The Arizona sentinel., 1897-02-13

of thei Gila and Colorado rivers have foI the most part deep sedimontary soil of brownish, gray sandy loam, resting, in most places, upon 6 gray ela, subsoil at a 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 shaes sandstones, marls limestones, etc., mixed with glnic 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 wat ,Iof the Colorado and Gila rivers resembles that from the Nile and its quantity varies from OI 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. A chemical analysis of the sediments of the Colorado and of the Nile exhibits . wonderful similarity ia the constituent parts of each That of the Colorado exhibiting trife less potassa, n,ost phosphoric acid and car bonade of limestone beds through which the Colo rado pGssos 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 artesian waters since it is constantly supplying the land with the richestferilizing elements The soil of the valleys is extremely rich in dedomposed vegetable matter and Uncombined carbon, readily absorbing the aerial gases such especially, as oxygen which en- teriag the soil, decomposes the organic matters so that they can be taken up and nourish the plants which may be considered a leading feature in its fertility. IL also readily takes up and retains moisture, while the firmness of its particles affords every facility for percolation and the activity of capillary action In it's mechanical composition it's
 
 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, that it mains always warm and is not subject to sudden changes of heat and cold Besides its essential con 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 and potash enter into composition in the proportions best adapted to add to it's fertility, though, of course is always the case in soil analysis, it's composition varies in different localities and is not always constant.
 The soi the uplands, or mesas, lighter and more gravely and in some places of lree, loamy, calcareous character. The mesa lands and 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 never 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 year old, to become turbd 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.