dominion land simcoe survey

SOILSURVEY
OF DURHA COUNTY
BY
K.. R. WEBBER and F. F. MDRWICK
ONTARIO
AGRICULTURAL
COLLEGE
AND
N. R. RICHARDS
EXPERtMENTAl
FARMS
SERVICE
GUELPH,ONTARIO
DECEMBER
I946
REPORTNo. 9 OF THE ONTARIOSOIL SURVEY
EXPERIMENTAL
FARMS SERVICE, DOMINION DEPARTMENT OF
AGRICULTURE AND THE ONTARIO AGRICULTURAL
COLLEGE
PREFACE
The soils of Durham County were surveyed during the
During the same season a detailed Soil
summer of lQ@.
Erosion and Land Use Survey was made of part of Hope
Township, which is in the eastern part of the County. This
has been published as a separate report.
Other counties and districts
are as .follows:
2.
Norfolk..
Elgin
3.
Kent.
1.
surveyed and maps published
.Map only
.
Map only
Map only
. .
Map only
4. Haldimand..
5.
Wellund..
6.
Middlesex.
7. Carleton..
8.
Parts
Map only
_.
_. .
.
of Northwestern
.
Map only
.Map and Report
Ontario... . ...Map and Report
In addition to the above, the following counties have been
surveyed and maps have been prepared for the respective county
o@es of the Ontario Department of Agriculture:
Essex
Oxford
Wentworth
Halton
York
Peterborough
Prince Edward
Brant
Waterloo
Lincoln
Peel
Du$erin
Northumberland
Grenville
ONTARIO
SOIL SURVEY COMMITTEE
ONTARIO
AGRICULTURAL
COLLEGE
DR. G. I. CHRISTIE
PROF. G. N. RUHNKE
PROF. F. F. MORWICK
MR. L. R. WEBBER
MR. A. L. WILLIS
DOMINION
DEPARTMENT
OF AGRICULTURE
DR. E. S. ARCHIBALD
DR. E. S. HOPKINS
DR. A. LEAHEY
MR. P. C. STOBBE
MR. L. E. WRIGHT
MR. N. R. RICHARDS
A4CKNOWLEDGMENTS
The Dominion
Department
of Mines and Resources,
Surveys and Engineering Branch, Hydrographic
and Map
Service supplied the base maps and supervised the drawing
of the final copy of the map for lithographing.
The physical
and chemical
analyses were done by Mr.
A. 1,. Willis.
Mr. C. ,4. Nichol assisted with the field work; Mr. P. C.
St)obbe and Dr. P. 0. Ripley critically reviewed the manuscript; and Miss G. V. Palmer assisted in proof-reading both
t’he map and report.
Helpful suggestions throughout
the course of this work
regarding classification and correlation of the soils and their
use have come from the following and others: Mr. P. C.
Stobbe and Dr. A. Leahey of the Dominion Department of
Agriculture,
Mr. G. A. Hills now with the Ontario Department of Lands and Forests, Mr. L. J. Chapman, Ontario
Research Foundation, Dr. D. F. Putnam of the Department
of Geography,
University
of Toronto
and Mr. E. A.
Summers, Agricultural
Representative
for Durham County.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
PAGE
Part I.
Location
County
and Area..
..
. .. .. .. . .
Towns . . . . . .
9
. ... . . ...
and Markets.. , .
FACTORS AFFECTING
THE FORMATION
_.
10
_.
10
.....
12
OF THE DURHAM
. .............
SOILS .......................
.........
The Geological Materials from which Durham County
........ ......
Soils Have Been Formed ......................
Relief. .................................
Natural
Part III.
THE
CLASSIFICATION
15
..
18
_,
..............
...... ........ ........... ... ...
AND DESCRIPTION
SOILS ...................
12
.... .... ...... ....... ............
Vegetation ..................
Climate .......................
9
9
... ...
and Racial Origin.. . . . .
Transportation
COUNTY
.
.
Seat and Principal
Population
Part II.
OF AREA . . . .. .
DESCRIPTION
GENERAL
19
OF DURHAM
COUNTY
23
......................................................................
..............
The Soil Profile ...........................................................
24
Profile Variations ................................................................
24
Podsolic .......................
Regional Soil Profile-Grey-Brown
23
Soil Series, Types and Phases ...............................................
26
Key to the Classification
27
of Soils and Acreages of Soil Types.
BONDHEAD
Series ........
.... .............................
OTONABEE
Series.. ...............
........
DUNDONALD
Series.. ........................
DARLINGTON
Series ...............
GUERIN
LYoNs Series...
PONTYPOOL
TECUMSETH
GRANBY
_.
Series.. .. .
Series.. . . ..
Series.. . , . ..
...............
31
........
32
._..
.
_. _. .. ._ ._.
... .
... ..
.... .
. ... ..
.._._.
34
..
35
,
.
36
._ .. .. , __..._..
38
... . ..... _. ._. .
40
..
Series.. . . .
BRIGHTON
30
.............
_,
28
.......................
.. .. .. ... .
Series.. . .
....... .
. ..
_. . .. .
41
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
(Cont’d)
PAGE
Part III.
THE
CLASSIFICATION
AND DESCRIPTION
OF DURHAM
COUNTY
Soms- (Continued)
42
Series . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . . .. . .. .. . . . . .. . .. . . . .. . . . . .. .. . . .. . ..f.......
NEWCASTLE
SCHOMBERG Series.. . . . . ................... ... ..... ... ........ ... ...... .........
44
PERCY Series ........... ........ ........ ...... ............. .......... . ......... ... ...
45
Series.. . . . . ..,,.. ........... ........ ........ ... ...... ... ...... .....
46
SMITHFIELD
Sand. .,..
BRIDGMAN
Land..
BOTTOM
.... .. ........ ... ... .... .. .. .. .....
48
.. ..... ... ... .... ... ...... .... ........ ... ......... ...
MUCK . . . . . .. .. . . . . .. . .. . . . .. . . . . .. .. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . .. . .. . . . .. . . . . .. .. . . . . . . .. . .. . . . .. .
..
MARSH.
Part IV.
AGRICULTURE
AND
LAND
Earls- Settlement
and Agricultural
50
. . ,...... .. . . . . .. . . . .. . .. . .. . . . . .. .. . .. . . . .
51
Light
of Durham
Textured
Intermediat’e
Part V.
!iNALYTICAL
Textured
SOIL SURVEY
MAP-Soil
Map of Durham
..... ... ... ..... ... ... ..... ..
52
.
54
.
54
Soils.
and Product,ivit,y
Count\F.
.....
.
.
56
..
. ..
..
. .
Ratings for Durham
.
,....
MW~HODS
.
t..
Soils ,, .,,
Soils..
1),4T:i.
APPENDIX.
51
Soils. ..
Heavy Textured
Crop ,iidaptabilities
County Soils
County
..
Development..
Present Agriculture.
Management
49
..
.. . . . . .. . . .. . .. .. . . .. . . . .. . .. .. . .. . .. . .. . . . .. . .
USE... __.
47
._.........
58
59
63
.. ..
. ..
65
in pocket at back of report
Ta4BLES
so.
PAGE
Populatjion
2.
Slope Groups in Relat,ion t,o Topography..
3.
Mean Monthly
Temperatures
for Several Selected Points.... ._.___
4.
Mean Monthly
Precipit,ation
in Inches for Several Selected Points....
5.
Port Darlington
6.
Comparat’ive
7.
Present Land Use (1941 Census) ...........................................................
53
8.
Acreages of Principal
53
0.
Soil Rating
10.
of Durham
10
1.
County..
Exports
._.
.. .
16
.
21
............................
.............
Vnluc of Farm Products in Durham
Crops (1945 Statistics
51
52
County .................
Publication)
21
...................
for General Farm Crops .....................................................
62
Chemical and Physical Analyses of Samples of Surface Soils from
IIurham County.. ..................... Y.........................................................
66
ILLUSTRATIONS
FIGIJRE
1.
2.
3.
PAGE
Outline map of Ontario showing the location of Durham County
other areas for which soil maps have been published.
Outline map of Durham Count,y
Villages, and Railways
Olltline map of Durham
sions..
.
....
County
.t.
Outline
(lount)y
c
n.
Outline map of Durham
Courses . . ..
ti.
7.
Y
L.
9.
map of Durham
showing
showing
..
showing
(kmty
Outline map of I)urham
(‘olmt~
Cond&ions of t’he soils
.
the location
.
the Topographic
showing
the
.
Natural
the Natural
Outline map of Southern Ontario showing the location
representative weather st)ations .. ... ... .
8
of Towns,
_. _. .
the Physiographic
. .
showing
.
and
9
Divi.
13
Regions
15
Stream
.
‘I ri
Drainage
I7
of several
. . . .. .
19
Chart showing the Mean XIonthly Temperatures and Precipitation
., ,..
at Orono, Ontario (I 5 year period) ,,,,,. ,_
.,.
20
vertical cross-section of a well-drained
,4 tliagrammatic
showing the naming of horizons . ... ...
23
natural
.. .
soil
FIG.
L-Outline
County
and
other
map
of
areas
(Z-6 map
Ontario
fOF
only;
showing
which
7-9
soil
map
location
of Durham
have
been published.
report.)
the
maps
and
PART I
GENERAL
Location
DESCRIPTION
OF AREA
and Area
Durham County is located in central Ontario on the north shore of Lake
Ontario. Adjoining counties include, Victoria on t>he north, Peterborough and
Northumberland
on the east and Ontario on the west. The town of Port
Hope situated in the southeast corner is 53 miles from Toronto, 242 miles
from Ottawa and 286 miles from Montreal.
The area of the county is approximately
402,560 acres (1941 Census of
Canada), with about 371,000 acres of assessed land. The difference in acreage
is accounted for by road allowances, bodies of water and areas of marsh.
County
Seat and,Principal
Towns
Some time after the original land surveys were made, Durham and Northumberland were unitled for the purposes of municipal government.
The two
counties are served by one county council which meets in Cobourg in Northrepresentative for Durham
umberland County. The ofice of the agricultural
is located in Rowmanville.
The location and population of the principal towns and villages are shown
in Figure 2.
OS1
FIG.
f-outline
map
of
towns,
Durham
villages
l
i-i.
County
showing
and railways.
the
location
of
Population
and Racial
Origin
The 1941 census figures give the population
of
the county as 25,215
persons, of whom 14,554 or 57.3 per cent are classed as rural residents. Except
for less t)han 500 people, largely of French, German, Polish and Ukrainian
origin, British are, by far, the dominant racial class.
The populat,ion of Durham County reached a peak of 39,115 in 1861
according to the Dominion Census of that year, Table 1. From that time
until 1921 there was a marked decline but the increase from 1921 to 1941 has
been relatively small. The present population of five townships Cartwright,
Cavan, Clarke, Hope and Manvers is less than half the 1861 figure. Generally,
the sharp decline in population around the turn of the century is associated
with t,he depletion of the lumbering resources and the short period that the
lighter soils could support a sust,aining type of agricult~ure.
TABLE
POPULATION
1851
OF DURHAM
1861
1871
I<IJRAL..... . .
. . . 28,256 31,203
Cartwrigh t
1,756 2,727
Cavan..
: 4,438
4,901
Clarke...
6,190
6,575
Darlington . . . . . . 8,005
6,912
Hope.. ..
.. . . 5,299
5,883
Manvers
2,568
4,205
IJRBAN...
2,476
7,912
Bowmanville
‘1
Port Hope ..
Millhook.....
Newcastle
Y_:.. 1
ToTAI,
.,
30,732 39,115
28,123
2,514
4,761
5,728
5,931
5,075
4,114
0,257
3,034
5,114
I
COUNTY
1881
1891
(CENSUS
1901
1911
DATA)
1921
1931
1941
24,968 22,250 19,089 17,057 15,664 15,656 14,554
1,273
2,357
2,02G 1,768
1,584
1,399
1,395
3,479
3,106
2,729
2,188
2,106
1;844
2,499
.5,16!) 4,427
3.375
3,039
2,974
2,814
3,788
5,465
4,757
4,174
3,682
3,780
3,915
4,159
3,115
2,754
4,522
3,887
3,273
2,776
2,494
1,970
3,976
4,047
3,3*57 2,002
2,504
2,490
11,297 10,177
!I,354
8,965 10,126 10,661
8,481
2,731
3,504
3.377
2,814
3,233
4,080
4,113
5,585
5,042
5,092
4,456
4,723
4,188
5,055
917
971
1,148
793
717
663
1,100
1,060
787
645
655
550
660
;z
37,380 36,265 32,427 27,570 26,411 24,629 25,782 25,215
‘l‘he 1941 Census records the population
of Durham County as 25,215
persons with 10,661 or 42.2 per cent living in ISowmanville, Port Hope, Millbrook and Newcastle.
