The Arizona sentinel., 1897-06-19
LANDS AND SOILS.

The lands of Yuma County comprise the river bottoms and valleys and the uplands or mesas The bottom ands moister and slightly mere fertile 1 if, indeed. it is possible to make comparisons where all are wonderfully productive and prolific ] The uplands or mesas are warmer and, perhaps,
 lightly for better the cultivation the citrus fruits Yuma contains variety of soil The valley land of the Gila and Colorado rivers have for the most | part deep sedimentsry soil of brownish, gray 1 sanfy loam, resting, in most places, upon a gray clay subsoil at depth of from ten to twenty feet below the surface, The clay subscil forms hard pan which is imporvious to water These soils have l been slowly formed by the decomposition of shales, sandstones, mars. imestoues, etc, mixed with or | ganic and vegetable matter washed down by the mighty rivers and have been gradually deposited during the course of centuries. Tie fertilizing 1 brownish mud held in the wat tlof the Colorado and Gila rivers resembles that from the Nile and | its quantity varies from 0.1 to O.5 per cent, ! though the water when even considerably discoor- 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 ia the constituent parts of each. That of the Colorado exhibiting a tTlIc ltSS pOtdSSa, most pnOSplOTiC iClu ana car bonade of limestone beds through which the Colo rado pass"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 richest fertilzing clements The soil of the valleys is extremely rich in dcdomposed vegetable matter and uncom6ined carbon, readily absorbing the aerial gases, such especially, oxygen, which en terng the soil, docomposes the organic matters SC 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 irness of its particles affords every facility for percoation and the activity o capillary action In ts mechanical composition its particles arc in state of very fine division which renders 1t more productive than co2rser soils Il 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 stituents of water, organic or vegetable matter sand and clay, chemical analysis shows that lime soda, magnesia, iron, ammonia and available forms o: nitrogen, phosphorc acid and potash enter into composition in the proportions best adapted tc
 o" 'O Ao' 'HOuSl' Oi C0"fS0' "S 4S d4""SS the casS in aoii analysis, it's composition varies ir diTeren5 localities and Is not always constant.
 The soi the Dplands, lnessS, lighter and more gravelly and in some places of .ree, loamy calcareOus character. The mesa lands are warm and generous. They seem especially adapted for the gr>pe, olive and citrus fruits generally. Their soi contains moro nagnesia, 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 one year old, 10 become turbid and change color in the bottle glass.
 We can safely say that the soil of Yuma County can nowhere be surpassed, containing as t does all the essential elements of richness and fertility.