The Soils Round Jedburgh and Morebattle
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR SCOTLAND MEMOIRS OF THE SOIL SURVEY OF GREAT BRITAIN SCOTLAND THE SOILS OF THE COUNTRY ROUND JEDBURGH & MOREBATTLE [SHEETS 17 & 181 BY J. W. MUIR, B.Sc.(Agric.), A.R.I.C., N.D.A., N.D.D. The Macaulay Institute for Soil Research ED INB URGH HER MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE '956 Crown copyright reserved Published by HER MAJESTY’SSTATIONERY OFFICE To be purchased from 13~Castle Street, Edinburgh 2 York House, Kingsway, Lond6n w.c.2 423 Oxford Street, London W.I P.O. Box 569, London S.E. I 109 St. Mary Street, Cardiff 39 King Street, Manchester 2 . Tower Lane, Bristol I 2 Edmund Street, Birmingham 3 80 Chichester Street, Belfast or through any bookseller Price &I 10s. od. net. Printed in Great Britain under the authority of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. Text and half-tone plates printed by Pickering & Inglis Ltd., Glasgow. Colour inset printed by Pillans & Ylson Ltd., Edinburgh. PREFACE The soils of the country round Jedburgh and Morebattle (Sheets 17 and 18) were surveyed during the years 1949-53. The principal surveyors were Mr. J. W. Muir (1949-52), Mr. M. J. Mulcahy (1952) and Mr. J. M. Ragg (1953). The memoir has been written and edited by Mr. Muir. Various members of staff of the Macaulay Institute for Soil Research have contributed to this memoir; Dr. R. L. Mitchell wrote the section on Trace Elements, Dr. R. Hart the section on Minerals in Fine Sand Fractions, Dr. R. C. Mackenzie and Mr. W. A. Mitchell the section on Minerals in Clay Fractions and Mr. S. E. Durno the sub-section on Peat. Dr. H. G. M. Hardie and staff of the Soil Analysis section of the Pedology Department did the analytical work with the exception of Exchangeable Calcium, Sodium and Potassium which were determined by Dr. R. L. Mitchell and staff of the Spectrochemistry Department. Miss A. M. B. Geddes and Dr. V. C. Farmer read the manuscript and offered many helpful suggestions and criticisms. Plates 1, 2 and 27 are printed by kind permission of the Hawick News, the others being the work of Mr. Ragg. Dr. H. H. Corner and Dr. A. M. Smith of the Edinburgh and East of Scotland College of Agriculture, have been of great assistance during the period of survey. The soils could not have been surveyed without the co-operation of land- owners and farmers and this was always willingly given. Copies of all the field maps (about 2.5 inches to 1 mile) are kept at the Macaulay Institute for Soil Research where they can be inspected. Robert Glentworth Head of the Soil Survey of Scotland. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Acknowledgement is made to Dr. H. H. Corner, the Edinburgh and East of Scotland College of Agriculture who wrote the chapter on Agriculture, to Dr. E. Wylie Fenton, the Edinburgh and East of Scotland College of Agri- culture who wrote the chapter on Vegetation and to Mr. W. N. Gibson, Forestry Commission (Scotland) who wrote the chapter on Forestry. The maps printed in this publication are based upon the Ordnance Survey Map with the sanction of the Controller of H.M. Stationery Office-Crown Copyright reserved. Permission was granted by the Geological Survey, Scotland to base Fig. 7 on a sketch map in a Geological Memoir. CONTENTS Chapter Page- I GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE AREA .. 9 LOCATION AND EXTENT .... .. .. .. 9 PHYSICAL FEATURES .. .. .. .. .. 9 CLIMATE .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 11 I1 GEOLOGY . .. .. .. .. .. .. 16 SOLID GEOLOGY ,. .. .. .. .. .. 16 GLACIAL GEOLOGY .. .. .. .. .. 19 I11 METHODS AND DEFINITIONS .. .. 26 FIELD METHODS .. .. .. .. .. 26 CARTOGRAPHIC METHODS .. .. .1 . 26 DESCRIPTION OF SOIL PROFILES .. .. 27 LABORATORY INVESTIGATIONS. .. .. .. 27 STANDARD TERMS AND DEFINITIONS .. 27 IV SOIL CLASSIFICATION AND FORMATION.. 37 SOIL CLASSIFICATION . .. .. .. 37 SOIL FOEMATION .. .. .. .. .. 39 V THE SOILS .. .. .. .. .. .. .. '43 ASSOCIATIONS .. .. .. .. .. 45 ALLUVIUM .. .. .. .. .. .. , . 84 PEAT .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 88 MIXED BOTTOM LANDS .. .. .. .. 89 VI AGRICULTURE . .. .. .. .. 90 JEDBURGH DISTRICT .. .. .. .. 90 MOREBATTLE DISTRICT . .. .. .. 101 VI1 VEGETATION .. .. .. .. .. .. 106 VI11 FORESTRY . .. .. .. .. .. .. 111 IX DISCUSSION OF ANALYTICAL DATA .. 113 BIBLIOGRAPHY .. .. .. .. .. 124 REFERENCES .. .. .. .. .. 125 APPENDIX I .. .. .. .. .. .. 126 APPENDIX I1 .. .. .. .. .. .. 162 INDEX .. .. .. .. t. .. 174 4 LIST OF TABLES A"age A. Average Rainfall in inches: Period 1881-1915 . .. .. 12 B. Average Means of Relative Humidity at 13H : Period 1921- 1935 12 C. Average Temperature OFDaily Mean: Period 1906-1935 . 13 D. Average Daily Range of Temperature OF: Period 1906-1935 . 13 E. Types and Classes of Soil Structure . .. .. .. 34 F. Classification of Soil Series .. .. .. .. .. 37. G. Area of Soil Categories in square miles . .. .. .. 