The remaining 57.8 per cent of the population represents farm folk and those living in small communit,y centres. Undoubtedly
a
large percentage of the rural populat,ion are actively engaged in agriculture
whether they liI,e on farms or in the unincorporated
villages.
Transportation
and
Markets
The agricultural
communities in the county are well provided with good
transport8ation facilit,ies in highways and railroads.
The Toronto-Montreal
lines of the C.N.R. and C.P.R. pass through t’he county along the lake shore
while the Toronto-Ottawa
C.P.R. line is located in the northern townships.
The Port Hope-Peterborough
line of t,he C.N.R. connects several smaller
communities along the eastern boundary.
Provincial highway number 2 closely parallels t!he main railway lines in
the soutJh and is joined by ot’her highways or count,y roads serving the remainder
of the county. Principal roads through the central and northern areas include
the Bowmanville-Caesarea,
Newcastle-Lindsay,
Port Hope-Peterborough
and
7A is confined t(o the northerly
Port, Hope-Millbrook
systems. Highway
townships.
10
I’ort) Hope and Bowmanville
are the principal industrial
towns of the
county.
Many Durham County residents are employed in Oshawa in the
automobile industry.
Slightly more than half the residents are classed as
rural dwellers mostly engaged in agriculture.
As the name implies, Port Hope was once a large and busy lake port
through which passed lumber and farm produce from several nearby counties.
The present industries include the manufact,ure of chemicals and plumbing
the rubber industry
equipment ancl the refining of radium. In Bowmanville,
employs a large number of residents as do several smaller enterprises.
In
days gone by, the town was a great milling ccntrc and supported important
wood-working
shops.
PART II
FACTORS AFFECTING THE FORMATION
DURHAM COUNTY SOILS
OF
The soil occupies a layer on the surface of the earth varying in depth from
less than an inch to several feet. Soil is a natural body and the medium in
which plants grow. It is a mixture of minerals, water, air and organic matter
These four constituents
exist in a soil
which occur in varying proportions.
in a finely divided and int,imately mixed condit)ion.
The factors which are
largely responsible for the occurrence, composition and mixture of the constituents, include the geological materials as a source of soil-forming materials.
In addition the differences among soils and their ability to support the growth
of many plants are attributed
to landscape relief, climat)ic conditions and the
natural vegetation.
The length of time a soil has been in the process of formation will account for certain differences as well as the use or misuse of land
by man.
THE
GEOLOGICAL
MATERIALS
COUNTY
SOILS
ARE
FROiM
WHICH
FORMED
DURHAM
The first step in the development of soil is the formation of parent material
largely from the disintegration
and weathering of rocks. Parent material may
be shallow or deep. It may consist of coarse rock fragments alone or mixed
w&h finer materials; it may consist of single grain minerals high in silica as in
coarse sands; or it may consist of very fine clays and silts. The parent material
may be relatively
uniform in chemical composition or may be particularly
lraried. Some materials are weathered more easily to form soils than are other
materials.
The parent materials of Durham County soils may be grouped into three
main classes according to the influence of their chemical composition on soil
development:
(a) Calcareous materials rich in lime as are found in limestone,
etc. ; (b) c‘3’1’
I lceous materials originating from granite, etc.; (c) Argillaceous or
calayey materials derived from shales, etc. The physiographic
divisions of
surface materials in the county are based largely on land form and characteristics of the parent materials.
South-central
Ont,ario was I\-it,hin the area covered by the glacier in the
Pleistocene period. The late Wisconsin drift resulted from the glacial act,ion
on the Trenton and Black River limestone series and some Precambrian
material.
In the south-west corner of t$he county appreciable amounts of
Titica shale were deposited. The drift iy relatively deep over the bedrock of
limestone.
Exposures of bedrock occur in the bed of the Ganuraska River
near Port Hope and in some stream beds near Bowmanville.
The continental glacier advanced from a north-easterly
direction.
As the
great sheet of ice retreatbed by melting, the margins assumed lobate forms.
The juncture of two lobes extended east and west across the middle of the
count)y. The sandy and gravelly mat,erials were deposited by the water flowing through the outlet formed by the two lobes. Local bodies of water were
formed by obstructing
masses of ice. The recession of the ice mantle continued in the two-lobe formation and laid down the t,ill in various formations
12
,
or hemmed in meltwater that deposited lacustrine
into these glacial lakes formed deltas of stratified
materials. Streams flowing
sand and gravel.
The physiographic divisions of Durham County may be outlined
limestone till plains.
1. Drumlinized
2. Smooth limestone till plains.
3. Plains of fine-textured
water-laid sediments.
4. Smooth sandy plains.
5. Sandy and gravelly ridges.
FIG.
1.
3-Outline
Drumlinized
map
of Durham
Limestone
County
Till
showing
the
Physiographic
as follows:
Divisions.
Plains
The drumlinized
plains occupy the largest area of any physiographic
The areas immediately
north and south of the
division in Durham County.
central belt of gravel and sand ridges are well drumlinized.
Drutilins are wellformed oval hills, a mile or less in length, a third or quarter mile in width and
ranging up to a hundred or more feet in height. Their longest axis is roughly
parallel to a north-east and south-west line. These distinctive oval hills were
formed during the time of glaciation.
The materials within a drumlin are commonly referred to as till or boulder
clay. The till is composed of limestone from the Trenton and Black River
series with varying amounts of Precambrian
rocks. Boulders and stones,
some of which are a foot in diameter and of limestone or granite origin, are
13
associated with a loamy matrix and numerous small rounded stones. The
pressure created by the ice has compacted these stones and finer materials to
such an extent that soil water moves freely but a droughty condition is not
common.
Some variation
in the composition
and condition of the till is found
throughout the area. Gravelly depositIs are often located at one end of the drumlins. In other places there are fewer large boulders and stones and the till is
more compact and slightly heavier. The occurrence of Precambrian materials
on the surface is also variable. The depth of the till over the bedrock is generally
quite deep.
2.
Smooth
Limestone
Till
Plains
The smooth undulating
limestone till plains are found in the extreme
southern part of the county. In general this physiographic
division is located
south of the old gravelly beaches marking the borders of glacial Lake Iroquois.
In this position the limestone materials have undergone some reworking b3
the action of water at the time Lake Iroquois was in existence.
The composition of the till is dominated by the limestone content despite
the occurrence of some of the dark greyish Utica shale. The till contains
fewer large stones and boulders than is characteristic of the drumlinized plains.
The matrix is generally heavier as it consists of more silt and clay from the
weathering of the shale and small depositions of water-laid materials.
The
occurrence of Precambrian rocks is not as noticeable as in the limestone till
soils to the north. The depth of the till is shallower over most of the area but
bedrock is rarely exposed. Frequent’ly the till is underlain by heavy compact
lacustrine deposits as found in exposures along the lake shore.
3.
Plains
of Fine
Textured
Water-Laid
Sediments
Water-laid
sediments or lacustrine deposits are characterized
by fine
textured materials like silts and clays and typically stone free except for some
gritty material. In many lacustrine deposits alternate layers of dark and light
silts and clays are common. These varves are destroyed by the weathering
processes but are found intact in the unweathered parent material.
The parent materials in the lacustrine deposits are relatively high in lime
and are often referred to as ground limestone flour. These materials were carried
in by water moving slowly and having much silt and clay in suspension or
finely dispersed. In most areas especially in the southern parts, the text’ure of
the surface soil is lighter than the parent material.
4.
Smooth
Sandy
Plains
The smooth sandy plains include well-sorted deltaic and outwash deposits
as well as low gravelly beaches. The deltaic plains occupy a considerable area
around Osaca where the sandy materials were carried into bodies of water and
allowed to settle out. The relief is typically
nearly level but subsequent
water erosion has dissected the area by numerous gullies and channels. The
shoreline of glacial Lake Iroquois is prominently
defined in some areas by
gravel beaches.
The lime content of the material of the sandy plains is relatively
high
despite the siliceous nature of the sand particles. The texture of the parent
14
mut,erial is rather coarse, grading in size from small
to coarse and fine sands and a small percentage of
of the sandy materials is variable; in some places the
uniform while elsewhere compact till or lacustrine
feet of the surface.
e5 .
Sandy
and
Gravelly
cobbles
silt and
material
deposits
and gravel stones
clay. The depth
is quite deep and
are within a fen
Ridges
The sandy and gravelly ridges are occasionally
referred to as fluvioglacial or interlobate deposits of unassorted gravel, sand and till. This group
occupies a broad area in the central region with an area northward
neal
IMhany.
In many cases these ridges represent the height of land with the
streams flowing north or sout’h depending on which side of the ridge the)
originate.
This physiographic
division is characterized by light soil materials high
in lime. The texture of the materials is quite variable ranging from limestone
and igneous boulders to fine sands and silts. The inclusion of small till deposits
is recognized. The area is marked by a strongly rolling to hilly topography
and numerous glacial pot holes which have no other drainage than clown
The materials are relatively deep and lack unithrough the soil materials.
formity in the size of particles throughout their depth.
EEI
LEVEL 10 NEARLY LEVEL
m
UNDULATING
cl
UNMJCATING TO ROLLING
Ezl
ROLLING
ROLLING
ggraphic
TO tULLY
regions.
Relief
The elevation of the land in Durham County is given on the topographical
sheets published 1,~ the Department
of National Defence. There are three
15
nat,ural separations for describing the altitudes.
From Lake Ontario northward to the fluvio-glacial
deposits, t,he elevation ranges from 245 feet to
approximat,ely
1,000 feet above sea-level. The fluvio-glacial
area represents
the height of land in t’he count/y.
Elevations in this section reach 1,200 feet,
From here the land slopes toward Lake Scugog whose elevation is 820 feet
above sea-level.
One of the more important
factors related to soil formation
and soil
management is the t!opography or relief of the land. The degree of slope
influences drainage, run-off of surface water and erosion while in actual farming the slope often restricts the use of certain farm machinery.
In Table 2
the t’opography classes are expressed as slope groups.
TABLE
SLOPE
SLOPE GROUP
GROUPS
,
IN RELATION
PER CENT SLOPE
2
TO TOPOGRAPHY
1
o-374
S--870
t
(-’
D
E
F
FIG.
8-15y~
15-25%
25-35 (2
35’jl, and over
5-OutZine
map
of Durham
stream
County
courses.
16
TOPOGRAPHIC TERM
level to nearly
undulating
rolling
hilly
very hilly
steep
showing
the
natural
level
Rolling and very hilly topography is found in the broad central area of
short. Small
light textured soils. The slopes are frequent and comparatively
depressions are characteristic
of the relief. The areas where drumlins occur
are considered to be strongly undulating to rolling. In some areas particularly
\vhere the Otonabee type is mapped the topography may be hilly. The slopes
of the drumlins are long and gentle occurring less frequently than in the hillier
soils.
With the height of land across the middle of the county, the drainage
flowing streams
system is naturally
divided into two parts. The northerly
(Figure 51, drain into the Trent system. East)cross Creek and two branches
of t)he Pigeon River are slow sluggish streams with Gde courses of marsh,
muck and swamp. The channels change very little and stream erosion is not
a serious problem. The four creeks flowing eastward are less sluggish with
smaller areas of adjoining w&land. Those streams emptying into Lake Ontario
differ in several respects from t,he northern syst,em. With a greater drop to
an outlet the southern creeks and rivers flow relatively fast. The usual adjacent
flooded land is missing; the stream courses are deeper and erosion is severe.
The friable till and lacustrine materials are rapidly cut into, leaving deep gullies
with barren slopes. Several large ravines appear at the outlets of the smaller
streams.
gj
EXCESSIVE
El
GOOD
El
FAIR
H
POOR
VERY
POOR
Natural
Vegetation
In Southern Ontario most of the original forest cover has been removed,
lealving only occasional woodlots that, can be used in reconstructing
a picture
The occurrence of pine stumps in stump fences
of the original vegetation.
give evidence of t)he occurrence of large pines in the former forest on the
sandy soils.
Halliday*
includes Durham County in the Huron-Ontario
section of the
Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Forest Region. The prevailing association is composed of broad-leaved trees, particularly
sugar maple and beech. Basswood,
white elm, birch, white ash and several oaks occur in the association as well
as a scattered distribution
of hemlock, white pine, hickory, ironwood, butternut
and black cherry.
The common forest association in Durham, County comprises the sugar
hardwood trees are generally assomaple and beech. These broad-leaved,
ciated wit,h the till soils of the drumlinized
and smooth limestone plains.
