The Arizona sentinel., 1898-08-13
LANDS AND SOILS

The lands of Yuma County com.--. .l- river bottoms and valleys and the upland .- rs,srs The bottom ands are moister and sIigf -.r mere fertile if, indeed, it is possible to ma comparison. where all are so wonderfully prodUc, ..u prolific The uplands or mesas are warmor ..- perhaps lightly for better the cultivation of a. -s fruits Yuma contains variety of soil IT. valley land of tbei Gila and Colorado rivers Ina, trl Che Wo-. part deep sedimentary soil of .anis.. gray sanfy loam, resting, in most plac .-.n gray clay subsoil at a depth of from ter a.t, tec- below the surface,- The clay subso. hard. pan which is impervious to water -----....4 .4..,u been slowly formed by the decomposition of shales sandstones, marls. limestones etc, mixed with or g1nic and vegetable matter, washed down by the mighty rivers and have been gradually deposited during the course of centuries. The fertilizing brownish mud held ill the wat tIof the Colorado and Gila rivers resembles that from the Nile, and its quantity varies from O. to O.5 per cent, though the water hen even considerably discolor- ed by mud is good drink, resembling in this res pect the Missouri river water. A chemical analysis of the sediments of the Colorado and of the Nile exhibits 8 wonderful similarity ill the constituent parts of each. That of the Colorado exhibiting a triie less potassa, most phosphOric acid and bonade of limestone beds through which the Colo rado passes 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 artesian waters since it is constantly supplying the land with the richestertilizng 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- terng 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 1t fertility. It also readily takes up and retains moisture, while the rmness of it's particles affords every facility for percolation and the activity of capillary action. In ts mechanical composition it's particles are in state of very fine division which renders it more productive than coarser soils I 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 it's essential con- | stituents of water, organic vegetable matter, sand and clay, chemical analysis shows that lime, soda, nagnesia, 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 as is always the case in soil analysis, it's composition varies il different localities and is not always constant
 The soi O the uplands, or mesas, lighter anC more gravelly and in some places of ,ree, loamy calcareous character The mesa lands are warm ant generous. They seem especially adapted for tn grape olive and citrus fruits generally Their soi contains more magnesia, lime chalk than tn
 bottom lands. It never cracks and retains moistur admirably in summer. It is of that character whicl will produce wine that will keep good for fifty O
 hundred years, and improve annually, not bein
 liable to sour, exposure to the air, after on year old, to become turbid and change color in tn bottle or glass