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

Soil Moisture CharacteristicsWalsingham soils are imperfectly drained andrapidly permeable . The-imperfect drainage is dueto high water table levels which temporarily occurwithin 100 cm of the surface for periods of timeeach year . They have low water holdingcapacities. Surface runoff is slow on level areas,but increases as slopes become steeper .General Soil CharacteristicsWalsingham soil materials usually have finesand or loamy fine sand textures. The Ap andclay enriched Btgj horizons tend to have slightlyhigher day contents than those which occur in theBmgj and calcareous Ckgj horizons . As a result,loamy fine sand textures tend to occur more oftenin those horizons .Distinct to prominent, dark yellowishbrown toyellowish brown mottles occur within the profile .Soil reaction ranges from strongly acid to neutralin the Ap horizons, to mildly alkaline in the Ckgjhorizons. Soil classification is typically GleyedBrunisolic Gray Brown Luvisol.Soil VariabilityWalsingham soils frequently have weaklydeveloped Btgj horizons, or the Btgj horizonsoccur at a depth greater than 100 cm from thesurface. Clay enriched Btgj horizons may also becompletely absent . The Ckgj horizons in manyWalsingham soils occur at a depth greater than100 cm from the surface .Walsingham soils were most often mapped incombination with Plainfield (PF), Waterin (WN),Berrien (BE), Berrien till phase (BE.T), andWauseon (WU) soils .Land Use/Management CommentsWalsingham soils are rated Class 3F or 3FT forcommon field crops. Low fertility and pHproblems are concerns with these soils . If they aretile drained, or if supplemental irrigation is carriedout, Walsingham soils are highly suitable formany special crops . Suitability ratings for selectedspecial crops are given in Tables 6, 7, and 8 .Walsingham soils are susceptible to winderosion. Management practices which maintainorganic matter contents will benefit fertility levelsand help to reduce the risk of erosion by wind .Planting cover crops, establishing windbreaks, andmaintaining high crop residue levels, will also aidin this regard. Conservation tillage practices,particularly no-till practices, should be consideredfor these soils .Waterin Soils (WN)Landform and TopographyWaterin soils have developed on blankets ofcoarse textured eolian materials . They usuallyoccur on lower slope positions and in depressionsin landscapes which have nearly level or verygently undulating topography . Slopes are lessthan 2%.Soil Moisture CharacteristicsWaterin soils are poorly drained and rapidlypermeable. The poor drainage conditionsassociated with these soils are caused by highwater table levels which occur within 50 cm of thesurface for prolonged periods of time each year.They generally have low water holding capacities,butwater holding capacities increase in the surfacematerials if they have high organic mattercontents . Surface runoff is slow.General Soil CharacteristicsThe Ap horizons usually have fine sand orloamy fine sand textures. They also generallyhave high organic matter contents, with the meancontent being almost 5% . The Bg and calcareousCkg horizons most often have fine sand textures,but loamy fine sand textures are also quitecommon.Gray gley colours are dominant within theprofile, and prominent strong brown to yellowishbrown mottles are also present. Soil reactionranges from strongly acid to neutral in the Aphorizons, to mildly alkaline in the Ckg horizons .Soil classification is typically Orthic HumicGleysol.Soil VariabilityOccasionally the materials which occur atdepth have very fine sandy loam or very fine sandtextures. Waterin soils were most often mappedin combination with Walsingham (WM) soils .Land Use/Management CommentsWaterin soils require tile drainage in order toreach their potential capability for common fieldcrop production. They are rated Class 3W . If theyare tile drained, Waterin soils are suitable for awide range of special crops . Suitability ratings forselected special crops are given in Tables 6, 7, and8 .Compaction can occur in Waterin soils if theyare too wet . Care should be taken, therefore,when using heavy machinery . Conservation51