(Figure 3.) This variety of soils is characterized
by good drainage, medium
texture and adequate amounts of lime. Local differences in drainage, particularly poorly drained soils, can be spotted by the presence of white cedar,
species of elm, tamarack, alders and willows.
The broad-leaved association
includes ironwood, basswood, white spruce and white pine. There is a great
vatiet,y of shrubs, including
choke cherries and species of hawthorn.
The
concentration of buckthorn in the vicinity of Nestleton is quite noticeable.
The soils on the sandy and gravelly ridges are droughty and the topography is hilly and steep. The principal tree growth on these soils is composed
of red and white pine, red oak, hickory and white birch. Cut-over and burnedover areas have a large proportion of pines and poplars. Many cleared and
cultivated areas have been planted with pine.
The heavy and intermediate textured soils, largely of water-laid sediments
are cleared of t’heir forest cover. There are indications that hardwoods and
some pine once grew on these soils.
The folio\\-ing quotation from the Townships of Darlington
and Clarke
by ,John Squair is included at this time, since it gives a broad picture of forest
conditions and of the lumbering business during the last century:
“On the best clay loam soils itI was essentially a beech and maple forest
. . . wit>h some admixture of other deciduous lvoods and some white pine and
hemlock. On the lighter sandy soils there was often a fine growth of hardwood
with a larger mixt)ure, however, of pine and hemlock than on the heavy
land. . . . On both higher and lower land there was some oak but that valuable
kind of wood was found in greater abundance on the ridges to the north.
LL,4searly as 1830 anxiety was expressed over the rapid disappearance of
woodlot,s. Pinch was in particular demand for tghe steamboats plying between
Toronto and Quebec. From 1841 to 1842, 1,002 masts and 900 immense
sticks of squared oak and pint \vcrc sllpplietl to the English shipyards. From
185(j on, Nt~~~castlc I\~;ISthy c*hicf ( : .‘l‘. I<. I\-ood tl(lpot on the Montreal-Toronto
rrln; bccc*h and mal)lc \YPI*Ot ho chichf’ types of \\.ood. Perhaps 1880 might8 1~
taken as the date of the end of the WINCES\-oocl trade at Newcastle.”
*
A
Forest
Classification
for Canada
by IV. E. D. Hallida,v.
18
Climate
The climate of Southern Ontario is usually stated to be of the modified
humid continental
type*. The variations in climate are generally attributed
t>o t,he presence of frequent storm paths across t’he area and the modifying
effect of the Great Lakes. Physiographic
features tend t,o effect climatic variations through the modification
of wind and changing temperatures.
The climate of Durham County is relatively cool and humid. The location
with respect to Lake Ontario tends to make the climate somewhat warmer
than areas lying in Eastern Ontario or immediately
north. The mean annual
temperature is 42” to 44” F. The average annual precipitation
ranges from 26.5
to 33 inches with about half the amount, falling in the growing season.
The
frost free period ranges from 120 to 140 days with a growing season of 188
to 195 days.
The only meteorological station within the county is a station at Orono,
providing 15 years of records. Figure 7 shows the location of several other
stations whose records are included here. The data from the other stations
will give a general picture of the climate of the region. The Simcoe station is
included, since it lies in an extensive and older tobacco growing region.
The mean annual temperature at Orono over a period of I5 years has
averaged 43.7” which is not greatly different from the -13.4” at Peterborough
mcl only slightly
lower than an average of 44.1’ for Bellevillc.
The mean
* The Climate of Southern Ontario by Putnam,
Agriculture.
Volume 18, No. 8, April 1938.
19
D. IT. and Chapman,
L. J.
Scientific
annual at Uxbridge, northwest of Orono in Ontario County and located on
slightly higher land, was a little lower. The 2” higher mean for Toronto may
be due in a large part to the station’s proximity to Lake Ontario. The differences as compared with the more distant stations are attributed to geographical
locations north or south of Orono. See Table 3.
An average wint’er temperature
for December, January and February
is about 21: as compared \vith a mean of 14” at Ottawa or 21” at Guelph.
.January and February are the coldest months with February having a slightly
lower average over the 15 years. The spring mean temperature of 40” at Orono
is about the same as at Guelph and Ottawa. The mean temperature at Simcoe
65
V
P
m
c)
e
65
IL’
V
.
w
4.0 r,
P
-I
45
0
a
3.0 2
3
t
35
4
2.0 :
T
m
v)
1.0 -
a
W
h
25
I
W
c
15
JfMAMJJASONN
FIG.
(I-Chart
*
showing
the
mean
Orono,
Ont.
monthly
(IS-year
temperature
and
precipitation
at
period).
for the same period is 43”. A summer average of around 66’ is common to much
of Southern Ontario except’ in the more southerly count8ies where slightly
higher averages arc recorded. The mean fall temI,eratures
at) Guelph and
Orono arc arolmd 47” \\-hilt at8 Simcboc t>hc a\‘c’rage is slightly higher at, 50”.
Most of I>urhnm (:ollnty
lies \vithin t#\vo c~lim:~tic regions --- SimcoeKa\vsrtha l,akes and thcl SolIt 11 Slopes as definrhtl 1)s l’utnam and (Ihal)man.
‘1’1~~gro\\.ing season in t ho SirncIo~~-Ii:~\~:lr,tlt:l region r:lngcs 1’ro11~ 188 t 0 19.5
clays \vhich is abollt fi\rc tl:l,s sllort (‘1’ t haI1 t hc Sollt Ii Slopes. In calclllating
the length of the growing season, a me:Ln of 42” F. \vas cbhosen as the beginning
of the season. For each species and variety of plant there is a temperature
20
c-00
Kid=n&
wr-ww
coccr3
odldodd
WWWW
I
I
.:
:
:
below which growth is not possible. With such cool-season crops as oats, rye,
wheat and barley the minimum is 32” to 41” F. and the optimum 77” to
From the many species and varieties of hay and pasture plants, a
87” F.*
selection or combination
can usually be made that provides ample forage for
various lengths of growing seasons. Winter killing of alfalfa is often associated
with lack of sufficient moisture during the preceding summer and fall by
which the vigor of the plants has been reduced to such an extent that they arc
unable to endure low temperatures.
Apples, sour cherries and American
plums under some conditions usually stand temperatures as low as -30” F.
Heavy losses of fruit trees have occurred at warmer
without severe injury.
temperatures than -30’ F. under various combinations
of humidity,
ground
moisture conditions and sharp freezing. Peaches and apricots are likely t,o
be injured at -15” F.* In Durham County, the fruit growing area is largely
concentrated along the Lake Ontario shore where the extreme low was -30” F.
The lowest temperature recorded in the South Slopes is -39” F. and -42” F.
in t,he Simcoe-Kawartha
region.
The mean annual rainfall at Orono has averaged slightly over 34 inches
for a 15-year period. This figure is somewhat higher than recorded at the
stations at Belleville, Peterborough or Uxbridge.
The rainfall for the growing
period, approximately
May to September, has averaged 13 inches. At Ottawa
where t)he total is nearly identical, the rainfall for the growing season has
averaged slightly under 16 inches. For the same period at Simcoe the figure
is almost, 14 inches. Snowfall varies from 50 t’o slightly over 100 inches for
the whole county with a 15-year average at Orono of 59 inches and nearly
70 inches at Peterborough for 61 years. See Table 3.
In general, the climate of Durham is characterized by moderately cold
winters and warm summers. The temperature ranges do not limit the growing
of most common farm crops like cereal grains, roots, ensilage corn and many
hay and pasture plants. Farmers located in the fruit belt on the lake shore
specialize in apple growing, while near Osaca flue-cured tobacco has developed
in recent years into a successful vent,ure. The distribution
of rainfall is favourable to farming; the frequency of droughts does not reach a critical point in
regularity nor in severity.
* Climate
and Man4J.S.D.A.
Yearbook.
1941.
22
PART
CLASSIFICATION
THE
III
AND DESCRIPTION
DURHAM
COUNTY
OF
SOILS
Soil is a complex body formed by the interaction
of many forces. It has
developed through the operation of climatic agencies on various kinds of
parent mat,erials and modified by such factors as vegetation, relief, drainage
and use. To attempt a classification of soils, the interaction of all forces must
bc capable of being appraised. The effect of a single force is frequently difficult
to ovnluatc but the sum total of several forces is expressed in the soil profile.
If a hole is dug in a well drained soil, one can see a series of horizontal
lagers of soil of varying thickness. (Figure 9.) These layers are called horizons
and differ from one another in such properties as colour, t,exture, structure,
The succession of layers from the
thickness and clarity of demarcation.
sirrface down to and including the parent material is called t,he soil profile.
A
Al
El
1
Organic
/
,
A3
BI
B2
83
LA
The
A light
coloured
maximum leaching.
Transitional
Transitional
decomposed.
organic
Parent
diagrammatic
horizon
horizon,
horizon,
representing
sometimes
absent.
sometimes
absent.
matter
the region
A deeper coloured
horizon
representing
the region
maximum accumule t i on.
Transitional
horizon,
sometimes absent.
Transitio.,al
Cl
9-A
pertially
A dark coloured
horizon
containing
mixed with mineral
matter.
A 2
FIG.
material,
horizon,
material,
only
vertical
cross-section
showing
the naming
partially
slightly
of
weathered
parent
of
of
material.
weathered.
of a well-drained
horizons.
natural
soil,
Soil Profile
For convenience, the soil layers or horizons are grouped under three
headings-A,
B, and C. The A horizon includes the various layers in the upper
llart of the profile where soil forming processes are most active. Under forested
conditions the A, exists in the form of organic materials-leaves
and decaying
wood; the A, is the layer in which the mineral particles are covered with a
(boating of humus which gives the soil a dark colour; the A, horizon has little
23
or no organic coating and present)s a leached appearance and t,he A, in this
region usually has a still lighter and more.greyish appearance. In general the
,4 horizons include that part of the profile from which some materials have
moved downward by leaching.
The B horizons are identified by deeper colours, heavier texture and
Some of t,he materials which have leached out
blocky or angular structure.
of the A horizon have accumulated in the I3 horizon, particularly
the iron
and alumina compounds and some of t>he fine clay. The H, horizon is the
area of maximum accumulation
and the B, and B, arc transitional
horizons.
(See Figure 9.)
The C horizon consists of parent material from which the soil is developed.
The upper part of the C may be slightly influenced by soil-forming processes
but usually the finer differentiations
are not attemptSed.
Profile
Variations
The diagrammatic
profile, Figure 9, represents the normal tJrpe of development associated with forest vegetation and good drainage. The indicat,ed
horizons do not alivays occur in sufficient clarity of demarcation t,hat they
can be ident,ificd and adequaMy
described. Varia-ttions can be at)tributed to
differences in geological parent materials, drainage conditions, relief, texture,
<brosion, vcget)ation, climate and land use. Various combinations of these factors
account for t,he identifiable
differences in profiles. The presence of a deeply
weathered profile on t,he droughty sands having a thin A, and little or no B
horizon largely represent the effects of parent materials, drainage and texture.
On poorly drained soils, the -4, becomes rclati\Tcly deep and high in organic
matter while the B, if present, is usually an arca of rusty blotches. TJndel
cultivation
t]he ploughed layer of a soil includes all or part, of the A, and where
the profile is very shallow may include all the A and 13 as well as the Tipper C.
While the interaction
of the soil forming ~IWWSVS tchnd to produce a great
number of individual
conditions that can bo rccognizcd in soil classification,
t hertl is an overall t,ype of soil devc:lopment particular to the region of Ontario
which includes Durham County.
Regional
Soil Profile
Durham County soils halwe developed under a forest vegetation dominatted by broad-leaved trees principally
maple and beech and in a relatively
cool, humid climate.
Thcsc Grey-Brown
Podsolic soils have several charThe A, layer is
acteristic features that differentiate
this zone from others.
usually a greyish brown colour with organic matter mixed and incorporated
The A, is a light, greyish or yellowish brown loamy
into the mineral fraction.
layer, while the B is of brownish hcarrier materials with a characteristic
striictural
dt>vclopment.
24
The following description of a Bondhead fine sandy loam profile is typical
01 the development on a well-drained site.
Location:
Lot 13, Cont. VIII-Manvers
Township.
Site: South easterly exposure on a large drumlin; slope 13 per cent.
l’egetation:
Sugar maple, beech, ironwood; heavily forested; little or no
grass but a forest mat of leaves.
