Soil Report - Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada

Lonsdale Soils (LDL)
Location and Extent Lonsdale soils are only mapped in a
few locations in the Township of Delhi, northwest of
Teeterville . There are 38 ha of pure Lonsdale map units, and
81 ha of Lonsdale soils in complex map units where they are
associated with Granby soils .
Landform and Topography Lonsdale soils occupy depressional
areas in the clav till moraines that cut across the
northwest corner of the Township of Delhi . Topography is
usually level .
Parent Materials and Textures Lonsdale soils consist of 40-
160 cm of organic soil over fine-textured soil materials,
mainly clays. The surface organic soil is mainly highly
decomposed humic material, and the underlying mineral
soil is usually Port Stanley till with silty clay loam or silty clay
textures .
Soil Moisture Characteristics Lonsdale soils are very
poorly drained . They are rapidly permeable, but groundwater
is close to or above the ground surface most of the
year . They have high water-holding capacities and very slow
surface runoff.
General Soil Description Lonsdale soils consist of 40-160
cm of highly decomposed organic material overlying mineral
soils . The mineral soils are predominantly silty clay loam till
in the Haldimand-Norfolk Region . Soil classification is
usually Terric Humisol .
Commonly Associated Soils Lonsdale soils may be associated
with Granby (GNY) soils . Granby soils are poorly drained
with loamy sand or sand textures .
General Land Use Comments
(1) Most Lonsdale soils would require extensive clearing
and draining to be capable of agricultural use, and the
advisability of this is questionable .
(2) Because of their wetness, Lonsdale soils are of little use
for commercial forestry .
Lowbanks Soils (LOW)
Location and Extent Lowbanks soils are confined to the
shallow sand plain at the eastern end of the region near
Dunnville . There are 475 ha of pure Lowbanks map units,
and 2108 ha of Lowbanks soils in complex map units in
which the main associated soils are Walsingham or coarse
phase Toledo soils .
Landform and Topography Lowbanks soils occupy the
plain east of Dunnville where lacustrine sands overlie
lacustrine silts and clays . The topography is usually level,
but there are some very gently sloping and hummocky
areas .
Parent Materials and Textures The parent materials of
Lowbanks soils consist mainly of fine sand and loamy fine
sand deposited in lacustrine environments, and later modified
by wind action . These sands were deposited over lacustrine
silty clay loam and silty clay, usually at depths ranging
between one and two m .
Soil Moisture Characteristics Lowbanks soils are very
poorly drained . They are moderately to rapidly permeable,
but the groundwater surface is near the soil surface for much
of the year . Lowbanks soils have moderate water-holding
capacity and slow surface runoff .
General Soil Description The cultivated surface horizons
of Lowbanks soils usually consist of loamy fine sand or fine
sand, about 20 em thick . Their black color reflects high
4 1
organic matter contents ranging between 8 and 17% . The
subsurface B horizons are usually composed of light gray,
fine sand having distinct or prominent yellowish-brown
mottles . The depth to the calcareous C horizon is quite
variable, usually 40-50 cm, but sometimes much less . The C
horizon is usually fine sand, sometimes loamy very fine sand .
Thin layers of silt loam or silty clay loam are more numerous
with depth, eventually grading into continuous lacustrine
clays and silts . C horizons are usually strongly or very
strongly calcareous . Soil reaction varies from medium
acidic to mildly alkaline in all but the C horizons, where it is
mildly to moderately alkaline . Soil classification is usually
Orthic Humic Gleysol.
Commonly Associated Soils Lowbanks soils are usually
associated with Walsingham (WAM) in map unit LOW 3, or
with coarse phase Toledo (TLD .C) soils in LOW 4 .
Walsingham soils differ from Lowbanks soils by being
imperfectly drained and by having considerably less organic
matter in the surface horizons . Coarse phase Toledo soils
have only 15-40 cm sand over poorly drained lacustrine silty
clay .
General Land Use Comments
(1) Lowbanks soils are used for grain corn, soybeans,
several horticultural crops and sod crops . The high watertables
tend to recede during the growing season, but artificial
drainage is definitely beneficial .
(2) Lowbanks soils are generally not suitable for commercial
wood production because of their wetness .
Figure 34 . Aerial view of Lowbanks and Walsingham soils
near Dunnville, showing patchy drainage pattern . Darker
areas are Lowbanks soils
Maplewood Soils (MPW)
Location and Extent Maplewood soils occur in a few places
north of Simcoe, and in the area between Port Dover and
Port Burwell near Lake Erie . There are 195 ha of pure
Maplewood map units, and 1008 ha of Maplewood soils in
complex map units where they are often associated with
Tavistock soils .
Landform and Topography Maplewood soils occupy portions
of lacustrine plains, such as the Haldimand clay plain, where
silt loam has accumulated over clayey sediments . The
topography is level or nearly level, and slopes rarely exceed
1 .5% .
Parent Materials and Textures Maplewood soils are developed
on deep-water glaciolacustrine silts and clays. Textures
usually consist of 40-100 cm of silt loam over silty clay or silty
clay loam .