Soil Survey of Grenvue County
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SOILSURVEY OFGRENVUE COUNTY BY N, R. RICHARDS EXPERIMENTAL FARMS SERVICE AND B. C. MATTHEWS and F. F; MORWICK ONTARIO AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE GUELPH,ONTARIO DECEMBER 1949 REPORTNo. 12 OF THE ONTARIOSOIL SURVEY EXPERIMENTAL FARMS SERVICE, DOMINION DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND THE ONTARIO AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE PREFACE The soils of Grenville County were surveyed during the sum- mer of 1945. Other Counties and Districts surveyed and maps published are as follows: 1. Norfolk ................................................. ..Ma p only 2. Elgin. ........... ............ .......................... Map only 3. Kent ................. .... .................................... Map only 4. Haldimand .... ...... ....... ................... ....... .Map only 5. Welland., ........................................................ Map only 6. Middlesex ................................................. .Map only 7. Carleton ............................................ Map and Report 8. Parts of Northwestern Ontario.. ............ Map and Report 9. Durham ................................................ .Map and Report 10. Prince Edward ........................................ Map and Report II. Essex.. ...................................................... Map and Report Soil Erosion and Land Use Survey, Hope Township Project Area.. ............ Map and Report In addition to the above the following Counties have been surveyed: Oxford Peel Wentworth Du$erin Halton Northumberland York Perth Peterborough Huron Brant Simcoe Waterloo Wellington Lincoln Dundas Grey Russell Bruce Stormont ONTARIO SOIL SURVEY COMMITTEE ONTARIO AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE DR. W. R. REEK PI~OFESSOR G. N. RUHNKE PROFESSOR I?. F. MORWICK DR. F. A. STINSON DOMINION DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE DR. E. S. ARCHIBALD DR. E. S. HOPKINS DR. A. LEAHEY DR. P. 0. RIPLEY MR. L. E. WRIGHT MR. P. C. STOBBE MR. N. R. RICHARDS The Dominion Department of Mines and Etesources, Surveys and 13ngineering Branch, Hydrographic and Map Service, suppIietl the base maps. The final copy of the Soil Map for lithographing was prepared by the (:artographic Section of the Division of Field Husbandry, Soils ant1 Agri- cult urd I;lngineering, C’entral Experimental Fitrm, Ottawa. Helpful suggestions pertaining to classification zind cw- relation, and assistance in critically revie\ving t)he manuscript came from I)r. I’. 0. Ripley, Dr. A. Leahey, Mr. I’. C. Stobbe, Dominion Department of Agriculture and others. The ztssistttnce of Mr. M. C. McPllail and Mr. W. B. (George iii arranging accommodation for the survey party at the 1Gxnptville Agricultural School is gratefully acknowledged. TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE Drairuge 11 Stoniness;. 13 Ij;rosion . 15 Problem Areas... 17 Part I. (GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF AREA . ..,.. ..,.. 18 Location and Area . 18 County Seat and Principal Towns 18 Population and Racial Origin.. 19 Transportation and Markets... ,,.. ,... 20 Part 11. E'A~TORS AFFEXTING THE FORMATION OF GHENVILLE C:OT'NTY SoILs ._ 21 Soil Parent Materials. 21 Satural Forest Vegetation. 23 Climate. _, 25 Relief , 28 Drainage.. _. ..I . 29 Age.. ,..... 29 Erosion, . 29 I%i*t III. THx C~Asswrc4TIoN AND DESCRIPTION OF GRENVILLE; COT-NTY SOILS. .,.. .,. 31 Syst’em of Classification .*. 38 Differentiation According to Soil Materials and Drainage . 38 Grenville loam... 41 Grenville loam, bouldery phase . 42 Grenville loam, shallow phase.. .(r’ ,.. 43 Grenville sandy loam I 43 Grenville sandy loam, shallow phase . 45 Matilda loam . ..t.... 45 Matilda loam, bouldery phase 46 Matilda loam, shallow phase . 46 Lyons loam . 46 Lyons loam, shallow phase 48 Wolford clay loam.. 48 Kars gravelly sandy loam 50 TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont’d) Part 111. THE CLASSIFICATION AND DESCRIPTION OF GRENVILLE COT:NT~ SOILS (Conl'd) PAGE lTplands sand ,.. 52 I’pla,nds sandy loam . 54 Rubicon sand. 55 Rubicon sand, shallow phase 56 Rubicon sandy loam 57 Granby sand.. 59 Granby sandy loam 57 Carp clay loam 59 North Gower clay loam 62 Korth Gower clay loam, shallow phase 64 Osgoode loam Osgoode silt loam ,_ Manotick sandy loam. _. Allendale sandy loam Allendale sandy loam, shallow phase. 72 Farmington 72 Muck ., .,... ,,.,,., _... ,._........ 74 Peat.. 75 Bottom Land ,_.. ,., ., ,. ,. 75 Rock. ., ,.. .,..., _,. ., _,.. ._. .,. 75 Part IV. AGRICULTURE AND LAND USE. ................. 76 Early Settlement and Agricultural Development ............ 76 Present Agriculture .............. ...... ......... 77 Utilization and Management of Grenville County Soils ......... 81 Good Crop Land ...... ........... ................ 89 Good to Fair Crop Land. ..... ...... .................... 