-A,,
-A,
--4,
--4,
-B,
--R,
-(‘,
--C,
and AOOhorizons (O-l inch). A covering of
recent leaves mixed with and grading into
a shallow layer of leaves partially
decomposed; pH 5.8.
horizon (6 inches), dark grey brown fine
sandy loam; porous crumb
structure;
pH 6.3.
horizon (13 inches), light grey brown sandy
loam; approaching a single grain structure;
pH 6.2.
horizon (l-2 inches), yellowish grey sandy
structure;
bleached
loam; weak platy
appearance; pH 6.8.
horizon (1 inch). A shallow layer, slightly
mottled and transitional
to B,; pH 6.8.
horizon (2 inches), brownish loam; small
angular, nutlike structure of soft aggregates; pH 6.8.
horizon (3 inches), greyish calcareous till;
indication of some weathering; stony sandy
loam; pH 7.2.
horizon a grey stony, highly calcareous till;
sandy loam texture; pH 8.0.
Because of the coarse nature of the materials of the light textured soils
in the central part of the county, a dry azonal podsolic type of profile commonly occurs. The coarse nature of the materials and t’heir light texture
The A, is normally a thin layer relatively low
limit the profile development.
in organic matter; the A, occurs generally as a structureless sand and deeper
than the A, of the other local soils; the B, where present, occurs as a weak
accumulation of a colloidal material eluviated from the A horizons.
25
The following description of a Pontypool sand illustrates the degree and
t’ype of development.
Location:
Lot 2, Cont. IV-Cavan
Township.
Site: Northerly
exposure on interlobate materials; slope 12 per cent.
Vegetation : Sugar maple, beech, white birch, some white pine and basswood; thick growth of poverty grass, bracken and poison ivy.
-A,
-A,
-A,
and A,, horizons (O-l inch). A shallow layer
of leaves and twigs in various stages of
decomposition.
horizon (3 inches), coarse sand mixed with
decaying leaves, etc., no aggregation
of
sand particles; lower part of layer somewhat greyish in colour; pH 6.6.
horizon (22 inches), light yellow
structureless sand; pH 6.4.
brown
-B
horizon (O-l inch), weak development; largely
a concentration
of faintly mottled materials; pH 6.4; a colour horizon more strongly
developed than a textural horizon.
-C
horizon grey poorly sorted calcareous sand; a
few small rounded stones; pH 7.4.
u
Soil
Series,
Types
and Phases
The term soil series is used to designate a group of soils whose profiles
are alike in general character and appearance and developed from similar
parent materials. The effect of climate and vegetation may alter profiles even
though parent materials resemble one another. While any given area may be
labelled as one soil series, deviations and variations do occur but the dominant
profile, the one occurring most frequently, is taken as representative of the area.
The soil series is usually given a geographical name from a town, village,
township, etc., where the soil was first identified.
Thus, the Newcastle series
was first mapped in the Newcastle area and all soils mapped as Newcastle
should have similar profiles.
While the profiles of a soil series are alike in their general characteristics,
This textural
difference constitutes
the
they frequently
differ in texture.
basis for subdivision into soil types. The name Newcastle clay loam as applied
26
to a soil would infer t,hat t,he soil was of the Newcastle series and a clay loam
surface layer.
Variations other t,han surface t,exture frequently
occur in a soil series
erosion,
and are t,ermed phases. Variations from the normal in topography,
shallowness,
stoniness,
etc., are accounted for by phases. A Bondhead loam,
bouldery phase would indicate that the soil is considered to be a member of
the Bondhead series wit,h a loam surface soil but abnormally
stony and
bouldery.
KEY
A.
SOILS
TO THE
CLASSIFICATION
FORMED
FROM
LIMESTONE
OF THE
SOILS
IN DURHAM
COUNTY
TILL
I. Good drainage
(a)
Drumlin-like
topography
(i) Normal profile
1. Bondhead loam ... .. . . . .
. . .. . . .. . . . . .
2. Bondhead fine sandy loam _... . ... .. . .. ..... . .
3. Bondhead fine sandy loam, bouldery phase ... .
(ii)
II.
III.
B.
.. . .
..
. . .. . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . .
Morainic slopes with an outwash covering
1. Dundonald sandy loam...
. .. . . .. . . . . .
(c)
Undulating
till plain
1. Darlington
loam.. .................... .............................................
......
2. Darlington
sandy loam ...................................................
Imperfect
. .. . .
,
drainage
...... ..........
1. Guerin loam .....................................................
2. Guerin sandy loam.. ...................................... ..........................
3. Guerin sandy loam, bouldery phase ....................................
SOILS FORMED
FROM
FLUVIO-GLACIAL
(Eskers, Kames and Interlobate
Moraines)
SOILS
.. . . . 35,700
.. 74,900
1,700
.
(b)
Poor drainage
1. Lyons loam ....................................................
I.
C.
Shallow profile
1. Otonabee loam.. . . ... .. . . _, .. _..
_,. _.
2. Otonabee loam, steep phase. . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . .
.
..........................
FROM
DELTAIC
22,800acres
13,500 acres
30,100
acres
15,400 acres
2,700 acres
1,600 acres
1,100 acres
3,600 acres
5,400
acres
MATERIALS
Good to excessive drainage
1. Pontypool sandy loam .
_.
_, .. . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . . .
2. Pontypool sand .,_,. . . .. . . . .
_.. . .. . . . . .. .. . . . . . . . .. .. . .. . . .. . . .
3. Pontppool gravelly sand . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . .. . . . . . . .. . . .. . ... .. . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . .. . . .
FORMED
acres
acres
acres
OR OUTWASH
8,900 acres
38,000 acres
16,200 acres
MATERIALS
1. Good to excessive drainage
1.
2.
3.
4.
II.
III.
sandy loam... .. .. . .. .. . . . . . . . . .. . .._......................_...............
sand . . . . . .. . . . . .. .. .. . . . .. . . .. . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .. . . .. . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . .. . . . . . . . . .
gravelly sand . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . .. .. . . . .. . .. .. . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .. .. . . . . . . .
sandy loam, bouldery phase
.....
.. . . . . .. . . .
Brighton
Brighton
Brighton
Brighton
Imperfect drainage
1. Tecumseth
Poor drainage
1. Granby
2. Granby
sandy loam.. . . . .
__ _.
_._. . . . . .. . . . . .. .
sandy loam . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .. .. . . .. . . . . .. . . . . . . .. .. . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . .. . . . ..
sandy loam, bouldery phase . . .. . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . ..
27
9,500 acres
11,100 acres
6,600 acres
600 acre8
4,000
acres
6,700 acres
1,300 acres
Il.
SOILS
I.
FOKMEI)
(i)
Normal profile
1. Sewcastle
2.’ Ne,wcastle
(ii)
II.
E.
FROM
LACUSTKLNE
MATERIALS
Good drainage
Imperfect
loam ......__.
clay loam...
ShalS?w profile
1. Schomberg clay loam ...._
2. Schomberg silt loam.
3. Percy loam ... ... .. . ,.
drainage
1. Smithfield clay loam.. . .
MISCELLANEOUS
,.
,,
5,300 acres
2,900 acres
4.000 acres
acres
SOILS
DESCRIPTION
SOILS
.,
.,
Bridgman sand..
.
Bottom land. _.
.... ...
,..
Muck .. ... .. .
‘: .’ ‘._. I:.‘:.
hlarsh
.
.::..
. ..
A.
17 300 acres
6:OOO acres
.,. ”
FORMED
FROM
OF
DURHAllI
LIMESTONE
,..
:.
COUNTY
_:-
__
4 000
19: 100
22,100
2,200
acres
acres
acres
acres
SOILS
TILL
Soils formed from limestone till correspond to the soils likely to be found
in the two physiographic regions, drumlinized limestone till plains and smooth
limestone till plains. The well drained series included in this group are Bondhea’d, Otonabee, Dundonald and Darlington.
The imperfectly drained member
is the Guerin series and the poorly drained associate is the Lyons loam.
The parent1 materials of these soil series are a mixture of Trenton and
Black River limestones with smaller yet recognizable amounts of Precambrian
rocks.
In the south-western
corner of the county these materials contain
relatively small amounts of the greyish black Ut,ica shale. The till is a compact unassorted mixture but dominated in chemical properties by the limestone. Partical sizes range from a small percentage of fine clay to greater
percentages of pebbles, large stones and boulders. The degree of compaction
permits the soil wat,cr to move freely through t)he normal well drained profile.
Bondhead
cc
LC
Loam (35,700 acres)
Fine Sandy Loam (74,900
Fine Sandy Loam-Bouldery
acres)
Phase
(1,700 acres)
The Bondhead series display those characteristics
that are common to
the Grey Brown Podsolic soils. The topographic position is favorable for the
maximum amount of profile development resulting from the influence of soil
forming factors in Durham County.
28
The folloij\-ing is a profile description
A,--&6
of a cultivated
soii:
inches of a grey-brown loam or fine sandy
loam; friable
crumby
structure;
few
stones; weakly alkaline; pH 7.2.
A,---%12 inches of a greyish brown sandy loam or
loam; tending to weak platy structure;
pH 6.8.
A,-2
inches brownish grey sandy loam or loam;
slightl\
compacted;
cemented
and
pH 7.6.
I3 -2-4
inches of a brownish loam; weak blocky
tructure;
pH 7.2.
(’ -A
grey calcareous till dominat,ed by limestone
materials and containing some fragments
from Precambrian rocks; freqltent stones
and boulders; pH 8.0.
The tjopography of the Bondhcad series is characterized by drumlins or
elongated hump-backed hills. Long and gentle slopes form a part of each
drumlin but 011 the sides and near the top, steeper slopes are common. The
topography is considered rolling \\-ith slopes generally ranging from 5-25y0.
The drainage is good.
The natural \*cgetwtion includes sugar maple, beech, basswood, some elm
and ash. The areas of lighter soils support appreciable amounts of white pine.
Bondh,cud loam occurs in relatively
large t,racts near Millbrook
and in
scattered locations south of the height of land.
Bondhead jine sandy loam is the major type in the northern parts of Cartwright and Manvers Townships, while other areas of the type are distributed
The loam and fine sandy loam are among the better
t,hroughout the county.
agricultural
soils of the county.
Bondhead fine sandy loam (bouldery phase). The areas mapped as a bouldery phase are recognized by the numerous boulders and stones on the surface
soil. The stoniness is a limiting factor in the agricultural
development of the
type. Generally, this soil is left in pasture.
Agriculture
The Bondhead types (except the bouldery phase) are good soils for general
farming which includes grain growing, hay and pasture, and the raising of
livestock.
29
The greater part of the series is used for this purpose but some dairying,
apple growing and canning crops are featured in the southern townships.
Over
most of t,he area an increased acreage of alfalfa would assist in maintaining
the fertility
and provide excellent hay or pasture. Where commercial fertilizers are used, phosphorus and potassium are particularly
recommended.
The steeper slopes of the drumlins should be left in hay, pasture or bush as
long as possible. Methods that retard soil erosion must be considered and used
on the Bondhead types.
Otonabee
66
Loam (22,800
Loam-Steep
acres)
Ph ase (13,500
acres)
The Otonabee loam is mapped entirely in Cavan Township,
steep phase is found in small areas through the county.
The following is a profile description of a cultivat’ed soil:
while
the
A,-4-6
inches dark grey brown loam; crumb,
structure;
moderately
stony; free carbonates; pH 7.8.
AZ-O-4
inches greyish brown loam; more open
and incoherent than A,; pH 7.8.
B -0-3
inches brownish loam or clay loam; nutlike structure; pH 8.0
C -A
grey limestone till containing some fragments of Precambrian
rocks; compact;
frequent st,ones and boulders; pH 8.2.
The Otonabee series has been separated from the Rondhead on the basis
of a shallower profile that has developed from similar parent materials.
The
greyish parent material is frequently
turned up when plowed.
The Otonabee series is included with the Grey-Brown
Podsolic soils, the
characteristics being less well defined than in the Bondhead series. It may be
better correlated with the Brown Forest soils.
The topography of the Otonabee loam is recognized by numerous wellIn some instances the topography
approaches the hilly
formed drumlins.
30
condition where steep slopes are more common. The drainage, internal and
external, is good but considerable runoff of the rainfall occurs. In the narrow
t,roughs between the drumlins, imperfectly
drained areas too small to be
delineat’ed at the inch to the mile scale of mapping, are included.
The hard woods, sugar maple and beech are the common trees.
White
pine, elm and ash occur less prominent1 Y*
Otonabee loam (steep phase) is mapped throughout
the county.
Due to
the excessive runoff on these slopes, the profiles are even shallower than the
normal. The type includes any very steep till soil that should be left in permanent pasture or bush. Generally, the slopes are above 30 per cent.
Agriculture
The agriculture differs very little from the general type of farming on the
Bondhead types. Cereal grains, hay, clover, ensilage corn and pasture represent the important land uses. Livestock raising and some dairy farming provide a large portion of the sources of farm income. The high lime soil is well
adapted to growing alfalfa and clovers. Suitable fertilizers generally contain a
high percentage of phosphorus and potassium.
