooourriI1l at freqUb..+: int.nab, but they may be largely oharaoterized <br />as the original owner ni~~~Lae'~J AoJJ1LC~ &:mong hi. children, or one <br />individual aoquiring a traot t~ his neighbor who wishes to reduoe his <br />holdings or retire. An eX~e, whioh ie siJrle what typioal, reoently <br />ooourred when one of the .'!li-Iy settlers in the Valley, who started with <br />.. l~ore traot, divido. his holdings amoDf hie heirs. He held seven <br />"quarteraft, i. e. 1120.orel. He pve Ib quarters" to his lix sane <br />and daughters, aeph,; one tor his own inoODe durin!; hie lAst Y"arl. <br /> <br />land lpeulAtion, finanoed by capital from outside the Valley, <br />is virtually unkn01!\ exoept in .. ff!1W oasu where the orlgiIl&l la.nd <br />oompanies in the '2'Jt fey years have diT9sted themselves ot the re1l&ntl <br />of their origlDal l,ldlngs. lfuoh of the unoultin.ted land 11 in publio <br />ownership, a tarl'"" part of whioh is owned by the Stat. of Colorado. There <br />are several largf'tracta with a sDl.ll irrigated aoreapI these are devoted <br />targ1e,.. to st~:;rahing, ~rinoipally cattle and eh..p, and their -.ater <br />right. are .~ed almost wnolly tor the produotion ot natiT8 hay and alfalfa. <br />The ~i.ot a greater portion of luoh traots throu~hout the whole Valley <br />area In no desire to be inoluded within the boundaries ot &DY type ot <br />dillFlot organized tor the l'urpoee of oontraotin; with the Un1ted State. <br />.6r the oonstruotion ot storage reservo1rs, either on the Conejos River <br />or on the upper R10 Grande River. However, 1n outlining the tentative <br />boundaries of the R10 Grande Division ana and the Conejos Water Conser- <br />vancy Distriot, some 6t thOBe larger .took-p-aw1.ng traot. were inoluded. <br />There are any thousands of aores used almost wholly tor stock-growing <br />whioh have not 'been, and in all "'robabi11'ty, because of inadequate _ter <br />supply. will never be inoluded ~th1n the boundaries of a distriot. <br /> <br />-3- <br />