The Arizona sentinel., 1898-07-09
LANDS AND SOILS,

The lands Of Yuma County comprise the river
 bottoms and valleys and the uplands or mesas The
 bottom ards arc moister and slightly mere fertile
 Ii, indeed it is possible to make comparisons
 where all are wonderfully productive and prolific
 The uplands or mesas are warmer and, perhaps.
 lightly for better the cultivation ofthe citrus fruits
 Yuma contains variety of soil The valley land
 Of the Gila and Colorado rivers have for the most
 part deep sedimentary soil of brownish, gray
 sandy loam, resting, in most places, upon a cray
 clay subsoil at depth Of from cen to twenty feet
 below the surface, The clay subsoiI forms a hard pan which is impCrvious to water These soils have
 been slowly formed by the decomposition of shales, sandstones, maris. lmestones etc, mixed with or ganic and vegetable matter, washed down n- ..C mighty rivers and have Len gradually lara-i-e1 during the course of lnturi-s Tho fe-Hfzinr
 brownish mud held in the wat ,.as the Colorado and Gila rivers resemt -Lat from ..e Nile. and
 its quantity varies C- to CD rsr..r-
 though the water whe even considerably Itscolo- ed by mud is good to drink. re-uu,lin- iH r.- pect the Missouri river water. \ c3eus t .u..g-., of the sediments of the Colorado ed of th. v.. exhibits wonderful eimf'ari-gf Che cous..raen. parts Of each. That of the C..57a5o c,FIl..fr.- 4 trifle less potassa, most u7 ,sphor. acid anal car bonade of limestone beds through which the Colo rado passHs In other roep7.-- the sediment 0f +I Colorado is almost srticj lil1tbat Of the Nile. It will be noticed, u -,tere that when tas water is used for irrigation i, superior -7 a.-. ian v-a~s since it is constantly supplying the land utta the ele The soil gf the vafr.rs IS extremely rich in eH.upos-l vegetable matter and uncomoined c-r..1. readily a5sorbf4e +la aerial gases, such esp cla.'s cs oxygen. vf.-.p
 tering the soil, dcconua-ez tn. .-- matters SO that they can be take D an r.r~f,f the lr-r-s which may be consider a leading featur- in la fertility. It also rcao . takes up and retains moisture, while the fir sss Jf its particles affords every facility for per -iau and the activity ot capillary action. In mechanical car10ositf0rits particles are in a sta livery fine division. which renders it more pro, i've chan coz ser soils acquires heat readil the daytime. and shs loss of the heat at night er..ll-.- ,- .l.t f. r. 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 aud 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 aIways the case in soil analysis, its composition varies in different localities and is not always constant.
 The soi the uplands, or mesas, lighter and more gravely and in some places of .ree, loamy, 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 } hundred years, and improve annually, not being fable to sour or on exposure to the air. after one rear old to become turbid and change color in the bottle or glass