There are some general soil
conserving. practices that could be applied t,o t!he Otonabee loam; pasturing
or using the steep slopes as hay fields, cultivating
and plowing “around the
hill” rather than up and down the slope and using a longer rotation with more
grass or legumes.
Dundonald
Sandy
Loam
(30,100
acres)
Dundonald
sandy loam is the only member of the series mapped in Durham County. The greater areas of the type are found adjacent to the Pontypool series. In Darlington
and Clarke Townships t’he Dundonald is located
on the southern slopes while smaller areas are found on the northern slopes.
For the most part the profile is developed on stonefree outwash sandy materials
carried from the interlobate
moraine that! traverses the central part of the
county.
This sandy overburden was deposit,cd on the high lime till parent
material similar to t,hat of the Otonabee and Bondhead series. Thus, the
Dundonald series may be said to consist of the sandy materials of the Pontypool series washed over the stony parent material of the high lime till soils.
31
The following
is a profile description
-4,-4-G
A,--10-15
of a non-eroclcd
cultivated
soil.
inches grey-brown sandy loam ; approaching a single grain structure;
generally
lo\\- organic mattclr content; stonefree;
pH 6.8.
inches of light brownish sand; single
grain structure; open and porous; pH 6.4.
I3 -2-3
inches bron-nkh
turc; pH 6.8.
loam; soft friable
struc-
C -Grey
calcareous till with frequent stones and
boulders in some areas; very compact
till; pH 7.8.
The Dundonald profile is generally developed in the sandy materials that
are underlain by limestone till. The B horizon occurs at the juncture of the
sandy outwash deposit and the till.
Drumlin formation is less distinct but lo-25% slopes are common. The
topography is strongly rolling. The drainage is good with tlhe lighter materials
occasionally permitting an excessive rate of percolation.
Coniferous and hardwood trees are about equally distributed
over the
type. A shallow eroded profile and proximity
to the till are often associated
with the presence of hardwoods.
Agriculture
is general in nature with some orchards and canning crops
in the southern townships.
Special practices are used in some localities to
increase the organic matter content of the surface soil by ploughing down
green manuring crops. Erosion is common where the soils are cultivated up
and down the slopes and when the surface is left unprotected for long periods
of time.
Darlington
bb
Loam
Sandy
(15,400 acres)
Loam (2,700 acres)
Most of the Darlington
series is found in the south-western
part of
Darlington
Township.
In Cartwright
and Cavan Townships small areas of
similar soils are mapped in association with the Bondhead series. The parent
32
material, although high in lime, contains a fair
shale thus tlif’ferentjiating
it from that of the
The profile is slightly less well-developed than
The following profile description is fairly
the loam type in Darlington
Township:
proportion of grey-black Utica
Bondhead and Otonabee soils.
the zonal type of the region.
t,ypical of the development of
-4,-G
inches moderately dark grey-brown loam;
relatively
stonefree
crumb structure;
with occasional boulders; pH 7.6.
,4,---l-8
inches of light brown loam; mottling may
occur immediately above the B horizon;
pH 7.3.
inches light brownish loam or clay loam;
small blocky structbre; fairly compact.
The B layer reflects the series immaturity by the insistent and spotty development ; pH 7.8.
B -1-d
C‘ ---ii
greyish calcarco~rs till ; dominantly
limestone in origin but containing some greyblack I’tica shale; moderately compact
and imper\vious ; pH 8.0.
is moderately
undulating
n-ith slopes ranging from
3 to 870. Generall>~, the drainage is good but,locations
with a gentle relief are
l~antlic:apped l)y inadequate facilities for removing excess surface water.
Elm, sugar maple and beech are t,he common trees found on the loam type,
while white pine is not,iceable on the lighter textured soils.
Darlington
loam is the more important
type of the series. The undulating
topography
and associated areas of smoother tleposit,s are typical of a reworked ground moraine. Some of the larger lacustrine deposits have been
mapped as Sewastle
but nrrmerous smaller areas have been included in this
type.
Darlington
sandy loam occurs mainly near C’ourtice and north of Bowman\rille.
The lighter surface soil and deeper profile permit better drainage
conditions than exist in the loam type.
Agriculture
The loam type represents an excellent soil for general agriculture and is
Well located for transportation
and marketing of fa rm products. Soil erosion
33
is less severe than on some other soil types; the generally accepted practices
of good management reduce erosion to a minimum.
The compact parent,
material handicaps optimum root development
of apple trees. Some areas
within the sandy loam type are devoted to special farming, particularly
truck
crops.
Guerin
66
66
Loam
Sandy
Sandy
(1,600 acres)
Loam (1,100 acres)
Loam-Bouldery
Phase
(3,600 acres)
hlt~ml)c~rs of the Guerin series are principally located in the three soutJhern
townships with isolated areas throughout
the county.
Formed on high lime
matc~rials, the series represents the imperfectly
drained associate of the limestone till soils.
Thr profile horizons are less distinct t,han in the well drained soils, due
in large part) to the imperfect drainage.
A,--5-7
A,-5-10
inches of dark loam or sandy loam; somewhat above average in organic matter;
relatively stony; pH 7.4.
inches greyish
pH 7.4.
13 -Relatively
indistinct
pH 7.8.
brown
loam;
and not always present;
C -Greyish
calcareous stony
compact; pH 8.0.
ll‘he Guerin series frequently occupies small depressions
t,ill plains. The topography is nearly level to undulating.
The srnoot!h relief, depressional location, compact parent
difficulty
of obtaining adequat,e outlets are the chief causes
drainage conditions.
White cedars, hemlock, tamarack and some white birch
trees found growing in this soil series.
34
mot,tled
till;
moderately
in the limest,one
material and the
of the imperfect
are the principal
Guerin loam as mapped near Hampton is the imperfectly
drained associate
of the Bondhead loam. These areas are under regular cultivation
and represent
some of the better soil conditions found in the series.
Guerin sandy loam is principally
located near Frazerville and Cavan. Some
areas are under farm crops but much is in permanent pasture.
Gucrin sandy loam (bouZdery phase). This type is frequently found adjacent
to poorly drained outwash or deltaic soils in the Iake Iroquois plain. Most
of the finer soil materials were washed awa?; by wale action at the time of
Lake Iroquois leaving the surface heavily coated with stones and boulders.
Agriculture
Under present farming conditions, the Gucrin series is used mainly as
a semi-permanent
pasture to provide grass during the dry summer months.
Where local drainage conditions are better, particularly
near Hampton, the
Guerin loam with favourable weather at seeding time, does support some
spring grains. Buckwheat is well adapted to the type.
Lyons
Loam
(5,400 acres)
Lyons loam is the poorly drained associate of the limestone till soils. The
drained
type represents poorer drainage condit,ions than the imperfectly
Glicrin.
The profile horizon5 are poorly defined except the A,;
A,---&8
inches dark stony loam; high in organic
matter and alkaline; pH 7.8.
A,-%12
inches mottled grey stony loam that
grades into the parent material; pH 7.8.
C --Greyish
35
calcareous stony till;
pH 8.0.
Most of the
On some hillsides
The natural
,secpage spot.
White cedar
Lyons occurs in depressions where t’he relief is very poor.
larger seepage areas are mapped as Lyons.
drainage is poor because of the depressed location or being a
is the principal
tree growt,h.
Agriculture
The stony and bouldery surface and poor drainage restrict the use of
The cost of inst,alling an artificial
Lyons loam as a type for general farming.
drainage system and the removal of stones, boulders and tree growth are
almost prohibiti1.e when the soil is t,o be used for general farm crops. The
present land trse is largely pasturage which is generally the best use.
B.
SOILS
FORMED
(Eskers,
FRO_11 FLUVIO-GLACIAL
Kames
and
Interlobate
3IATERIALS
Moraines)
The fluvio-glacial
materials occupy a posit’ion roughly corresponding to
the location of a great ice crevice that formed following a split in t,he main
ice lobe, during the time of the melting-back
of the glacier. Through this
crevice a grea,t volume of meltwater found an outlet and deposited the materials
from which the present soils were formed. The materials are predominantly
poorly sortJet sand, gra\vel and boulders; isolated till deposits occur but are of
a minor concern. The nature, mode of deposition and coarseness of these
circum&ances
for
materials together II-it h the hilly relief provide difficult
general farming conditions.
Pontypool
ii
66
Sandy Loam (8,900 acres)
Sand (38,000 acres)
Gravelly
Sand (16,200 acres)
The series occupy a large tract of land extending east an(l \\rest across
A narrower tract is mapped from Hcthany to the
the middle of the county.
As a series they are fairly well centrnlized and do not
nort hem boundary.
occur in small isolated areas as do other soil types.
36
The well-drained till soils support a tree growth of hardwoods. Maple and beech usually
dominate.
This profile of the Bondhead
fine sandy loam is typical of the
the regional well-drained soils.
The pick marks indicate the
material.
This close-up of a Schomberg
clay loam profile shows the
crumb structure of the A1 and
the blocky structure of the B
horizon. Note the grey bleached
layer above the B horizon.
The Percy loam is developed on
medium-textured lacustrine
materials. It occurs largely in
the soil south-central section of
the County.
Profile of Brighton sandy loam. The Brighton is developed on well-sorted calcareous
sand.
This profile of the Granby sandy
loam shows the deep, dark surface layer and the dull grey and
mottled subsoil.
The smooth regular slopes of the Darlington loam are well-suited for the production
of most crops commonly grown in Durham County.
The Otonabee loam profile is shallower than the
Bondhead types. In the cultivated soils the highlime grey parent material is often turned up by
the plow.
The plowing down of legumes for green manure is a commendable practice to help
maintain the supply of soil organic matter.
In the Dundonald soils the B horizon frequently occurs at the juncture between the
sandy outwash and the underlying till.
Flue-cured tobacco growing is a comparatively new industry in Durham County.
It is grown mostly on the Brighton sand.
The Pontypool series includes a range of topography. The undulating areas are less
susceptible to sheet erosion than the hilly areas shown in the background of this
picture. Such areas are used for the production of a wide range of farm crops.
The crop on the eroded knolls in the backgrounds is hardly worth cutting. Some soilbuilding practises are needed on this field
Wind and water erosion follow improper land use and depleted soil fertility.
Many of the hilly areas of the Pontypool series have suffered extensively from the ravages
of wind erosion. When severely wind-eroded areas occur in mappable size, the are
called Bridgman sand.
The soil in the foreground is mapped as Bridgman sand. There are more stones on
the surface in this view than is common. About 4,000 acres of this wind-eroded soil
were mapped in the County
The profile is almost featureless
indicate extensive weathering.
but examinations
of non-eroded
sites
A,---2-3
inches light grey brown sand or sandy
loam; coarse single grain structure; low
in organic matter; slightly acid to slightly
alkaline; frequently stony; pH 6.8.
AZ--IO-30
inches yellowish sand; in the sandy
loam profile an incipient B horizon generally exists but it is usually absent in, the
sand. When present it displays’more
of
the characteristics
of a ‘colour B iayer
than a textural horizon; pH 6.4.
C -Grey
coarse calcareous s&d ; pdorlj; ‘sb;&ed;
numerous
pH 7.4.
cobbles sand igravelly
<
stones;
The topography is hilly with frequent steep sldpes and sk&i depresaio@
areas, a “knob and basin” relief, Generally, the sandy loam type is strongly
rolling with slopes that are longer and less abrupt.
The topography
varies
from small areas of undulating
deposits to areas that are very hilly with a
common slope range from 8 to 35 per cent. In view of the coarse nature of
surface and parent materials, low organic matter content of the topsoil and
the hilly terrain, the drainage is rapid and excessive.
The vegetative growth normally varies with the soil type in the Pontypool
series. The sand is most favourable to growing white pine with smaller proportions of red, jack and Scotch pine and hardwoods. The natural grasses on
abandoned farms are usually Redtop and Canada Blue. The gravelly type
is broadly associated with sugar maple, red oak, beech, hickory and white
pine; Canada Blue grass is common on this type.
Pontypool sandy loam. A rather small percentage of the series is mapped
as a sandy loam. Such areas are usually local conditions where a type of
general farming is fairly successful.
Pontypool sand. More than one-half of the series is mapped as a sand
with the variations to be expected for such rough topography.
The type
represents a poor soil for agricultural
purposes. Erosion is severe; the natural
fertility is low.
37
Pontypool gravelly sand. The gravelly sand differs from the other types
by having large deposits of gravel in the parent material.
In many areas the
gravel appears in the surface soil. Near Pontypool, farming is more successful
on the gravelly sand than on the sand.
