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

eaction ranges from slightly acid to neutral in theAp horizons, to mildly alkaline in the IICkghorizons. Soil classification is typically OrthicHun-dc Gleysol.Soil VariabilityOccasionally Wauseon soils have gravellylayers which occur above the IICkg horizons . Siltloam or loam textured layers also occuroccasionally in the underlying materials . Wauseontill phase (WU.T) soils were mapped where 40 to100 cm of coarse textured lacustrine materialswere underlain by fine to very fine textured PortStanley till .Wauseon soils were often mapped incombination with Berrien (BE) and Walsingham(WM) soils . Wauseon till phase soils were oftenmapped in combination with Berrien till phase(BE.T) soils.Land Use/Management CommentsWauseon and Wauseon till phase soils requiretile drainage in order to reach their potentialcapability for common field crop production .They are rated Class 2W . If they are the drained,they are suitable for a wide range of special crops .Suitability ratings for selected special crops aregiven in Tables 6, 7, and 8.Compaction can occur in Wauseon soils if theyare too wet. Care should be taken, therefore,when using heavy machinery. Conservationtillage practices, particularly no-till practices forfall crops, should be considered for these soils.Miscellaneous Land Unit DescriptionsAlluvium (AL)Areas mapped as Alluvium occur mainly inthe floodplains of rivers, creeks, and streams .They are composed of soils which have variabledrainage conditions. Due mainly to theirgenerally low-lying or depressional landscapepositions and high water table levels, the soilswhich occur in these land units usually are eitherimperfectly or poorly drained . Many Alluviumland units remain wet for prolonged periods dueto flooding of adjacent water courses, or additionsof surface or seepage water from surroundinglands with steep slopes .The soil materials which compose these landunits are variable in texture . They may be fairlyuniform in texture throughout the profile, or theymay consist of alternating layers of materialswhich have contrasting textures . When thematerials are fairly uniform, they mainly tend tobe either medium to coarse textured, or finetextured . Silt loam, loam, fine sandy loam, or veryfine sandy loam textures are common in themedium to coarse textured materials . Silty clayloam or clay loam textures are common in the finetextured materials. When the materials arelayered, the textures are highly variable and rangefrom gravelly sand to clay. Most often thematerials are calcareous to . the surface, and soilreaction is mildly alkaline .Alluvium land units are generally limited intheir use for agriculture . They are rated Class 31to 51 for common field crops, which is the range ofsoil capability classes which occur. If flooding istemporary and generally occurs in early spring,the risk of growing common field crops is lower.Those areas are therefore rated Class 31 . Graincorn is frequently grown on some of the higher,more extensive floodplains bordering the ThamesRiver and large creeks . Many areas which occurwithin these land units are subject to prolongedperiods of flooding that frequently occur duringthe growing season. They are rated Class 51, sincethey are best suited for forage crops .Eroded Channel (ER)These land units consist of deep "V" shapedchannels which are the result of past and presenterosion . Small creeks and streams, which in someareas may be intermittent, are present in many ofthese land units. The soils which occur are highlyvariable in materials and drainage. Texture of thesoil materials range from gravelly sand to clay.Soil drainage ranges from rapidly drained oncoarse textured materials which may occur on thesteep side walls of the channel, to poorly drainedon fine to very fine textured materials which mayoccur in the narrow channel bottoms.The slopes of the steep side walls generallyexceed 30%. Occasionally the slopes may be lesssteep, especially in channels with short side slopes .Many channels have side wall slopes which are sosteep that they have no capability for agriculture.Areas mapped as this land unit are therefore ratedClass 6T to TT for common field crops .Not Mapped (NM)Areas of land that were disturbed or modifiedfrom their natural condition, or were permanentlywithdrawn from agricultural use, were designatedas Not Mapped on the soil maps . Such areasinclude golf courses, gravel pits, sewage lagoons,or areas that have been developed for residential,industrial, or commercial uses .53