Soil Report - Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada

anges from nearly level on the lacustrine plain, to very
strongly sloping along some of the dissected valley walls .
Parent Materials and Textures Brant soils have usually
developed on silt loam or very fine sandy loam lacustrine
sediments, that are often stratified . Coarser sands sometimes
occur on the surface, and silty clay loam layers are sometimes
present in the subsoil .
Soil Moisture Characteristics Brant soils are well-drained .
They are usually moderately permeable, but the permeability
decreases where silty clay loam or compacted layers are
present . Brant soils have fairly high water-holding capacities.
Surface runoff can be high, and increases markedly with
slope .
General Soil Description The surface Ap horizons usually
consist of about 20 cm of silt loam, loam or very fine sandy
loam . Some Brant soils, e .g . (BRT .C), have sandier surface
horizons consisting mainly of loamy fine sand, 15-40 cm
thick . These surface horizons are normally underlain by
about 25 cm of very fine sandy loam or silt loam over a
distinctive, dark brown Bt horizon of loam or silty clay loam
texture . This Bt horizon is usually closer to the surface on
slopes due to erosion of the surficial materials . The strongly
to very strongly calcareous Ck horizon occurs, usually, at
about the 100 cm depth . Near Springvale there are very
shallow phase Brant soils (BRT .V), where the soils are only
20-50 cm deep over bedrock . The texture of the Ck horizon
of Brant soils is usually silt loam, but unlike the Bt horizon,
may contain thin layers of sandier textures . Soil reaction
ranges from strongly acidic to neutral in the surface soil
horizons, to moderately alkaline in the subsoil . Soil
classification is usually Brunisolic Gray Brown Luvisol .
Commonly Associated Soils The Tuscola (TUC) soils,
often associated with Brant soils in map unit BRT 4, differ
from the Brant soils only by being imperfectly drained . In
the Simcoe-Langton areas, Brant soils are often associated
in the BRT 8 map unit with the well-drained Walsher soils
that have 40-100 cm of sand over silt loam . Brant soils also
border several stream valleys occupied by Alluvium 1 (1-
ALU), which has variable textures and drainages . The map
unit BRT 13 includes the Brant soils of the valley slopes,
and the alluvial soils of the floodplains.
General Land Use Comments
(1) Brant soils are excellent agricultural soils, widely used for
grain corn and all other common field crops, as well as for a
Figure 26. Eroded slopes are common on these rolling Brant
soils near Langton
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number of special crops such as apples, lima beans, carrots,
peppers and tomatoes . Their main limitation is their
susceptibility to water erosion on slopes.
(2) Brant soils are also excellent forestry soils, again limited
by potential erosion damage on moderate to steep slopes .
Brantford Soils (BFO)
Location and Extent Brantford soils are widespread in the
region and occur everywhere except along the western edge
of Norfolk County . There are 6689 ha of pure Brantford
map units, and 13747 ha of Brantford soils in complex map
units where they are most often associated with Beverly and
Toledo soils . There are also relatively large Brantford soil
areas associated with Lincoln and Alluvium 1 soils .
Landform and Topography Brantford soils occupy portions
of most of the Haldimand clay plain . The topography ranges
from nearly level to very strongly sloping . Most slopes range
between 3 and 7%, with steeper, dissected slopes near some
river and stream valleys .
Parent Materials and Textures Brantford soils have mainlv
developed on lacustrine silty clay loam and silty clay
deposits . Surface textures are most commonly silty clay
loam, but sometimes silt loam or silty clay textures also
occur . Subsoil textures are usually silty clay loam or silty
clay .
Soil Moisture Characteristics Brantford soils are moderately
well-drained . They are moderately to slowly permeable .
depending upon the incidence of soil cracks and subsoil
compaction . Groundwater may perch near the surface of
Brantford soils for brief periods . They have relatively high
water-holding capacities, but can exhibit summer droughtiness .
Surface runoff from Brantford soils is generally rapid .
General Soil Description The surface Ap horizons of
Brantford soils usually consist of 10-15 cm of silty clay loam .
There are some loamy phase Brantford soils (BFO .L)
consisting of 15-40 cm of silt loam or loam at the surface, and
some coarse phase Brantford soils (BFO.C) with surfaces of
fine sandy loam . Bt horizons usually begin at the 20-25 cm
depth, and consist of compact silty clay or clay . The strongly
calcareous Ck horizons, which usually commence at the 45-
60 cm depth, are most often composed of silty clay with
occasional silty clay loam or clay layers . In the Hagersville
area, there are some shallow phase (BFO .S) and very shallow
phase (BFO.V) Brantford soils . Soil reaction of Brantford
soils ranges from very strongly acidic or neutral in the
surface horizons, to moderately alkaline in the subsoil . Soil
classification is usually Brunisolic Gray Brown Luvisol .
Commonly Associated Soils Beverly (BVY) and Toledo
(TLD) soils occur extensively with Brantford soils in map
units BFO 6 and BFO 7 . They differ from Brantford soils in
being imperfectly drained and poorly drained, respectively.
There are also major occurrences of Brantford soils with
Lincoln (LIC) soils in map unit BFO 10 in the northern part
of the Town of Haldimand . Lincoln soils differ in being
poorly drained and having heavy clay textures . Alluvium 1
soils (1-ALU) with variable textures and drainages are often
associated with Brantford soils in map unit BFO 12, which
occupies stream valley-floodplain areas.
General Land Use Comments
(1) Brantford soils are very important for agriculture . They
are used for all the common field crops, increasingly so for
grain corn and soybeans . They are used to some extent for
horticultural crops such as apples or cabbages. Overcompacted
subsoils, droughtiness and erosion on slopes can be limi-