Agriculture
Undoubtedly,
a large portion of the series is not adapted to general farming and some areas now under cultivation
should be retired from agriculture.
There are other land uses for which the series is suitable; large permanent
and improved pastures, reforestation,
game preserves and recreational areas.
Pontypool sandy loam offers the best in the series for farming but even then,
conservation farming and heavy applications
of manure and fertilisers and
plowed in green crops are necessary to maintain adequate fertility levels. The
coarse nature of the sandy materials, low organic matter content and generally
lower natural fertility
along with a strong topography
and erosion are the
principal factors limiting the agricultural
possibilities of the Pontypool series.
C.
SOILS
FORMED
FROM
DELTAIC
OR OUTWASH
MATERIALS
The parent material of this group of soils was carried by streams of water
from melting ice and dropped as the streams slowed up or emptied into large
I bodies of still water or spread out over level land. The topography is normally
smooth and undulating but is frequently cut up by recent gullying.
In Durham
County the outwash materials are well sorted coarse sands and gravels mainly
of limestone origin.
Brighton
Lb
Lb
CL
Sandy Loam (9,500 acres)
Sand (11,100 acres)
Gravelly Sand (6,600 acres)
Sandy Loam-Bouldery
Phase (600 acres)
The eerier occ,urs largely within the area once covered by Lake Iroquois ;
&her depoeita are mapped in isolated areas over the county.
38
The profile development
the Iroquois basin.
bears out the relative
A,-3-4
A-l
B -2-4
C -A
youthfulness
of soils within
inches of sand or sandy loam
organic matter
stonefree; pH
5-20 inches of a coarse yellowish
grain structure; pH 6.4.
l
low in
‘6.6.
sand 8. single
inches of brownish loam; structure poorly
developed; in the sand type the colour
layer is much better developed than the
textural horizon; pH 6.6.
grey calcareous stratified
pH 7.6.
sand and gravel;
deposited in nearly level
While the Brighton series were undoubtedly
relief, stream gullying and erosion have effected noticeable changes in the
topography.
Except for isolated areas and near stream courses most of the
slopes range from 3 to 8 per cent. The drainage conditions are good; the
coars’e materials promote rapid and in some cases excessive removal of soil
water.
The dominant vegetation is white pine, especially in the Osaca district,
while near Orono the alkaline gravel supports pines, hardwoods and some cedar.
Brighton sandy loam. The sandy loam type is more suitable for general
farming than the remainder of the series. The slightly heavier texture and
better fertility
are the principal differences.
Brighton sand. The sand is located mostly in the Ginaraska Valley. The
coarse sand is low in fertility,
excessively drained, subject to severe erosion
and poorly adapted to general agriculture.
A small acreage is producing
tobacco.
Brighton gravelly sand. The type exhibits a very shallow profile over the.
calcareous stratified gravel. Most of the type indicates the location and extent
of the beaches of Lake Iroquois. The deposits are usually low rounded ridges
of gravel or appear as broad fans as found near Orono.
Brighton sandy loam (bouldeby ph,ase),
is mapped to indicate extremely
39
stony, light-textured
soils that are well drained.
The total acreage of the
bouldery phase is small and occurs for the most part northwest of Newcastle.
Agriculture
Excepting the sandy loam, very little of the series is adapted to general
Heavy applications
of manure and fertilizers are necessary to
agriculture.
produce farm crops satisfactorily.
The organic matter content of the surface
soil must be increased to prevent excessive drainage and leaching of plant
nutrients.
Tobacco appears to thrive on the sand, providing the profile is of a
fair depth and not eroded. Isolated orchards are in good condition but the
success is largely one of excellent management.
The gravelly sand supports
fair stands of grass, particularly
Canada Blue, in seasons with favourable
distribution
of rainfall.
Tecumseth
Sandy
Loam
(4,000 acres)
Tecumseth sandy loam is the imperfectly drained outwash soil frequently
occurring in association with the well drained Brighton series. The greater
part of the type is mapped east of Cavan and in Hope Township while other
isolated areas were separated out.
The profile development is fairly typical for soil materials with a moderately high water-table.
.’
.
*.
‘.
.
* * ’ *, .’ I
. .
*/;;...:
*.
,
.
..*
,
8.
.
-
l
..
*
.-
3
..‘._
A -5-10
inches of mottled yellowish sand; intensity of mottlings increase with increase
of depth; pH 7.0.
(B rarely identifiable except under local
conditions of improved drainage.)
-* .
v-
l8
inches of dark sandy loam; fairly high in
organic matter; weak crumb structure;
pH 7.4.
_ *
..
.
.:*.
’
*
.
.
A,-5-7
*
. ’.
;:
..o
.
C -Greyish
calcareous sand which may be underlain at varying depths by gravel; pH 7.6.
-
. .
-.
: . -
-,
:
I.
*.
.
-a.
-,
:
;.
v
l . 0. . .‘
The Tecumseth
topography.
sandy loam is located in areas with very smooth or level
40
The natural drainage is imperfect.
Where the type occurs in relatively
broad tracts and suitable outlets can be established, artificial draining may be
profitable.
Small areas are frequently surrounded by morainic soils through
which it is difficult to secure outlets. Occasionally the sandy materials are
underlain by heavy clay and silt materials which increases the problem of
artificial drainage.
Tamarack and white cedar trees are commonly found on the Tecumseth
sandy loam. A variety of grasses adapted to soils with a high water-table are
common on pastured areas.
Agriculture
A fair acreage with better than average drainage conditions is under
regular cultivation
and supports some spring grains, particularly
buckwheat.
The general adaptability
of the type depends a great deal on the type of
weather at seeding. Permanent unimproved pastures are fairly general.
Granby
cc
Sandy
Sandy
Loam (6,700 acres)
Loam - Bouldery
Phase
(1,300 acres)
The poorly drained associate
Granby sandy loam. The larger
occur north of Courtice and south
The following description is
opment:
’
of the sandy outwash soils is mapped as
and more important
locations of the series
of Starkville and Osaca.
fairly representative
of the type of devel-
A,-6-8
inches of very dark sandy loam; high in
organic matter; soft and porous; pH 7.6.
A,-6-10
inches light grey coarse sand; pH 7.2.
G -8-12
inches greyish brown and yellowish
brown sand with rusty mottling; pH 7.4.
.
C -Greyish
calcareous sand underlain in some
instances by gravel or heavy till; occasional strata of silt and clay; substratum
of clay at 3 feet or lower in included
areas; pH 7.6.
41
0
Granby sandy loam is found in areas with level and depressional topography. The natural drainage is poor but the cost involved in improving it by
artificial means usually is not warranted.
The series supports a type of vegetation adapted to an abundant supply
of water. White cedars, tamarack and alders are the common trees and shrubs.
stonefree and is commonly used for per’ Granby sandy loam is typically
manent pasture.
Granby sandy loam (bouldery phase), is mapped on some areas near Newcastle and Courtice. Very little of the area is cleared of stones but is left as
permanent pasture land. ti
Agriculture
A relatively small percentage of the series is used for general farm crops
other than pasture grasses. The Granby soils are late in the spring but are
sometimes used for short season crops such as buckwheat.
Perhaps the more
profitable land use is to seed the areas with suitable grasses to provide forage
when upland pasturage is suffering from drought.
D.
SOILS
FORMED
FROM
LACUSTRINE
MATERIALS
During the recession of the ice lobes, bodies of water were hemmed in by
the ice masses or by deposits of glacial drift. These glacial lakes were fed by
soilstreams of melt-water from the ice. The streams carried fine-textured
forming materials that slowly settled out in the still water, the finer materials
This sediment
remaining in suspension longer than the coarser particles.
occurs as alternate layers of coarser and finer textured layers, which are
commonly referred to as varves.
The main characteristics of the lacustrine soil-forming materials in Durham County are the intermediate
or heavy texture and the freedom from
The depth of the
stones. The topography varies from level to undulating.
lacustrine materials shows some variation being shallow in the Schomberg and
relatively deep in the Newcastle series.
The well-drained series are Newcastle, Schomberg and Percy.
cipal difference between the first two is the shallower profile frequently
by heavy morainic deposits of the Schomberg.
The Newcastle
probably developed on materials not so high in lime. The Percy
drained loam soil on undulating to rolling topography and underlain
depths by Morainic
materials.
The Smithfield
is the imperfectly
associate of the well-drained soils.
Newcastle
cc
The prinunderlain
series has
is a wellat varying
drained
Loam (17,300 acres)
Clay Loam (6,000 acres)
The Newcastle series is mapped within the area covered by glacial Lake
Iroquois. This plain extended over a portion of the three southern townships.
The beaches of the lake are marked by Brighton gravelly sand and are about
450 feet above sea-level and 200 feet above Lake Ontario.
42
The following
is
a
profile description
of a cultivated
soil:
A,-47
inches of a moderately dark grey brown
loam or clay loam; crumb structure; friable under optimum conditions;
stonefree; pH 7.2.
A,-%15
inches of greyish
structure; pH 6.6.
AS--1 -2 inches drab grey
pacted; pH 6.8.
B -4-10
brown
loam;
loam;
slightly
nut
com-
inches of brownish sticky clay; when
dry breaks into nutlike structure; pH 7.0.
C -Greyish
calcareous stonefree lacustrine silts
and clays; very compact and frequently
varved; pH 8.0.
The areas of Newcastle loam and clay loam are considered to be undulating in topography marked by gentle slopes of about 5%. In some instances
steeper slopes are found that are the result of recent stream erosion; bluffs
are common along the lake shore providing excellent gocations for examining
the varves.
There are some areas where the drainage is only fair; water accumulates
between the swells of land after heavy rains and in the spring. Generally the
drainage is fair to good.
The woodlots are scarce but those remaining are composed of sugar maple
and beech; elm is frequently found in the areas with only fair drainage.
Newcastle loam is generally considered the better orchard soil because of
the adequate drainage, fewer low areas and more friable consistency allowing
deeper root penetration.
The natural fertility is above average excepting the
supply of available phosphorus. The loam type is well suited for the growing
of canning and general farm crops.
Newcastle clay loam. The heavier type in the series is a productive soil for
general farm crops. This soil generally has the highest natural fertility of any
type in the county hut like all the others, requires phosphatic supplements.
The areas of fair drainage are more common in the clay loam type.
43
Agriculture
The orchards are pretty well confined to the Newcastle loam since it is
generally better drained in the upper soil layers. The loam type is underlain
by silts and clays very similar to the parent material of the clay loam type.
The Newcastle series is well adapted to general farming and dairying, and
produces excellent crops of cereal grains, legumes, ensilage corn and other
intertilled
crops. The lower swells or small depressions could be improved by
artificial drainage. The clay loam type is more susceptible to erosion on the
slo’bes, which requires some consideration
as to applicable control measures
to prevent the removal of the topsoil by washing.
Schomberg
Cb
Clay Loam (5,300 acres)
Silt Loam (2,900 acres)
The Schomberg soils are located almost entirely north of the height of
land and out of the Iroquois plain. Several small areas east of Canton are
included.
The profile is’ relatively shallow, frequently eroded and exhibits slightly
better developed ‘characteristics than the Newcastle series.
A.-4-6
A-6-10
inches moderately dark grey-brown silt
loam or clay loam (a greyish surface
indicates severe sheet erosion) ; crumb
structure; nearly stonefree; free carbonates; pH 7.8.
inches greyish silt loam; sharp demarcation; platy structure; pH 7.2.
13 -3-6
inches brownish sticky clay; blocky nutlike structure; pH 7.6.
C -Dull
grey or greyish si1t.s and clays; lacustrine
origin; highly calcareous; usually varved;
till occurs where the lacustrine veneer
is shallow; pH 8.0.
The dominant slopes measure about S%, while near Bethany in the silt
loam some 2-3% slopes occur.
The internal drainage is good; the rapid runoff of excessive surface water
frequently causes sheet erosion.
44
Hardwoods, including maple, beech, ash and some elm are common trees
associated with the series.
Schomberg clay loam is developed in this area on a lacustrine veneer underlain by till. The profile is formed in the water-laid sediments with the stony
materials occurring at variable depths. Where the sheet erosion has been
severe some stones may appear on the surface soil.
Schomberg silt loam. This type is mapped in the vicinity of Bethany. The
topography is somewhat smoother than in t,he clay loam type. The lacustrine
deposit is generally deeper with the till occurring less frequently.
Agriculture
The undulating
slopes ‘of a lacustrine soil are very susceptible to sheet
erosion unless control measures are empioyed.
Such soils respond to long
rotations wit!h a minimum of cultivated crops. The Schomberg series is a high
lime soil well suited to clovers and alfalfa. Commercial fertilizers should cont,ain relatively
high p:rcentages of phosphorus and potassium.
