The Arizona sentinel., 1896-12-26

of thel Gila and Colorado rivers have for the most part deep sedimentary soil of brownish, gray sandy To m, resting, in most places, upon gray Jay subsol at de- th of from ,en to twenty feet below the surface, The clay subsoil forms hard. pan whl :h is impervious to water These soils have ] been slowly formed by the decomposition of shales
 'andstones. marls. limestones, et-, inxod with or ganic and vegetable matter, wished down by the ] mighty rivers and have been gradually deposited uring the course of centuries. The fertilizine brownish mud held in the wat ,Iof the Colorado and Gila rivers resembles that from the Nile, and its quantity varies from O.. to O.5 per cent, though the water vhen even considerably discolor- ed by mud is good to drink resembling in this res
 pect tAe Mis- ')ur river water. chemicai 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 triHe less pot lssa, most phOsphoric acid and car bonade of limestone beds through which the Colo rado pass In other respects tho sediment of the Colorado is almost identic with tbat of the Nile
 It will be 'ticed, therefore, that when this water is usei for rrg ltoD it S superior to artesan waters since it is constantly supplying the land with the richestfer ililng elcmen ene;. The ll of the valleys is extremely rich in deiomposed vegetable matter and uneo biped rbon, readily abso biig the aerial gases, such especially, oxygen, which CT tering the soil, dccomposes the org1ni: matters so that they can be taken up an no ri sh the plants which may he considered a eaiing featur, in It's fertility. It. also readily takes up and retains moisture while the frness of is particles affords every facility for percolation and the activity of capillary ;ton. In ts mechanical composition it's particles are in state of very fine division whi h renders it more productive than coarser soils It aequiries 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 coll Besides it's essential con- stituents of water, organic vegetable matter sand and clay, chemical analysi shows that lime soda, magnesia, iron, ammonia and available forms Of nitrogen, ;hosphoric acid and potash enter into compost ion in tn proportions best adapted to add to it's fertility though of course as is always the case in soil anaySis it's composition varies in different localities and is not always constant
 The soi the uplands, mesas, lighter and more gravelly and in some rl ces of .ree, loamy. ealc2reous character. The mesa lands are warm and generous They seem especially ailpted for the grape, olive and citrus fruits generally Their soil contains more magnesia, lime or chalk than the bottom lands. It never crlc!s an retains moi ture admirably in summer It is of that character which will produc wine that will keep good for fifty or a hundred years, and improve annua ly, not being liable to sour, or exposure to the arr after ore year old, 10 become urbid 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