The Arizona sentinel., 1898-12-17
LANDS AND SOILS.

The lands of Yuma County comprise the river bottoms and valleys and the uplands or nesas The bottom ands are moister and slightly mere fertile IT, indeed, it IS possible to make comparisons where all are so wonderfully productive and prolific The upands or mesas are warmer and, perhaps
 lightly for betterthe cultivation of the citrus fruits Yuma containsa variety of soil The valley land | of the Gila and Colorado rivers have for the most I part deep sedmentary soil of brownsh, gray san1y loam, resting, in most places, upon a gray clay subsoil at depth Of from ten to twenty feet below the surface, The clay subsoil forms a hard pan which is impervious to water. These soils have been slowly formed by the decomposition of shales sandstones, marls imestones, etS., mixed with or ganle and vegetable matter, washed down by the | mighty rivers and have been gradually deposited during the course of centuries. The fertilizine | brownish mud held in the wat tIof the Colorado and Gia rivers resembles that from the Nile, and It's quantity varies from O1 to O.5 per cent. though the water hen even considerably dscoIor- ed by mud is good 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 in the constituent parts of each. That Of the Colorado exhibiting a I bonade of limestone beds through which the Colo rado pass"s In other respects the sediment of the Colorado is almost identical with tbat 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 ichestfertilizng elements. The soil of the valleys is extremely rich in dedomposed vegetable matter | and unconbined carbon, readily absorbing the aerial gases, such especially, as oxygen which en- tering the soil, decomposes the organic matters so l that they can be taken up and noursh the plants l which may he considered leading featur3 in 1t fertility. It also readily takes up and retains moisture while the rmness of it's particles affords every facility for percoation and the activity oi capillary action. In s mechanical composition its particles are in state of very fine division which renders it more productive than coarser soils acquires 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 of nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash enter into composition in the proportions best adapted to add to it's fertility, though, of course is alwaJ the case in soil analysis, it's composition varies 1 different localities and is not always constant
 The sol o the uplands, or mesaS, lighter and more gravelly and in some places of a lree, loamy calcareous character. The mesa lands arc warm ana generous. They seem especially adapted for tho grape, olive and citrus fruits generally. Their soi contains more magnesis, lime CT chalk than tho bottom lands. It cracks and retains moisture admirably in summer It is of that character which will produce that will keep good for fifty ol 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 tho bottle or glass