The Arizona sentinel., 1894-09-08

O the Gia and Colorado rivers have for the most part deep sedmentary soil of brownish, gray sandy loam, resting, in most places, upon gray clay subsoi at depth of from ten to twenty feet below the surface, The clay subsoil forms hard pan which is impervious to water. These soils have been slowly formed by the decomposition of shales sandstones, marls limestones, cts, mixed with or ganic and vegetable matter, washed down by the mighty rivers and have been gradually deposited during the course of centuries. The fertilizing brownish mud held in the water of the Colorado and Gila rivers resembles that from the Nile, and it's quantity varies from O.1 to 0.5 per cent, though the water when even considerably discolor- ed by mud is good to drink, resembling in this res pect the Missouri river water. A chemical analysis of the sediments of the Colorado and of the Nile exhibits wonderful similarity in the constituent parts of each, That of the Colorado exhibiting a trihe less potassa, most phosphoric acid and car bonade of limestone beds through which the Colo rado passes In other respects the sediment Of the Colorado is almost identical with tbat of the Nile It will be noticed therefore, that when this water is used for irrigation it is superior to artesian waters since it is constantly supplying the land with the richest fertilzng elements. The soil of the valleys is extremely rich in dedomposed vegetable matter and uncombined carbon, readily absorbing the aerial gases, such especially, oxygen, which en- tering the soil decomposes the organic matters so that they can be taken up and nourish the plants 1 which may be considered leading featurs in it's fertility. It also readily takes up and retains moisture while the firmness of its particles affords every facility for percolation and the activity o capillary action. In ts mechanical composition its particles are in state of very fine dvision which renders it more productive than coarser soils II acquires heat readily in the daytime and the loss of the heat at night is very gradual, so that It re | mains always warm and is not subject to sudden changes of heat and cold. Besides its essential con | stituents of water, organic or vegetable matter sand and clay, chemical analysis shows that lime | soda magnesia iron, ammonia and available forms of nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash enter into composition in the proportions best adapted tt add to it's fertility, though, of course, as is awa9 the case in soil analysis, it's composition varies II different localities and is not always constant.
 The soil of the upands, or mesas, is lighter ant more gravelly and in some places of a free, loamy calcareous character. The mesa lands are warm an( l generous They seem especially adapted for tn grape olive and citrus fruits generally. Their soi contains more magnesia, lime or chalk than tn
 bottom lands It never cracks and retains moisture admirably in summer. It is of that character whlc
 will produce wine that will keep good for fifty
 a hundred years, and improve annually, not bein
 liable to sour or on exposure to the air, after on
 year old, to become turbid and change color in tn
 bottle or glass.
 We can safely say that the soil of Yuma Count
 can nowhere be surpassed, containing as it does al the essential elements ofrichness and fertility.