The Arizona sentinel., 1898-04-30
LANDS AND SOILS.

The lands Of Yuma County comprise the rive,
 bottoms and valleys and the upIands OF rlesas The bottom ards moister and slightly mere fertile If, indeed it is possible to make comparisons
 where all are wonderfully productive and prolific The uplands or mesas are warmer and, perhapq
 lightly for betterthe cultivation of the citrus fruits Yuma eontainsa variety of soil The valley land
 of the Gla and Colorado rivers have for the most part deep ssdinenta-y soil of brownish. gray
 sandy foam, resting, in most places, upon gray
 clay subsoi at depth Of from ten to twenty feet
 below the surface, The clay subsoil forms hard
 pan which is impervious to water. These soils have
 been slowly formed by the decomposition of sha!es.
 5andstones, marls. lmestones. et:., mixed with or
 ganic and vegetable matter, washed down by the
 mighty rivers and have been gradually deposited
 during the course of centuries. The fsrtilizins
 brownish mud held in the wat tIof the Colorado
 and Gila rivers resembles that from the Nile, and
 its quantity varies from O.1 to O5 per cent.
 though the water when even considerably discoIor-
 ed by mud is good to drink resembling in this res
 pect the Missouri river water A 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 q trlfie less potassa, most phosphoric acid and car bonade of limestone beds through which the CoIo- 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 arteyjan waters since it is constantly supplying the land with the elements The soil of the valleys is extremely rich in dedomposed vegetable matter and uncombined carbon, readily absorbing the aerial gases, such especially, as oxygen, which en- teing the soil, decompOse5 the organic matters so that they can be taken up and nourish the plants "AIch may be considered leading featurs in if fertility. It also readily takes up and retains moisture while the frmuess of it's particles affords every facility for percolation and the activity of capillary action. Ints mechanical composition it's particles are in st7to of very fine division which rcnderS # ueF. productive Chan .oarse- soils ! ac4ulrIe -t raa-i. .- the daytime and -.s .7=s ! 'f the h- night isT-e gradual. ,a .I..t ..r.- mains al s warn and .5u.t subject -r.l ! changes .. ~rr e..t r....... ....-.... .,. . - a-. +... ar...-
 and and r a chemical analysis sf,.-- .-.-t ... ! ola, ma. a. iron. ammonia and ava a.a f.rr,s : 't nitros' -'a1-rna-a ...t agE potash sr-sr into :omposit,r a 4 proportions heat .....5..s .. 1 dd to it's er5ility though of course. as is aIway. he case in soil analysis, it's composition varies in hferent localities and is not always constant.
 The soi the uplands, or mosas, lighter and nore gravelly and in some places of lree loamy, acareous character. The mesa lands are warm and enerous- They seem especially adapted for the rape, olive and citrus fruits generally Their soil ontains more magnesia, lime or chalk than the ! ottom lands It never cracks and retains moisture dmirably in summer. It is of that character which iIH produce wine that will keep good for fifty or
 hundred years, and improve annually, not being | able to sour or on exposure to the air, after one ear old, to become turbid and change color in the ottie or glass