The Arizona sentinel., 1898-07-16
LANDS AND SOILS.

The lands of Yuma County comprise the river
 bottoms and valleys and the uplands or mesas The
 bottom ands are moister and slightly mere fertile
 if, indeed, it is possible to make comparisons
 where all are so wonderfully productive and prolific
 The uplands or mesas are warmer and, perhaps
 lightly for betterthe cultivation of the citrus fruits
 Yuma contains a variety of soil The valley land or thel Gila and Colorado rivers have for the most part deep sedimentary soil of brownish, gray san1y loams 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 decOmpositiou of sbales sandstones, marls. limestones, etc., mixed with or ganIe and vegetable matter, washed down by the mighty rivers and have been gradually deposited uurng the course of centuries. The fertilizins orownlsh mud held in the wat CIof the Colorado and Gila rivers resembles that from the Nile. and us quantity varies from O.1 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 A chemical analvsis Of the sediments of the Colorado and of the Nile exhibits wonderful similarity in the constituent parts of each. That of the Colorado exhibiting
 ~ FONSSN'B AAOoI pHOSpuOIlC aclQ and car Donade of limestone beds through which the Colo rauo passes " ctH5r r-a75ats the sediment of 5he Colorado is almost Identical with .hst of tbe N-i3s i1 VIII De noticed ti5retore, tbJtw1el thfs for i used for irrigation s is superior to er sian waters since 1t Is constantly supplying the land with the tfertilizng elements The soil Of tine valleys IS extremely rich in dejomposed vegetable matter and uncombined carbon. readily absorbing the aerial gases such espe iaIy, ss oxygen, which en- te1ng tbe soil dccompos-s the organic matters SO taa. ,-ey can be taken lp saf ng1rish the plants VII -H may DC colSI--.Sa IeaQIng feature in it 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 1t more productive than coarser soils I acquires heat readily in the daytime, and the loss or the neat 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- seltuents 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 as is always the case in soil analysis, it's composition varies in different localities and is not always constant.
 The sol the uplands, or mesas, lighter and more gravelly and in some places of lree, loamy, ealcareous 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 in summer It is of that character which will produce wine that will keep good for fifty or a hundred years, and improve annually, not being
 liable to sour, or on exposure to the air. after one year old, to become turbid and change color in the bottle or glass