The Soils of Brant County - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

are strongly calcareous . Soilreaction ofKelvin soils is near neutralthroughout the solum . Soil classification is Orthic HumicGleysol .Soil Moisture Characteristics Kelvin soils are poorlydrained and slowly permeable . Groundwater occupies mosthorizons of Kelvin soils for long periods each year. They havehigh water-holding capacities and surface runoff is slow.Commonly Associated Soils Gobles (GOB) and Wauseon(WUS) soils are most commonly associated with Kelvinsoils as subdominant components in map units KVN 6 andKVN 13, respectively. Gobles soils are imperfectly drained andare similar in soil materials to Kelvin soils. Wauseon soils arepoorly drained, but have a sandy veneer 40 to 100 cm in thicknessoverlying clayey subsoil, similar to that occurring withKelvin soils.Land Use and Management Kelvin soils are fair soils foragricultural use . Their relatively high clay contents and tendencyto develop massive subsoil structure create problemswith slow drainage. Their present use is mainly for grain corn,spring grain or forages, and they require artificial drainage formaximum production .Lincoln Soils (LIC)General Soil Description Lincoln soils have developedfrom glacial till of clay or heavy clay textures . They are poorlydrained .Surface Ap horizons of Lincoln soils are 15 to 20 cm inthickness and silty clay loam in texture. They have relativelyhigh organic matter contents averaging around 6% . Both theBand C horizons usually are silty clay to heavy clay in texture,have coarse blocky structure and are prominently mottled . TheCk horizons, which are strongly calcareous, usually begin at 55to 65 cm depth . Soil reaction of Lincoln soils ranges from neutralto slightly acidic in the surface horizons to moderatelyalkaline in the subsoil . Soil classification is usually OrthicHumic Gleysol .Soil Moisture Characteristics Lincoln soils are poorlydrained and slowly permeable . Groundwater is present in mosthorizons of Lincoln soils for long periods each year. Theyhavehigh moisture-holding capacities, but can be droughty duringdry periods because of the high moisture retention by theclayey textures . Surface runoff may be slow orrapid dependingon the incidence of surface cracks .Commonly Associated Soils Haldimand (HIM) andSmithville (SHV) soils are most commonly associated withLincoln soils as subdominant components in map units LIC 2and LIC 3, respectively. Haldimand soils are imperfectlydrained and Smithville soils are moderatelywell-drained . Bothhave similar soil materials as Lincoln soils .Land Use and Management Lincoln soils, because oftheir high clay content and poor drainage, are not particularlywell-suited to agricultural use. There is some use of these soilsin Brant County for general field crops, particularly corn,spring grain and hay if artificial drainage has been established .In their natural undrained condition, woodland or unimprovedpasture is the common land use.Maryhill Soils (MYL)General Description Maryhill soils are formed on loamor silt loam sediments 40 to 100 cm deep overlying loam glacialtill . They are poorly drained .Surface Ap horizons consist of 25 to 30 cm of silt loammoderately high in organic matter content . The thickness ofthese horizons is enhanced through deposition of eroded soilmaterial from upper slope positions . Brownish-coloured Bmhorizons with distinct mottles underlie the surface horizons .They are loam or silt loam in texture . The Ck horizonsoften areweakly calcareous in their upper part and strongly calcareousat depth . They occur at a depth of about 75 cm . They also areloam to silt loam in texture and have distinct mottles . Soil reactionof Maryhill soils is neutral ranging to slightly alkaline inthe Ck horizon . Soil classification is Orthic Humic Gleysol .Soil Moisture Characteristics Maryhill soils are poorlydrained and moderately to slowly permeable. Groundwater ispresent in most horizons of Maryhill soils for relatively longperiods . They have high moisture-holding capacities due totheir high organic matter and silt contents . Surface runofffrom Maryhill soils is slow.Commonly Associated Soils Granby (GNY) and Stayner(STN) soils are more commonly associated with Maryhillsoils as subdominant components in map units MYL 2 andMYL 3, respectively. Granby soils also are poorly drained, buthave adeep sandy veneer overlying the loamy textured subsoil .Stayner soils are very poorly drained, and have well decomposedorganic layers 40 to 100 cm thick overlying sandy subsoilcharacteristic of Granby soils .Land Use and Management Maryhill soils have moderatelysevere wetness limitations for agriculturaluse in their naturalcondition . However, they are good agricultural soils ifdrainage has been artificially improved . Grain corn, silagecorn and spring grains are the crops that do best under drainedconditions . Maryhill soils are very productive for most commercialtree species in spite of their wetness limitations for agriculturaluses .Muriel Soils (MUDGeneral Description Muriel soils have developed on glacialtill mainly of silty clay loam texture. They are moderatelywell-drained .Surface Ap horizons are usually composed of approximately20 cm of silt loam texture, although textures may rangefrom sandy loam to clay loam . The organic matter contents ofthe surface horizons average nearly 3% . Underlying Bm horizonsextend to a depth of 30 to 35 cm . They range from siltloam to clay loam in texture. Distinctive brown to dark-brownBt horizons with blocky structure are characteristic of Murielsoils . They are usually silty clay loam in texture and are oftencompacted to a semi-hardpan consistency . The calcareous Ckhorizons usually commence at a depth between 50 and 75 cm .It is silty clay loam in texture and is strongly to very stronglycalcareous . Soil reaction of Muriel soils ranges from neutral inthe surface horizons to moderately alkaline in the subsoil . Soilclassification is Brunisolic Gray Brown Luvisol .Soil Moisture Characteristics Muriel soils are moderatelywell-drained and moderately to slowly permeable.Groundwater derived from seepage or runoff may occupy thesurface horizons for brief periods during the growing season .Muriel soils have moderately high water-holding capacitiesand high runoff. On sloping topography they tend to developdroughty conditions during prolonged dry spells as a consequenceof excessive runoff .