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<br />Present Land Use <br /> <br />Land in the area is used primarily for the production of livestock, for <br /> <br />which most farmers are without enough range lands, or enough irrigation <br /> <br />to produce sufficient feed crops. <br /> <br />In portions of the area dry farming is practiced with varying ,results. <br /> <br />Fair yields of small grains, corn and some beans are produced on the few <br /> <br />dry farms in the area where units are large enough and summer :fallowing <br /> <br />and good tillage practices are followed. Dry land yields are extremely <br /> <br />variable and range from crop failures to maximum yields of 30 bushels'for <br /> <br />wheat, 20 bushels of corn, and 500 pounds for beans. These yields are <br /> <br />obtained only under good. tillage practices and in favorable years. The <br /> <br />average AAA wheat yield!' for the county h 19.5 bushels per acre, but this <br />probably includes some land under partial irrigation. <br /> <br />The agronomist at the Fort Lewis Experimental Farm, located southwest <br /> <br />from Durango, estimates the average dry land yield of wheat, produced by <br /> <br />farmers without supervision or ,guidance, at 17 bushels per acre, oats 22 <br /> <br />bushels and barley 20 bushels. <br /> <br />Range land cover consists primarily of juniper, pinion pine, and scrub <br /> <br />oak on the rocky broken highlands; and sagebrush, grass and herbage on <br /> <br />the basins, terraces and open slopes, varying in density with topography <br /> <br />and intensity of grazing use. This land is mostly used for winter graz- <br /> <br /> <br />ing because stock water is noJavailable during the summer. <br /> <br />The irrigated lands are used in the production of grain, hay, and a wide <br /> <br />variety of garden produce and fruit for home use. Feeding farm livestook <br />