The Arizona sentinel., 1894-06-16
LANDS AND SOILS.

The lands of Yuma County comprise the rivel
 bottoms and valleys and the uplands or mesas The
 bottom lands moister and slightly more fertile if, indeed it is possible to make comparisons
 where all are wonderfully productive and prolific The upands or mesas are warmer and perhaps
 slightly better for the cultivation of the citrus fruits
 Yuma contains variety of soil The valley lands
 the Gila and Colorado rivers have for the most
 part deep sedimentary soil of brownish, gray
 sandy lO'm, resting, in most places, upon gray
 clay subsoil 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 etc.. 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
 its quantity varies from O.. to O.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. 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 tri1e 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 that of the Nile
 It will be noticed therefore, that when this water is used for irrigation it is superior to artesan waters since 1t is constantly supplying the land with the richest fertilizng 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 which may be considered leading featur. in it's fertility. It also readily takes up and retains moisture, while the rmnass of it's particles affords every facility for percolaion and the activity of capillary action In ts mechanical composition it's particles in a state of very fine division which renders it more productive than coarser soils It 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 Iime soda, magnesa, iron, ammonia and available forms 'f nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash enter into composition in the proportions best adapted to sdd to it's fertility, though, of course is always he case in soil analysis, its composition varies in hferent localities and is not always constant
 The soil of the uplands, mesas, is lighter and nore gravely and in some places of free, loamy, alcareouS character. The mesa lands are warm and generous. They seem especially adapted for the rape, olive and citrus fruits generally. Their soil ontains more magnesia, lime or chalk than the ottom lands. It never cracks and retains moisture dmirably in summer It is of that character which ill produce wine that will keep good for fifty or
 hundred years, and Improve annually, not being T able to sour, on exposure to the air. after one ear old, to become turbid and change color in the ottle glass. s We can safely say that the soil of Yuma Co unty c an nowhere be surpassed containing as it does all ne essential elements of richness and fertility. t