44 H. Returns from a number of Hill Farms 1939-52 . .. .. 98 J. Vegetational Types on a Heft in the Cheviot Hills . .. 103 LIST OF TABLES IN APPENDICES APPENDIXI Routine Analyses of Major Soil Groups . .. .. 126 APPENDIXI1 1. Percentage Ultimate Constituents in Brown Forest Soils 162 2. Percentage Ultimate Constituents in Peaty Podzols with thin iron pan . .. .. .. .. .. 163 3. Percentage Ultimate Constituents in Non-Calcareous Gleys 164 4. Percentage Ultimate Constituents in a Peaty Gley . .. 166 5. Percentage Mineral Groups in Fine Sand Fractions (20-2OOp) . .. .. .. .. .. .. 167 6. Frequency of Mineral Suites other than Quartz in the Ettrick Association .. .. .. .. .. 169 7. Frequency of Mineral Suites other than Quartz in the Sourhope Association . .. .. .. .. 170 8. Frequency of Mineral Suites other than Quartz in the Hobkirk Association . .. .. .. .. 171 9. Frequency of Mineral Suites other than Quartz in the Carter Association .. .. .. .. .. 172 10. Percentage Minerals in Clay Fractions (<1 *4p) . .. 173 LIST OF FIGURES 1. Location of Area . .. .. .. .. .. .. 8 2. Parishes within the Area . .. .. .. .. .. 9 3. Physical Map.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 10 4. Annual Average Rainfall (1881-1915) . .. .. .. 11 5. Smoothed Curves of Annual March of Monthly Mean Temperature .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 14 6. Distribution of Solid Geological Formations . .. .. 18 7. Map showing Direction of Ice Movement in the South of Scotland . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 20 8. Generalised Distribution of Glacial Tills . .. .. .. 23 9. The percentages of Clay (<2p), Silt (2-5Op) and Sand (50-2OOOp) in the Basic Soil Textural Classes .. .. .. .. 32 10. Generalised Distribution of Major Soil Groups . .. .. 39 11. Vertical Section through Part of the Area showing Major Soil Group . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 41 5 LIST OF PLATES Facing Page I Hawick from the south-east showing corrugations of the Ettrick Association in the background . .. .. 16 I1 Bonchester Bridge from the south-east, surrounded by soils of the Hobkirk Association .. .. .. .. 16 . I11 Soils of the Eckford Association with Peniel Heugh in the distance . .. .. .. .. .. .. 17 IV Teviotdale and the Cheviot Hills from Peniel Heugh . 17 V A sand and gravel pit at Eckford . .. .. .. 20 VI Part of the face of the sand pit at Eckford, showing bedding of coarse sand .. .. .. .. .. .. 20 VI1 One of the gravel mounds on the Eckford Association. They are usually planted to mixed deciduous trees . .. 21 VI11 Old Red Sandstone sediments cut by the Jed Water near Mossburnford .. .. .. .. .. .. 2 1. IX Silurian sediments near Midlem showing isoclinal folding 28 X “Corrugations” of the Ettrick Association near Drinkstone 28 XI Upper Teviotdale showing soils of the Ettrick Associations. Note the thick clayey till with ditches to drain off the surface water and thin loamy till on the steeper slopes 29 XI1 Fasset Hill showing three lava flows. The light coloured vegetation is mainly Moor Mat Grass (Nardus stricta) and the dark is Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum) . .. 29 XI11 Thick till derived from lavas of Old Red Sandstone age (Sourhope Association) where the Bowmont water has cut through near Belford . .. .. .. .. 32 XIV Soils of the Sourhope Association with arable land on the lower slopes. Note the misfit stream in a gully cut through the clayey till . .. .. .. .. 32 xv The Cheviot Hills (Sourhope Association) from Dere Street. Cheviot itself is in the distance . .. .. .. 33 XVI Cheviot and the Cheviot Hilis (Sourhope Association) from Over Whitton .. .. .. .. .. .. 33 XVII Kelsocleugh, a typical hill farm on the Sourhope Association 48 XVIII Peel Farm in Liddisdale, a typical hill farm on the Carter Association . .. .. .. .. .. .. 48 XIX Wooplaw and the Arks, two typical hill farms on the Carter Association . .. .. .. .. .. .. 49 xx Arable land on the Hobkirk Association. Large farms (about 850 acres), large fields and few stone dykes are common features . .. .. .. .. .. 49 XXI Arable land on the Hobkirk Association at Southdean . 64 XXII Cessford, one of the largest arable farms (Hobkirk Associ- ation) in the Borders (1800 acres) .. .. .. 64 XXIII Hobkirk Association, Cessford series. The till is thick and the drainage class is poor . .. .. .. .. 65 XXIV Ettrick Association, with corrugations prominent. Note the old rig and furrows on the extreme right . .. 65 6 LIST OF PLATES-Continued Facing Page xxv Ettrick Association, Linhope series. A freely drained soil developed on thin till over shattered Silurian sediments 80 XXVI Half-bred ewes, a Border Leicester-Cheviot cross .. 80 XXVII A winter scene near Hawick. The sheep have to search under the snow for food . .. .. .. .. 81 XXVIII Vegetation on the Ettrick Association near Billhope. On the skyline can be seen small areas of hill peat. The ridges carry Molinietum and the steep slopes acid grass- land with Bracken (Pteridium