The use of
improved pastures on slopes now showing the effects of erosion is strongly
recommended. Areas likely to erode badly should be dealt with according to
soil conservation plans.
Percy
Loam
(4,000 acres)
The only member of the series is the Percy loam that was mapped near
Xorrish and Campbellcroft.
The Percy series is the light textured associate
of the heavier lacustrine soils, Newcastle or Schomberg. Fine sands and loams
over heavier materials is the general condition as mapped in Durham County.
A normal non-eroded profile shows a moderately good development.
-;_
A,---4-6
inches grey-bro\;n
loam or fine sandy
loam; crumb structure; generally stonefree; pH 7.2.
A,-6-8
inches greyish
platy structure;
B -1-4
inches brownish
ture; pH 6.8.
fine sandy
pH 6.6.
loam;
loam;
weak
weak nut struc-
-_-
=
v_----
--
------e---w
-
--
----E---Z-c___
,--34
~
-.-
-.-r
C --Greyish calcareous fine sands, silts and clays;
may be underlain at varying depths by
till; pH 7.4.
---.--_-
45
The topography
is generally strongly undulating
with relatively
short
slopes lacking uniformity
in any general direction but making the type fairly
susceptible to sheet erosion.
The natural drainage conditions are good.
Sugar maple, beech and the occasional elm are the main trees associated
with the type.
Agriculture
The Percy series was first mapped in Northumberland
County where it
was considered an excellent soil for general farming.
The Percy loam near
Norrish in Durham County has been subjected to considerable sheet erosion
which has removed much of the topsoil. The other areas included as Percy
Where climatic conditions are favourare more adapted to general farming.
able the type is well suited to the growing of fruit and canning crops.
Smithfield
Clay
Loam
(18,000
acres)
The Smithfield
clay loam represents the imperfectly
drained associate
of the heavier lacustrine soils. The areas mapped as Smithfield occupy small
depressions lacking adequate drainage facilities. Formed from high lime parent
material, free carbonates commonly occur in the surface soil.
The profile horizons are often difficult to identify but may be generalized
as indicated in the following descriptions:
.
A,--5-7
inches of dark greyish brown clay loam;
stonefree and alka.line; crumb structure;
pH 7.8.
AZ---6-10 inches greyish silty loam, marked by a
rusty brown mottling;
tending t.oward
massive structure; pH 7.6.
B -Generally
occurs as a stronger accumulation
of mottling in the lower part of the A,
and immediately
above the parent material; structure coarse blocky to massive; pH 7.8.
C -Greyish,
calcareous clay; moderately
compact and impervious;
varves may be
found in the deeper deposits; pH 8.0.
46
The topography ranges from level to gently undulating.
The natural drainage is inadequate for growing most farm crops, especially
fall wheat and clovers.
Elm is the chief tree growth associated with the series.
Agriculture
Where the drainage has been artificially
improved, the type is fairly well
adapted to general farming. The higher organic matter content in the surface
soil holds considerable moisture as well as improving the workability
of the
drainage .by tile or open ditches should be a
heavy surface layer. Artificial
worthwhile practice to improve the productivity
and usefulness of the type.
E.
SOILS
DEVELOPED
FROM
Bridgman
ERODED
SANDS
Sand (4,000 acres)
Bridgman sand may be found in areas of the Pontypool or Brighton series
1 where the dark surface soil has been entirely removed by wind and water
Bridgman sand includes
erosion. It is not unusual to find the sand drifting.
the eroded areas and the places where the eroded materials are accumulating.
Loose, incoherent, coarse sand with gravel stones
and some boulders, very droughty, and contains little or no organic matter.
Bridgman sand is a non-agricultural
soil. In its present condition the sand
is drifting and accumulates on cropland, pastureland or woodland and even
barricades some road allowances.
The area mapped as Bridgman sand and
many other small “blow-outs”
too small to indicate on the map should be
reforested and fenced from livestock.
47
F.
SOILS
DEVELOPED
ON
STREAM
COURSES
Bottom
FLOOD
Land
LANDS
(19,100
ALONG
acres)
Bottom land should be considered as a complex soil condition adjoining
stream courses. These areas are subject to flooding and surface-depositions
of materials carried by the streams, Under these conditions a variety of soil
materials is to be expected.
Frequently
some form of layering appears that
marks the yearly depositions. In other places
the surface is well covered with gravel, stones
and boulders.
The underlying
material at
greater depths is usually a compact heavy till.
L4reas of Bottom land often provide good areas for permanent pastures
with water close at hand. The pastures are seldom of the improved type and
are often looked upon as waste land. There is little agricultural
development
of the type beyond the use of the areas for grazing.
48
G.
SOILS
DEVELOPED
ON ORGANIC
Muck
(22,100
MATERIALS
acres)
Muck soils generally occur in depressions or along the slow streams flowing in a northerly direction.
A blackish layer ranging in depth from one foot
to several feet composed of organic material
fairly well decomposed. Frequently
underlain by clay, till or greyish marl. The water
table is high.
At the present time muck soils are not used
eral crops. Some areas provide a little pasture but
condition.
Tamarack and white cedar are the
numerous grasses and sedges adapted to soils with
49
in Durham County for gennearly all is left in a wooded
common trees along with
a high water table.
Marsh
(2,200 acres)
Approximately
two thousand acres of marsh were mapped largely
southwestern end of Lake Scugog.
in the
The areas of Marsh are continually
under water.
Cattails and other water plants grow under
these conditions
with some of their roots
anchored in a floating mass of raw organic
material that accumulates with the dying
down of the vegetation.
The agricultural
possibilities
of this water-logged soil amount to very
littIe.
The chief agricultural
function would be the supplying of water to
livestock and the storing of water to supply the underground
systems for
wells or springs. Marsh could be developed into a reserve for water fowl and
animals.
PART
AGRICULTURE
EARLY
SETTLEMENT
IV
‘AKD
LAND
USE
AND AGRICULTURAL
DEVELOPMENT
The settlement and agricultural
development
of Durham County proceeded from the lake-shore townships towards the interior.
Settlers arrived
by boat, the only means of travel for many years in the young communities.
Their exports were moved by lake boats and barges until roads and railways
were established.
Shortly before 1800 land grants were made to families in Clarke and
Darlington
townships to be followed by grants under Lieutenant-Governor
Simcoe’s plan. The war of 1812-1814 retarded settlement but a period of conIn this new country the cropping and soil
siderable expansion followed.
management methods of Europe were not always practical.
The soil exhibited
considerable variation and the judgment of settlers had a great influence on
what was to be grown. The general idea was to judge land by the quality
The inadequate preparation
of the soil for
and yields of wheat. produced.
seeding and the lack of good rotations precipitat,ed widespread beliefs that the
soils were exhausted. Coincident with the raising of cattle a marked improvement in soil fertility
was noticed.
The early type of agriculture may be gathered from the following list of
exports from Port! Darlington for the years 1844 and 1850.
TABLE
PORT
5
DARLINGTON
EXPORTS
1844
254,000 bd. ft.
0,9&z; p;;.
gnrK!r.
.. .
. . . . . . .. .. . . . . . . . . .. . .
... ... . .. . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .. . . . .. .. . .. . . . . . . . . . .. . .. .
Oatmeal.. . . . . ... .. . . . .. . . . .. . .. . . . . . .. . .. .
Whiskey.. .. . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . .
1:
Pork.. . . . . . . .. . . . . .. .
. ... ... . . .
Potatoes . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . .. . . . . . . .
102
Wheat .. .._.. . . . . .. . .. . . . . ..._... . . . .. . . .. .. . . .. . . . .
2,300
Other exports included butter, potash, ashes,
1860
?z%
‘910
188
80
5,830
27,880
;g:
bus.’
bus.
barley,
%k3f”-
bbls:
bbls.
bbls.
bus.
bus.
etc.
Before grist mills were built the wheat was ground by hand using handmills, wooden mortars or flat stones. Some farmers took the wheat to mills
The first mill in Bowmanville
was in operation
as far away as Kingston.
around 1824. From 1830 to roughly 1875 the milling business was enormous.
At one time during this period there were 13 mills within 8 miles of Bowmanville having an aggregate capacity of 700 barrels per day from wheat grown
locally. In 1851 at the World’s Exhibition
in London, England, two Darlington citizens received medals for their produce, one for flour from Durham
County wheat and the other for native oatmeal.
In Hope township, settlement commenced at an Indian trading post,
“Cochingomink,”
which was later called Toronto and still later Port Hope.
Here, Elias Smith was offered a tract of land by the government providing he
built grist and saw mills. These mills were in operation by 1798 to serve
The Midland railway which terminated at
settlers as far north as Lindsay.
51
Port Hope was completed in the 1850’s. In 1866 over 50 million feet of lumber
left Port Hope by lake steamer.
The development and settlement of Cartwright,
Manvers, and Cavan
t,ownships soon followed that of the lake-shore counties. The building of a
roadway to Port Perry aided greatly in the expansion of the northerly townships. At one time there were 25 steamships and numerous barges working
between Lindsay and Port Perry on Lake Scugog.
14round 1840 threshing machines were advertised as being manufactured
near Oshawa but little reference is found of any machines being used prior
to 1850 or 1860. The early machines required 8 or 10 horses to supply the
power and a staff of men to operate the machine, move up sheaves, cut bands,
move straw and handle the grain. The reaping machines came into use about
1855. These contrivances required three men to operate the reaper and four
or five binding the grain. In 1852 Daniel Massey and his son in Newcastle
distributed
a hay-cutting
machine to be followed by a reaper and finally a
combined reaper and mower. Massey’s first rake appeared in 1862 and the
in 1878. This machine was very popular until it was
‘I Massey Harvester”
replaced in 1884 by a self-binder from the Massey factory in Toronto.
For a more complete account of the early history of Durham County the
reader is referred to the following:
The Townships of Darlington and Clarke by John Squair-courtesy
of the Bowmanville
Statesman,
The Province of Ontario-A
History, Vol. I, by Dominion Publishing Company.
On the Shore of Lake Scugog-by
Samuel Farmer.
Early Life in Upper Canada-by
Guillet.
Historical Atlas of Northumberland
and Durham Counties-by
H. Belden and Company, Toronto.
PRESENT
AGRICULTURE
Throughout
previous discussions under soil series the term “general
farming” has been freely used to describe a common type of agriculture where
most of the home grown grains are fed and the livestock marketed largely as
Specialized farming, as the name implies,
beef, pork and dairy products.
refers to the growing of crops that require special attention in their production
and marketing.
For the Durham County area fruit, potatoes, canning crops
and tobacco are considered to be in the specialized class.
The following
table compiled from 1941 Census figures indicates the
percentage of the gross value of farm produce for each of several farm products.
TABLE
COMPARATIVE
VALUE
OF FARM
6
PRODUCTS
Field crops.. .................................................
Animal produce.. ..........................................
Livestock alive and slaughtered.. ..............
Vegetables, fruits (nursery and
greenhouse). .......................................
Forest ............................................................
52
IN DURHAM
COUNTY
44.3 per cent of the gross value
20.5 per cent of the gross value
27.8 per cent of the gross value
5.0 per cent of the gross value
2.4 per cent of the gross value
These figures indicate that field crops and livestock account for nearly
90 per %ent of the gross value of farm produce. The field crops like oats,
barley, mixed grain and hay are grown largely for consumption by the farm
livestock.
Some grains, particularly
wheat, rye, buckwheat, peas and beans
are marketed largely as cash crops, the remainder being fed. Legumes and
grasses are used as summer pasture or cut as hay for winterfeed.
The production and consumption
of crops on the farm provides a system whereby
soil-building
materials are returned to the soil. In addition to this, a proper
balance should be maintained between soil-depleting
and soil-building
crops.
Specialized farming has concentrated
on three principal crops, apples,
tobacco and canning crops. In 1941 Durham had the seventh largest acreage
of orchards of all counties in Ontario, according to the Annual Report of the
Statistics Branch. The tobacco industry centred around Osaca on the sandy
soils has shown considerable development
in recent years. No figures on
acreage, yield or gross value of t,obacco are included.
TABLE
PRESENT
LAND
USE
7
(1941 CENSUS)
Total land area.. . .
. .. . . _. . . . . . . . .. . . .. . . .
..
Area of occupied land.. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .
,. . .
Area of improved occupied land. . . . . . . . . .. . .
Area of unimproved
occupied land .. . . . . . . .. .
Including:
Woodland... ._.. . . . . .
Natural pasture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I. :.I.:,:::: .:.:I. ,,
.’ ‘1
. . .. . .
Marsh or waste land.. .
