The Arizona sentinel., 1888-04-28
LANDS AND SOILS.

| The lands of Yuma County comprise the river bot l toms andvalleys and the uplands mesas. The bottom lands moister Rnd slightly more fertile
 if indeed it is possible to make comparisons where all are so wonderfully productive and prolific. The uplands or mesas are warmer and perhaps, slightly better for the cultivation of the citrus fruits Yuma contains variety of soil The valley lands of the | Gla and Colorado rivers have for the most part deep sedmentary soil of brownish, gray sandy loam resting in most places upon gray clay subsoil at
 depth of from teu to twenty feet below the surface The clay subsoil forms hard-pan which is impervi ous to water. These soils have been slowly formed by the decomposition of shales, sandstones, marls limestones etc, mixed with organic and vegetable matter. washed down by the mighty rivers and have been gradually deposited durfng the course of cen | turies The fertizing brownish mud held in the water of the Colorado and Gila rivers resembles that of the Nile and it's quantity varies from O1 to O5 per cent, though the water when consider ably discolored by mnd is good to drink, resembling in this respect the Missouri river water. chemical analysis of the sediments of the Colorado and of the Nile exhibits a wonderful similarity in the constitu ent parts of each. That of the Colorado exhibiting triie less potass more phosphcric acid and car bonate of lime, the latter being due to the great limestone beds through which the Colorado passes In other respects the sediment of the Colorado is almost identical with that of the Nile It will be ticed, therefore, that when this water is used for irrigation it s superior to artesian water since it is constantly supplying the land with the richest ferti izing elements. The soil of the valleys is extremely -ich in decomposed vegetable matter and uncom bined carbon. readily absorbing the aerial gases, such, especially, oxygen which entering the soil decomposes the organic matters so that they be taken up and nourish the plants, which may be sdered leading feature in its fertility It also read fly takes up and retains moisture while the rmness of it's particles affords every facility for percoation and the activity of capillary action. In it's mechan- ical composition it's particles in state of very fine division which renders it more productive than coarser soils It acquires heat readily in the day time and the loss of heat at night is very gradual so that it remains always warm and is not subject to sudden changes of heat and cold. Besides it's tal constituents of water, organic vegetable mat | ter, sand and clay chemical analysis shows that | lime soda, magnesia, iron, ammonia and available forms of nitrogen, phosphorc acid and potash enter
 into it's composition in the proportions best adapted to add to it's fertility, though of course is always the case in soil analysis, it's composition varies in different localities and $ not always constant
 The soil of the uplands, or mesas, is lighter and more gravelly, and in places of free, loamy, calcareous character. The mesa lands are warm and generous They seem especially adapted for the grape olive and citrus fruits generally Their soil contains magnesia, lime chalk than the bot tom lands. It never cracks and retains moisture admirably in summer It is of that character which will produce a wine that will keep good for fifty hundred years, and improve annually, not being liable to sour, exposure to the air, after one year old, to become turbd and change color in the | bottle or glass.
 We safely say that the soil of Yuma County can nowhere be surpassed, containing it does all the | essential elements of richness and fertility.