The Arizona sentinel., 1896-04-04

of theFGila and Colorado Iivers have for the most part deep sudimentary soil of brownish, gray slndy loom, resting, in most places, upon gray clay spbsoil at a depth Of from ten to twenty feet below the surface, The clay subsoil ferns hard pan which is impervious to water These soils have been slowly formed by the decomposition of shales, sandstones mars limestones, et... mixed with or glnic and vegetable matter, washed down by the mighty rivers and have been gradually deposited during She course of centuries The fertilizin2 brownish mud held in the wat tlof the Colorado and Gila rivers resembles that from the Nile, and its 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 tAe Missouri river waSer. 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 triic less potlssa, most phoSphcric acid and car bonade of limestone beds through which the Colo rado p2ssos In other respects the sediment Of the Colorado is almost identicu Il with tbat of the Nile. IL will be noticed therefore, that when this water is used for irrigation it is superior to aresan waters since it is constantly supplying the land with the richest ilizng elements. The soil of the valleys is extremely rich in dedomposed vegetable matter and unco nbined carbon, readily absoi ping the aerial gases. such especially, oxygen, which en- tering the soil, decomposes the orglni: matters that they can be taken up an nolriSh the plants which may be considered a leading featur; in It's fertility. It also readily takes up and retains moisture while thc frmnsss of it's particles affords every facility for percolation and the activity of capillary a:tion. In its Ilechancal composition its Y+ic sfa of,a r,n h renders it more productive than coarscr soils It aoquirics heat readily in the daytime, and the loss of the heat at night is very gradual 50 that if re- mains always wai.n aEd is not subject to sudden changes of heat and coll. Besides it's essential l stituents of water, organic vegetable matter, sand and clay, chemical analysis shows that lime, soda, magnesa, iron, ammonia and available forms of nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash enter into composition in tn proportions best adapted to add to it's fer.ili5y though of course is alwaI the in soil analysis, it's composition varies i different localities and is not always constant.
 The soil of the up'anjs, or mesas, s lighter and more gravelly and in some rl5ces of @ free, loamy, calcareous character. The mesa lands warm and ! generous. They seem especially aj'pscd for the grape, olive and citrus fruits generally. Taeir soil contains more magnesia, lime or chalk than the bottom lands. It never cracks aII retains moi ture imirably in summer It is of that character which will produc a wine that will keep good for ffty ol @ hundred years, and improve annua ly, not being liable to sour exposure to the aH', after one year olj to become tur5id and change color in the bottle or glass.
 ] We can safely say that the soil of Yuma County can nowhere be surpassed containing it does all the essential clements of richness and fertility.