The Arizona sentinel., 1897-03-13

of the Gila and Colorado rivers have for the most
 part deep sedimentary soil of brownish, gray
 saniy loaIn, resting, in most places, upon gray 3ay subs0il St derth of from ten to twenty feet below the Surface The clay subsoil terms hard.
 pen which is ;nperY;ous to water These soils have
 eoen slowly formed by the decomposition of shales, sandStones, nRrls Emestonee, etc, mixed with or gAnic and vegetable matter, washed down by tht mighty rivers and have been graddally depoeited
 1ufng tke course of centuries The fertilizirs
 orownish mud held in the wat ,Iof the Colorado
 and Gila rivers resembles that from the Nile, and
 ifs quantity varies from o.I to O5 per cent, though the water when even considerably discolor- ed by mud is good to drink resembling in this reg pect the Missouri river water. 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
 trlfe less pUtassa, most phosphoric acid and car
 bo-,ade of limestone beds through which the Colo rado paSsHs. 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 1t is constantly supplying the land with the richeStfertilizing elements The soil of the valleys IS extremely rich in dedomposed vegetable matter and uncombined carbon, readily absorbing the aerial gases such especially, oxygen, which en- tering the soil, decomposes the organic matters su. that they can be taken up snd nourish the plaiits which may De considered a leading featur, in it's fertility. It also readily takes up and retains moisture, while the rmnegs of it's particles affords every facility for percolaticn and the activity of capillary action. hits mechanical composition it's orfia al in e&,A s.f. renders it more productive than coarser soils It acquires heat readily in the daytime, end 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 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 of nitrogen phosphoric acid md potash enter into composition in the proportions best adapted to add to it's fertility, though, of course as is always the cass in soil analysis, its composition varies in different localities and is not always constant.
 The soi o the uplsnds, Or mesas, lighter and more gravelly and in some places of O .ree loamy ealcareous character. The mesa lands are warm 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 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 glass. ]
 We can safely say that the soil of Yuma County can nowhere be surpassed, containing it does all the essential elements of richness and fertility