GUELPH, ONTARIO - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Soil Survey
of Bruce County
D. W. HOFFMAN and N. R. RICHARDS
INTRODUCTION
The soil survey of Bruce County was conducted during the summers of
1948 and 1949 as a co-operative project of the Canada Experimental Farms
Service, Ottawa, and the Soils Department, Ontario Agricultural College,
Guelph. The project, consist8s of two part)s, the preparation of a Soil Map and
the writing of a Soil Report.
The Soil Report presents information obtained by the survey. A brief
general description of the area is given and factors such as climate, vegetation,
topography, drainage and soil materials, all having an important bearing on
the soil and soil forming processes, are discussed. Each soil type is described
in considerable detail. The description deals with the physical characteristics
of the soil by which it may be recognized and discusses its use, fertility and
adaptability to crop production.
The Soil Map indicates t)he location and extent of the different soils and
shows such physical features of the area as roads, railways, rivers, towns,
houses, etc. The scale of mapping is one inch to one mile and, therefore, does
not permit the delineat,ion of soil areas less than twenty-five acres in size.
The Soil Survey Report and the accompanying Soil Map provide the basic
information required for the investigation of soil problems. The information
contained in this publicatjion should be useful to all those interested in the soil
and should enable them to improve farm practices.
How to Use the Soil Map and Report
To find what soils are on any farm or other area of land, locate the tract
on the soil map, which can be found in the envelope inside the back cover.
This is easily done by finding the township in which the area occurs and using
the lot and concession numbers to locate its boundaries. The lot numbers are
shown in Arabic numerals and the concession numbers are shown in Roman
numerals.
Each kind of soil can be identified by a symbol on the map. For example,
all areas marked with t’he symbol PC contain the same kind of soil - Perth
clay loam. The name of the soil can be found on the legend printed on the
map. Colour is also used to help identify each soil series shown on the map and
the colour shown for a soil on the map also appears on the legend.
Although some general information concerning each soil series can be
obtained from t’he legend on the map, much more detailed information appears
in the soil report. When the reader has identified the soils occurring on the
land in whic,h he is interested he can turn to Part III of the report where the
soil is fully described. In addition to a descript,ion of each soil, drainage,
topography, susceptibi1it.y to erosion, crops, and fertility needs are discussed.
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