The Arizona sentinel., 1898-09-24
LANDS AND SOILS,

The lands of Yuma Count comprise the river bottoms and valleys and the uplands or mesas The bottom ands are moister and slightly mere fertile II, indeed, it is possible to make comparisous where all wonderfully productive and prolific The upands nIesls are warmer and, perhaps
 lightly for better t3 cultivation the citrus fruits Yuma contains vsrIetyof soil The valley land of taei Gia and COicrado rivers have for the most part deeI, sedsuentary soil 0: 5rovnish, gray sandy loan{, resting, in most places upon gray clay subsoI at adepth of from zen to twenty fe, | below the surface, The clay subsoil forms q hard. pan which is impervious to water. These soils have been slowly formed by the decomposition of shales sandstOnes, msrls Iimes.ones, e:c. mixed with or g'nc and vegetable matter, washed dcwn hy th, mighty rivers and have been gradually deposited during the course of centuries. The fs-tilzins brownish mud held in the wat tIOf the Colorado aud Gila rivers resembles that irum She Nile, and its quantity varies from O.I to O5 per cent , though the water when even considerably discoior- cd 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 wonderful similarity in the constituent parts of each That of the Colorado exhibiting a trihe less potassa, most phosphoric acid and car bonade Of limestone beds through which the Colo rado paSsrs. In other respects the sediment of te Colorado is almost identic, with t5at of the Nile. It vii! be noticed therefore, that when this water is used for irrigation it is superior to aresian waters since 1t is constantly supplying the land with the richestfer5i.ing clements. Tie soil of the valleys IS extremely rich in dedompose1 vegetable matter and uncombined carbon, readily absorbing tine aerial gases, such especially, oxygen wIich en- tcrng the soil, decomposes the organic matters so that they can be taken up and nourish the plants which may be considered Q leading featurs in It fertility. It also readily takes ID and retains moisture, while ehe frnDess Of it's particles afers every facility for percolation and the activity of capillary aetiCn. In ts mechanical cOla position it's particles arc in state of very fine division .shcl. renders it moro productive than cOarser soils acquiries heat readily in tue daytime and the loss Of the heat at night is very gradual, that 1t mains always warm and Is not subject to sudden changes of heat and cold Besides it's essential stitucntS of water, organic vegetable matter, sand and clay, a chemical analysis shows that linle soda, maSnssia 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 awaJ thc case in soil analysis it's composition varies in different localities 2Hd Is not always constant
 The soi the upiands, or mesa, lighter and more grarslly and in sorae places of ree, loarly calcareous character. The mesa lands are warm ard generous. They seom 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 in summer. It is ofthat character which
 will produce wine that will keep good for fifty or hundred years, and improve annually, not being iiable to souri, exposure to the air, after year od to become turbid and change color in tie bottle or glass.