90 Fair Crop Land., ...... ....... ...................... ......... 91 Fair to Poor Crop Land .... .... ... ................................. 92 Poor Crop Land.. ......... ........... ......................... 93 Submarginal Crop Land ..... ........ ............. ....... 94 Part V. ANALYTICAL DATA ,,,. ._ . 95 MAP - Soil Map of Grenville County.. in pocket back of report. TABLES SO. PAGE 1. Drainage of Grenville County Soils ., 13 2. Stoniness of Grenville County Soils 15 3. Erosion of Grenville County Soils 16 4. Acreages of Problem Areas in Grenville County 17 5. Weather Records at Kemptville. ., 26 6. Mean Monthly Temperature for Kemptville and Other Selected Points. _. 27 7. Mean Monthly Precipitation for Kemptville and Other Selected Points.. .,. 27 8. Present Land Use .._ 78 9. Present Use of Improved Land.. 79 10. Acreage of Field Crops .. .. 11. Present Use of Unimproved Land. 12. Type of Farm in Grenville County (1940). 13. Acreages of Light Textured Soils...... 14. Acreages of Medium Textured Soils 15. Acreages of Heavy Textured Soils 16. Acreages of Shallow Soils Underlain by Bedrock. 17. Acreages of Organic Soils .. 18. Crop Adaptability Ratings for Good Crop Land ............. .............. 89 19. Acreages of Good Crop Land ......... ..... ........................ ..... 89 20. Crop Adaptability Ratings for Good to Fair Crop Land.. ................... 90 21. Acreages of Good to Fair Crop Land .................................................. 90 22. Crop Adaptability Ratings for Fair Crop Land. .................................... 91 23. Acreages of Fair Crop Land ............... ......... ................... ..... 91 24. Crop Adaptability Ratings for Fair to Poor Crop Land ...................... 92 25. Acreages of Fair to Poor Crop Land.. ................................................. 92 26. Crop Adaptability Ratings for Poor Crop Land ... ................... .......... 93 27. Acreages of Poor Crop Land.. ............................ .................. ............ 93 28. Adaptability Ratings for Submarginal Crop Land .................................. 94 29. Acreages of Submarginal Crop Land... _,. 94 30. Chemical and Physical Composition of Samples of Surface Soil from Grenville County... .. 100 31. Base Exchange Capacity and Per Cent Saturation of Surface Samples from Grenville County.. .._.... 102 ILLLJSTRATIONS FIGURE PAGE 1. Outline IMap of Ontario Showing Location of Grenville County and Other 14reas for which Soil Maps have been Published 9 2. Outline Map Showing Drainage Classes 13 3. (JIltline Map Showing Distribution of Stoniness Groups 15 4. Outline Map Showing Distribution of Erosion Classes 16 5. Outline Map Showing Distribution of Problem Areas 17 6. Outline Map of Grenville County Showing Townships and Principal Centres . 19 7. Outline Map Showing Distribution of Soil Parent Materials ,, 23 8. Outline Map Showing the Main Forest Associations.. 25 9. Diagrammatic Representation of Base Exchange Reactions _. 97 FlG. I-Orctlinc map qf Ontario showing the location oj G’ren~,illc County and other artws.for which soil mops hum bcwn prtblished. Soil Survey of Grenville County, Ontario Pt. R. RICHAHDS, R. C. IMATTHEWS and F. F. MOI~WICK* SUMMARY The Soil Survey of Grenville County was conducted during the summer of 1945 as a co-operative project between the Soils Department, Ontario Agri- cultural College, Guelph and the Division of Field Husbandry, Soils and Agricultural Engineering, Experimental Farms Service, Ottawa. The project consists of two parts, the preparation of the Soil Map and t,he Soil Survey Report. The Soil A4ap shows the distribution and area of the different soils found in the County. Through the lot numbers and concession lines t#he property owner can plot his location on the map. The Soil Kepori contains information as to the formation, character, capabilities and limitat,ions of the soils in the County. The survey was conducted on t)he scale of one inch to one mile. Consequently the scale of mapping would not permit t,ht: delineat,ion of areas of twenty-five acres and less in size. To establish an inventory of the land resources of an area it is first neces- sary to have a sound and basic knowledge of t!he quantity and quality of the soils. The soils of Grenville County have been classified and mapped accord- ing to differences in texture, drainage, t,opography, st!oniness, chemical and physical characteristics, etc. As a result of land clearing and the use of land for agricultural purposes the natural balance between the soils and the original forest cover has been disturbed. The various soils mapped in Grenville (‘ounty may be associated with different problems of use and management). To assist in t)he interpre- tation of the Soil SurvGy some of those problems or hazards tqre discussed, and outline maps showing t,he distribution of drainage classes, stoniness classes and eroded areas art: present,ed. Drainage In the production of most