The Arizona sentinel., 1896-09-26

of helGila sGd Colorado riverp bave for tse most part & deep se3jmentsry soil Of hroEnish gray sandy lsam, resting, in most places, upon gray clay sUnsoil a5 a depth Of from ten to twen5y feet below the surface, The clay subsoil forms hard pen which is impervious to water These soils have been slowly formed by the decomposition of shales, sGnd,.oues rlarls. liinestoncs, etc, mixed with glnic and vegetable matter, washed down by the rnigh.y rivers and have been gradually deposited during the course of centuries. The fertlizing hrownish mud held in the wat tiof the Colorado and Giia rivers resembles that from the Nile, and it's quantity varies from c.1 to O.5 per cent, though the water when even considerably discolor- cd by mud is good to drink resembling in this pect the Missouri river water. 4 chemical analysis of the sediments of the Colorado and of the Nile exhibits a wonderful similarity in the constituent parts of each. That of the Colorado exhibiting triAc less potasza, most phosphoTic ac;a and car boE&de Of limestone beds through which the Colo rado pGss"s 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 it is constantly supplying the land with the richestfertilizng elements. The soil of She valleys is extremely rich in dedomposed vegetable matter end uncombined carbon, readily absorbing the aerial gases, such especially, as oxygen, which en- tering the soil, decomposes the organic matters that they can be taken up and nourish the plants which may Dc considered a leading featur, in its fertility. It also readily takes up and retains moisture, while the rmness of it's particles affords every facility for percolation and the activity of capillary action. In its mechanical composition it's particles in a state of very fine division, which renders it more productive than coarser soils It acquiries heat readily in the daytime, and the loss of the heat at night is very gradual that it re- mains always warm and Is not subject to sudden changes of heat and cold. Besides it's essential con- l stituents of water, organic vegetable matter, sand and clay chemical analysis shows that lime, soda, magnesia, iron, ammonia and available forms of nitrogen, phosphoric acid aud potash enter into composition in the proportions best adapted to add to it's fertility, though, of course as is aways the case in soil analysis it's composition varies in | different localities and is not always constant. 1 The soi O the uplanda or mesas, lighter and more gravelly and in some places of tree, loamy, calcareous character. The mesa lands are warm and 1 generous. They seem especially adapted for the grape, olive and citrus fruits generally Their soil ] contains more magnesia, lime or chalk than the bottom lands. It cracks and retains moisture admirably in summer. It is of that character which will produce wine that will keep good for fifty or hundred years, and improve annually, not being
 liable to sour, exposure to the air, after one year old, to become turbid and change color in the bottle or glass.
 We can safely say that the soil of Yuma County can nowhere be surpassed, containing as it does all the essential elements of richness and fertility.