The Arizona sentinel., 1898-05-14
LANDS AND SOILS.

i The lands of Yuma County coplnrise tho -tr.r
 bottoms ard valleys and tine uplands or rnesos Tho bottom ands are moister and slightly mere fertile if, indeed, it is possible to make eonn,rfsor.
 where all are wonderfully productive and nro;e,
 The uplands or mesas are warmer and, perhaps.
 lightly for better the cultivation fthe etrus f,,i+
 Yuma containsa variety of soil The valley land
 of thel Gila and Colorado rivers have for the r,. part deep sedimentary soil of brownisb ora, san1y loam, resting, in most places, upon A ora, clay subsoil at depth of from ten to twenty feet below the surface, The clay subsoil forms a hard pan which is imperyious to water These soils have
 been slowly formed by the decomposition of shades sandstones, marlS Hmestones, etc.. mixed with or. ganlc and vegetable matter, washed down bv the
 mighty rivers and have been gradually deposited during the course of centuries. The fertilizine
 brownish mud held in the wat olof the Colorado and Gila rivers resembles that from the Nile and its quantity varies from O1 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. 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 exhlbiting a trife less pOtassa, most phosphoric acid and car 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 is superior to artesian waters since it is constantly supplying the land with the rchestfertizing 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- eerlng the sot decomposes the organic matters so that they can be taken up and nourfsh the plants "hlch may pc considered 8 leading featurs in It fertility. It also readily takes up and retains moisture, while the frmness of it's particles affords every facility for percolation and the activity of capillary action. In ts mechanical composition its particles are in state of very fine division which renders it more productive than coarsey soils I aequiries heat readily in the daytime, and 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, Phosphorc acid and potash enter into composition in the proportions best adapted to add to it's fertility, though of course as is aIwaIs the case in soil analysis its composition varies m different localities and is not always constant.
 The soi o the uplands or mesas, lighter and more Gravelly and in some places of a lree, loamy ca4careous 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 never cracks and retains moisture admirably ir 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 souri, or on exposure to the air. after one year old to become turbid and change color in the bottle or glass