Soil Report - Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada

Parent Materials and Textures Kelvin soils have developed
on till that usually has silty clay loam textures . They are
often modified at the surface by wind or water action that
causes fine sandy loam, or loam surface textures .
Soil Moisture Characteristics With the exception of some
very poorly drained peaty phase Kelvin soils, Kelvin soils
are poorly drained and moderately to slowly permeable .
Groundwater occupies most horizons of Kelvin soils for long
periods each year. Kelvin soils have relatively high waterholding
capacities and slow surface runoff .
General Soil Description The surface Ap horizons usually
consist of about 20 cm of clay loam or loam . In the Township
of Norfolk, there are some coarse phase Kelvin soils
(KVN.C) that have 15-40 cm of fine sandy loam at the
surface . West of Teeterville . there are some relatively small
areas of peaty phase Kelvin soils (KVN .P) having 15-40 cm
of organic materials on the surface . The underlying Bg
horizons usually consist of silty clay loam till, with prominent
mottles ranging from reddish to dark yellowish-brown . The
mean depth at which the Ck horizon begins is about 65 cm .
The texture of this horizon varies, but is usually silty clay
loam . It ranges from strongly to very strongly calcareous .
Soil classification is usually Orthic Humic Gleysol .
Commonly Associated Soils The soils that are most
commonly associated with Kelvin soils are till phase Berrien
(BRR.T) and till phase Wauseon (WUS .T) soils, in map units
KVN 4 and KVN 13, respectively . They differ from Kelvin
soils by having 40-100 cm of sand over clayey till . In
addition, till phase Wauseon soils are poorly drained .
Coarse phase Kelvin soils (KVN .C) are most common in
map unit KVN 14, where they occur with imperfectly
drained Gobles (GOB)soils .
General Land Use Comments
(1) Kelvin soils are presently used for most general field
crops including grain corn . They require artificial drainage
for maximum production .
(2) Kelvin soils, because of their wetness, are only fair for
most commercial tree species, although some species, such
as hard maple and white ash, do very well .
Lincoln Soils (LIC)
Location and Extent Lincoln soils occupy the greatest area
on the Haldimand clay plain . There are 9348 ha of pure
Lincoln map units, and 49569 ha of Lincoln soils in complex
map units, where they are most often associated with
Smithville and Haldimand soils .
Landform and Topography Lincoln soils occupy depressional
to very gently sloping areas of the Haldimand clay plain .
They consist of lacustrine clays, sometimes with thin loamy
or sandy caps . The topography ranges from level to very
gently sloping, with most slopes in the 0.5-2% range .
Parent Materials and Textures Lincoln soils have developed
on deep-water glaciolacustrine clays . Surface soil textures
are usually silty clay, but occasionally clay loam, silty clay
loam or fine sandy loam . Subsoil textures are silty clay with
various thicknesses of heavy clay .
Soil Moisture Characteristics Lincoln soils are mainly
poorly drained . There are a few areas of very poorly drained
peaty phase Lincoln soils . They are usually slowly permeable .
Groundwater occupies the surface and upper subsoil horizons
for long periods each year. Lincoln soils have medium to
high water-holding capacities, but can be droughty during
dry periods because of insufficient moisture release for
plant use . Surface runoff can be slow to rapid, depending on
the incidence of surface cracks .
General Soil Description The surface horizons of Lincoln
soils usually range from 15-25 em in thickness . Textures are
usually silty clay . Loamy phase Lincoln soils (LIC .L) have
15-40 cm of surface clay loam or silty clay loam . Coarse
phase Lincoln soils (LIC.C) have 15-40 cm of fine sandy
loam on the surface . Peaty phase Lincoln soils (LIC .P) have
15-40 cm of surface organic soil . The B horizons usually
have heavy clay or silty clay textures and prominent yellowishbrown
mottles . Both B and C horizons have angular blocky
or prismatic structures . The calcareous Ck horizons usually
begin at 40-65 cm depth, but in some very shallow phase
(LIC.V) and shallow phase (LIC .S) Lincoln soils, bedrock
occurs at 20-50 or 50-100 cm, respectively . Ck horizons are
mostly strongly calcareous. Soil reaction ranges from strongly
acidic to neutral in the surface horizons, and is moderately
alkaline in the subsoil . Soil classification is usually Orthic
Humic Gleysol .
Commonly Associated Soils Lincoln soils are very often
associated with Smithville (SHV) or Haldimand (HIM) soils
in the LIC 5 and LIC 6 map units . They all have similar
parent materials, but the Smithville and Haldimand soils are .
respectively, moderately well-drained and imperfectly drained .
Coarse phase Lincoln soils (LIC .C) often occur in associations
with coarse phase Haldimand soils (HIM.C) and heavy clay
phase Berrien soils (BRR .H), in map units LIC 15 and LIC
19, respectively .
General Land Use Comments
(1) Because of their poor drainage and high clay contents,
Lincoln soils are not highly valued for agriculture . They are
presently used for general field crops .
(2) The wetness and clay limitations of Lincoln soils keep
productivity of most forest species low, but some species
such as white spruce, silver maple, red maple and swamp
white oak seem to do quite well .
Figure 33 . Shrinkage cracks are common in Lincoln soils
during dry periods