The Arizona sentinel., 1898-08-20
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 mcsas are warmer and, perhaps, lightly for betterthe cultivation of the 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 san1y loam, resting, in most places, upon gray clay subsOil at a depth of from ten to twenty feet below the surface, The clay subsoil forms hard. pan which is mpervious to water. These soils have been slowly formed by the decomposition of shales sandstones, marls. limestones, etc, mixed with or ganc and vegetable matter, washed down by the mighty rivers and have been gradually deposited during the course of centuries. The fertilzing brownish mud held in the wat tIof the Colorado and Gila rivers resembles that from the Nile, and | its quantity varies from 01 to O.5 per cent, though the water hen even considerably discolor- | ed by mud is good 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 exhibiting a l triic 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 used for irrigation is superior to artesan waters since it is constantly supplying the land with the richestfertilizng elements. The soil of the valleys is extremely rich in dedomposed vegetable matter and uneombined carbon, readily absorbing the Nrnp o1 =
 tering the soil, decomposes the organic matters that they can be taken up and nourish the plants which may be considered leading feature in it fertility. It also readily takes up and retain: moisture while the frmness of its particles affords every facility for percolation and the activity o capillary action. In ts mechanical composition it: particles are in state of very fine division. whicl renders it more productive than coarser soils acquires heat readily ill the daytime and the los, of the heat at night is very gradual, that it mains always warm and is not subject to sudden changes of heat and cold. Besides its essential con- stituents of water, organic vegetable matter sand and clay, chemical analysis shows that lime soda, magnesia, iron, ammonia and available forms of nitrogen, phosphorc acid and potash enter int, composition in the proportions best adapted tc add to it's fertility, though, of course is alway
 the case in soil analysis its composition varies il
 different localities and is not always constant.
 The soi the uplands, mesas, lighter ant more gravelly and in some places of tree, loamy calcareOus character. The mesa lands are warm an
 generous. They seem especially adapted for tn grape, olive and citrus fruits generally. Their } contains more magnesia, lime chalk than tn
 bottom lands It never cracks and retains moistur admirably in summer. It is of that character whic
 will produce wine that will keep good for fifty 0 a hundred years, and improve annually, not bein
 liable to sour, exposure to the air, after on
 year old, to become turbid and change color in th 7 bottle or glass.