The Arizona sentinel. [volume] (Arizona City [Yuma], Yuma County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1872-1911, 1898-09-10
LANDS AND SOILS.

The lands OF Yuma County comprise the river
bottoms and valleys and the upIandS or mcsas The
bottom ands arc moister and Slightly mere fertile
if, indeed, it is possible to make comparisons
where al arc wonderfully productive and prolific
The upands or mcsas are warmer and, perhaps,
lightly for better TIE cultivation ofthc citrus fruits
Yuma contains variety of soil The valley land
of che ella and Colorado rivers have for the most
part deep sedimentary soil of browniSh, gray
sanity lo'.m, resting, in most places upon a gray
clay subsol at 4 depth OF from zen 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 shales
sandstoneS, marls limestoncs eSc. mixed with or
gonc and vegetable matter washed down by the
mighty rivers and have been gradually deposited
during the course of centuries. The fertilizing
brownish mud held in the wat tlOf the Colorado
and ella rivers resembles that from the Nile, and
its quantity varies from OIL to O.5 per cent
though the water when even considerably discoior-
cd by mud is good drink, resembling in this res
pect the Missouri river water. chemical analy isis
OF the sediments OF the Colorado and of the Nile
parts of each. That of the Colorado exhibiting a
OhAiiN iSoo pOO'ooSJ ana
bOnade of limestone beds through which the Colo
RADIO passes In other respects the sediment of the
Colorado is almost Identical with that of the Nile
1t will be noticed, therefore, that when this water is
used for irrigation it is superior to artesian waters
since it is constantly supplying the land with the
richeStfertiiZiEg elements The soil of the valleys
is extremely richsin dedOmpoSed vegetable matter
anu uncombined carbon, readily absor bling the
aerial gases. such especially, oxygen which en-
terlng the soil, dccomposcs the organic matters SO
that they can be taken up AMI nOurish the plants
which may be considered a leading featurs in 1t
fertility. 1t also readily takes up and retains
moisture, while the irmncss of its particles affords
every facility for pcrcolation and the activity of
capillary action. In its mechanical composition its
particles arc i'll state of very fine division which
renders it more productive than coarser soils |
acquires heat readily in the daytime and the loss
of the heat at night is very gradual so that it re-
mains always warm and is not subject to sudden
changes of heat and cold Besides its essential con-
Stituents of water, organic or vegetable matter
sand and clay, chemical analysis shows that lime
soda, magnCsia, 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 is Away
She case in soil analysis, i55 composition varies in
Different localities and IS not always constant
The sol the upiands, or mcsas, lighter and
more gravelly and in some places of .ree, loamy,
calcareouS character. Tire iards are warm az
generous. They seem especially adapted for the
grape olive and citrus fruits generally. Their soil
contains more magncsia, lime chalk than the
bottom lands 1t never cracks and retains moisture
admirably in summer. 1t is Ofthlt character which
Will produce wine that viii keep good for fifty
hundred years, and improve annually, not being
liable tc sour, exposure to the air, after one
year old, to become turbid and change color in the
bottle or glass