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

dark-brown colour . The Ck horizons are strongly calcareousand have a high stone content . Soil reaction of Wilsonville soilsranges from medium acidic in the surface horizons to mildlyalkaline in the subsoil . Soil classification is Brunisolic GrayBrown Luvisol .Soil Moisture Characteristics Wilsonville soils are rapidlydrained and rapidly permeable. They have relatively lowwater-holding capacity. The increased clay content in the Bthorizon enhances the water-holding capacity of this part ofthesolum to a significant extent . Surface runoff varies dependingon slope, being slow on slopes less than 6°7o, but moderate torapid on steeper slopes .Commonly Associated Soils Scotland (STD) soils arethe most common associate of Wilsonville soils as the subdominantcomponent in the WIL 6 map unit . Scotland soils differfrom Wilsonville soils in having a deeper (40-100 cm) overlay ofstone-free sandy material on the glacial till subsoil .Land Use and Management Wilsonville soils are moderatelygood agricultural soils but have limitations because ofmoisture deficiencies, stoniness and, in some cases, steepslopes . They are most commonly used for grain corn, hay andpasture, and with supplemental irrigation for specialty cropssuch as tobacco. Crops such as ginseng are also being establishedon Wilsonville soils .Woolwich Soils (WOW)General Soil Description Woolwich soils havedevelopedon silt loam glaciolacustrine sediments 40-100 cm thick overlyingloam glacial till . They are well-drained .Surface Ap horizons of Woolwich soils are approximately20 cm thick and are silt loam in texture . They are moderate inorganic matter content ranging from 3 to 4% . The subsoilhorizons vary from silt loam to loam in texture, although thereis usually a distinct increase in clay content in the Bt horizons .The Bt horizons vary in depth with their upper boundary ataround 35 cm and lower boundary at approximately 75 cm,extending as tongue-like projections into the Ck horizon . TheCk horizons are comprised of glacial till with a low content ofgravel . Often a thin stoneline occurs at the upper boundary ofthe Ck horizons . They are usually strongly calcareous. Soilreaction of Woolwich soils is neutral in the surface horizonsand mildly alkaline in the subsoil . Soil classification is BrunisolicGray Brown Luvisol .Soil Moisture Characteristics Woolwich soils are welldrainedand moderately permeable. They have medium waterholdingcapacities . Surface runoff can be moderately high . Itincreases markedly as slope increases, and as the organic mattercontent ofthe surface horizon decreases .Commonly Associated Soils Conestogo (CTG), Maryhill(MYL), Guelph (GUP), Brant (BRT) and Tuscola (TUC)are associates of Woolwich soils as subdominant componentsin map unitsWOW 2,WOW 3,WOW 4, WOW 5 andWOW 6,respectively. Conestogo and Maryhill soils have similar parentmaterials as Woolwich soils but are imperfectly and poorlydrained, respectively. Guelph soils have developed completelyon loam glacial till materials similar to those comprising thesubsoil of Woolwich soils . Brant and Tuscola soils have siltyglaciolacustrine parent materials similar to the surficial layerof Woolwich soils. They occur where these silty materialsexceed 1 metre in depth . They are well-drained and imperfectlydrained, respectively.Land Use and Management Woolwich soils are excellentsoils for agricultural use . The only limitations of significanceaffecting their use for field crops are topography and past erosion . Complex slopes exceeding 3 070 have a slight topographiclimitation . . This limitation becomes more severe as slopeincreases . With slopes in excess of 6%, moderate erosion mayoccur, and require special management . Woolwich soils areused extensively for corn, winter wheat, forages and springgrain crops .MISCELLANEOUS LAND UNITSAlluvium (ALU)Alluvial soils deposited on the floodplains of rivers andstreams are very variable in terms of texture and drainage.Where there is extreme variability over short distances, differentiation of these soils has not been attempted and the MiscellaneousLand Unit, ALU, has been used . This land unit hasbeen mapped in portions of the Grand River floodplain, particularlyin its upper reaches, and along Whiternud Creek .Escarpment (ESC)Steep valley sides associated with deeply entrenched anderoding rivers are highly variable in texture, drainage, slopeand profile development . They range in texture from sands andgravel to clays . They are usually rapidly drained and runoff israpid because of steep slopes, but wet spots may occur as aresult of lateral seepage . Slopes are generally greater than 30% .The steep slopes are usually devoid of vegetation, but on gentlerslopes wooded vegetation often persists . This land unit hasbeen mapped most commonly along the Grand River.Marsh (MAR)Marsh consists of areas of shallow water on the groundsurface which persist most of the year. They usually have thinorganic-rich layers overlying variable depths of sedimentarymaterial . The characteristic vegetation ofmarsh areas consistsof various reeds, sedges and grasses . This land unit has beenmapped in small areas, mainly in South Dumfries Township .Urban Land (ULD)These are areas delineated on the map to accommodateconcentrations of urban-related space including built-upareas, parks, golfcourses, railway yards, land-fill sites, etc .