..
No. occupied farms .. .... . . . .. .. . . . .. . . . . . . . . .
. _.
.
_::
Average area per farm . . . ..
_.._
ACRES
402,560
352,616
238,520
155,622
43,139
66,097
4,860
2,769
127.3
Of the total land area in Durham County, 87.6 per cent is classed as
occupied land with approximately
88 per cent cleared. There is a county average of 15 acres of woodland for each of the 2,769 occupied farms.
TABLE
ACREAGE
OF PRINCIPAL
CROPS
8
(1945 STATISTICS
PUBLICATION)
Hay and clover. _. . . . .. . . . .
. ..._. . . . . . . .. .. . . . . . . . . . .
49,784 acres
“‘I 29,158 acres
Oats. . . .._. . . . . . . .. . . .. . . . . .. . . .. . .. . . .. . . . . . . .. . .. . . .. . . . . . . . .. . .. .. .. . . .. . . . . . . . . . ..
Mixed grain . . . . . .. . .. . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .._... . .. . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .
24,565 acres
.
15,558 acres
Wheat.. .
. . . . .. . . .
....
Alfalfa.,
.__.........................,.,...._,..............._,......
13,271 acres
Buckwheat...
.
.
. . . .. . . . . . . . .. . . . .
_,
5,185 acres
Ensilage corn..
.. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . .
6,668 acres
_.._.
Rye . . . . . . .
. . . .. . . . . . . . . . .,......,... ._................_. . . . .
..
4,727 acres
Sweet clover
. . . .. .. . . .
.. . . _.
3,710 acres
Barley.. . . ,
. ..
..
3,874 acres
Potatoes . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . ..._....................................
2,185 acres
Peas.
.
..
.
1,834 acres
Alsike..
. .. .. .. . . . . , .. . .
980 acres
2,626 acres
Other field crops (beans, flax, turnips, mangles, etc.)
....
---_~---. . . .. . . .. . . . . . . . . ., ,. . . . . 164,125 acres
All crops . . . . . . . .._.__.
. . .._._..._... . .. . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .
Cleared pasture .. .
..
.
.. . .
.
_.. .
77,319 acres
’
The above field crops occupy 164,125 acres or about 69 per cent of all th&
improved land in t!he county. By grouping the acreages of hay and clove’r,
alfalfa, sweet clover, alsike and 77,319 acres of cleared pasture, the total
53
would be slightly more than 50 per cent of all improved land. From Table 6
the gross values of field crops, vegetables, fruits, etc., was approximatbly
49.3
per cent of the total gross value. These comparisons indicate that mixed
farming is the dominant type of agriculture
which includes the growing of
cereal grains and such row crops as ensilage corn and potatoes with a considerable acreage devoted to hay and pasture grasses and clovers. As mentioned
before, fruit growing is pretty well concentrated
along the north shore of
Lake Ontario.
MANAGEMENT
OF
DURHAM
COUNTY
SOILS
The maintenance of a profitable and enduring soil productivity
is complex
and difficult on some soils. It is strongly influenced by the inter-relationship
of! such factors as climate, moisture, organic matter, texture, topography,
tilth, fertility, etc. While a perfect scheme of soil management is not likely to
be found there are several guiding principles that can be applied and that are
recognized as contributing
much toward good soil management practices.
A good system of soil management should consider the tilth of the soil.
The soil should be plowed at the proper time and to proper depth and cultivated so as to promote a desirable tilthy condition.
The working of the soil
to improve its physical condition hinders the growth and reproduction of weeds.
In cultivated fields or pastures weeds compete with the farm crops for sunlight,
plant food and moisture.
Soil management systems strive to provide an adequate supply of available plant food. If the soil fertility
is naturally
high and other factors like
texture, organic matter, are such as to aid in maintaining
fertile soils, the
management problem is less complex. Frequently the soil requires additions
of organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus, potash and, in some instances, lime.
Light
Textured
Soils
Light textured soils include the sand and gravelly sand types of the
Brighton and Pontypool series. From previous series descriptions the main
characteristics are the smooth undulating Brighton topography and the rough
hilly terrain associated with the Pontypool.
Both series are excessively drained,
have a low natural fertility and are subject to wind and water erosion.
While not adapted to the production of general farm crops, other land
uses may be successful. Tobacco grows very, well on the Brighton sand where
the highly calcareous or lime materials are at, least 2% or 3 feet from the
surface layer. To attempt tobacco growing on the hilly or rolling Pontypool
may not be as successful for two reasons: the erosion inducing tendencies of
the crop and the slight climatic differences. At one time in the agricultural
development of Durham County these soils were cultivated
and good yields
received, but the natural fertility
and the dark surface soil including most of
Under careful management and soilthe organic matter soon disappeared.
building practices, these soils provide fair pasture. The grazing season is short,
limited to periods when the rainfall is plentiful and frequent.
It is generally
agreed by local farmers and others that a large part of the Pontypool sand
should be reforested.
Much of the light textured soil has been retired from cropland due, no
54
doubt, to a combination of factors that tend to make it unsuitable for successful
crop production.
However, it is well to bear in mind that in the occasional
isolated case ve’ry worthwhile
agricultural
enterprises are to be found on the
Brighton and Pontypool soils. Such successful endeavours are found only
when the farmer has a complete appreciation of the inherent potentialities
of
his soil and uses adequate fertility building practices and sound rotation systems
to produce satisfactory
yields. From a detailed Soil Erosion and Land Use
Survey * conducted in a sample area of the county in 1942, the following
observations on land use were made:
SOIL TYPE
yO CROPLAND
Pontypool sand .........................
Pontypool sandy loam.. ............
Brighton sand ............................
Brighton sandy loam.. ..............
% PASTURE
LAND
23.7
36.0
25.6
47.8
42.6
55.0
49.5
36.2
% WOODLAND
% IDLE LAND
28.5
5.2
........
10.3
3.0
---
*
1%
13:o
It is interesting to note from the above figures the large percentage of
the sand types that are in pasture land at the present time. Low fertility
levels, as reflected in low crop yields account for part of the retirement from
cropland.
Because of steep slopes and rather scanty vegetative cover, the
Pontypool series has suffered extensively from the ravages of both wind and
water erosion. The following table illustrates the extent to which erosion has
affected the light textured soils:
Pontypool sand ...............
Pontypool sandy loam ....
Brighton sand.. ..................
Brighton sandy loam.. ......
11
438.32
42:2
33.0
42.2
26.7
37.7
41.3
31.1
11.9
13.2
10.9
21.7
36:‘:
3.8
ii-;:
3:s
The above table indicates that the Pontypool series has suffered to a
much greater extent from erosion than has the Brighton series. This is to be
expected because almost 40% of the Pontypool
sand mapped had slopes
greater than 15% while the Brighton sand had less than 20% of the area in
this slope group. The areas of Brighton sand with slopes greater than 15%
were adjacent t’o drainage channels where the streams had become deeply
entrenched.
The essential requirement of most upland, well-drained soils and especially
all the Brighton and Pontypool types is the incorporation of more organic
matter in the surface or plow layer. An adequate supply of organic matter
becomes the most important
factor in maintaining
the proper amounts and
the availability
of plant food. This plant food is released by the decay of the
organic matter
in the soil. Besides acting as a storehouse of plant food, the
humus of the topsoil holds the moisture required by growing plants. In general
farming considerable barnyard manure is added to the soil and other additions
Project
* Richards, N. R. and Morwick, F. F. Soil Erosion
Area, Durham County, Ontario.
55
and Land Use Survey
Hope Township
are made by plowing under unpastured clovers or the aftermath.
Some orchards
located on the sandy soils receive quantities of cut hay, grass or straw which
large quantities of raw organic
is spread around the trees. When relatively
matter are plowed under or spread on the surface, special consideration must
be given to applying some special fertilizers to aid in the rotting down of the
organic material.
The Tecumseth and Granby series are sandy soils with imperfect drainage
conditions.
Since the water is not removed from these soils as quickly as on
the well-drained
series, the task of holding t/he soil fertility
is less difficult.
Water does not move through the soils freely enough to cause serious losses
of plant food by leaching. Once these soils are drained artificially,
the normal
high organic matter content of the surface soil disappears quickly with the
improved conditions of drainage and aeration.
Intermediate
Textured
Soils
The loam and fine sandy loam types of such series as Bondhead, Otonabee,
Dundonald,
Darlington,
Lyons, Guerin, Newcastle and Percy are included
in this group of intermediate
textured soils. All the series except Lyons and
Bondhead, Otonabee and Dundonald
series are
Guerin are well-drained.
associated with rolling to hilly relief and varying susceptibilities
to erosion.
Slightly over 4,000 acres of Bondhead fine sandy loam were examined in
detail in a sample area of Hope Township, Durham County and an inventory
made of the physical factors that affect t’he use of this soil type*. A summary
of this survey is presented here to illustrate t,hose factors that play an important
part in the use of the intermediate
text’ured soils of Durham County.
Slope affects the rate of runoff and consequently the susceptibility
of a
soil t,ype to erosion. Six slope classes were established to express this factor
in the Bondhead fine sandy loam with the following results:
SLOPE CLASS
AREA OCCUPIED IN '%
...
A-O-3%.
. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
B-3-8yc
4;*:
c-815%
43:2
D-15-25%.
;*i
E-25-35%...
1:9
F-35%
and over.
.. ‘.‘.
. .. .
The following table indicates the distribution
of the slope classes according to present land use. About half the cropland area is located on slopes
greater than 8%. Because of steep topography and susceptibility
to erosion
there has been a tendency to retire a large proportion of the steep slopes to
permanent cover of woodland or pasture.
DISTRIBUTION
OF PRESENT
PRESENTLANDUSE
1
ASLOPES
O-3%
(
LAND
USE
ACCORDING
B SLOPES CSLOPES
3-8%
1 8-15%
%
%
43.9
40.8
41.2
61.6
TO
SLOPE
GROUP
D SLOPES E SLOPES FSLOPES
1 15-25%
/ 25-35%
1 37&4;D
Cropland (2,892 acres),
Pasture Land (932 acres)
Woodland (132 acres)......
Idle Land (54 acres). . .
%
2.1
1.7
:
* Richards,
N. R. Physical
Canada. Sci. Agric. 25:5, January
48.0
35.6
3:::
Factors
1945.
Affecting
56
Land
%
17.:
%
1.9
%3
1E
0’
i-t
0’
Use in a Common
Soil Type
3214 .
7.6
in
The Bondhead fine sandy loam is a soil type well suited to, and used extensively for the production of agricultural
crops. About 72% of this type in the
sample area was found to be in cropland.
Because of the suitable inherent
qualit,ies it possesses for crop production, it has been subjected to rather short
rotations and frequent cultivation.
The rolling topography of the type, along
with the type of farming commonly practised in the area, has resulted in considerable sheet erosion. On the cropland area erosion
has affected the 4,000
acres examined to the following extent:
EROSION
ON CROPLAND
OF BONDHEAD
FINE
SANDY
Little or no erosion ....
. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .. . . .. . . . . . . . . .
Slight erosion . ... . . . . . .. . .
. . . . . .. . . . . . .. ... . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . .
Moderate erosion. . . . .
.. . . . . . . . .._........... .
Severe erosion.. . . . . . . . .. . .
Very severe erosion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . .. . . I..: . . . .. . :.::..I
LOAM
5.9%
43.4%
44.1%
2.7%
4.1%
Assuming that the four factors soil type, present land use, degree of slope
and erosion have been measured, they form the basis for developing a plan
of improved land use on the surveyed area. Each factor is important in itself
but in an effort to express the capabilities of the Bondhead fine sandy loam
for use they have been grouped into a simple classification.
Five categories
were established in which Classes I, II, III included land that is suitable for
the regular use of growing crops that require tillage. Classes IV and V are
considered to be best adapted for permanent cover of pasture or forest land.
Based on the physical characteristics
which determine the capability of the
soil type for use, the following classes were recognized:
LAND CLASS
PERCENTAGE OF AREA
I .. . ..
. . . . . ... .. . . . .. . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . .. . . . . .
7.6
II . . .._ _..,_ . . . .._._...._.._......._._._........_.....__........... 41.8
III... . . .. . .. . . .. . . . . . . . .. . . .. . .. . . . . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . . . .. . .. . ..
37.2
Iv.. . . .
. ..,....... .. . . . . . .. . .. . .. . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . . .. .
4.3
V . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . .. .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .
9.1
Land Class I and II require good soil management practices, satisfactory
rotations and the continued application
of soil conserving principles if this
land is to serve its most useful purpose. Because of advanced erosion, slope
or other reasons, Land Class III requires intensive soil conserving practices.
Longer rotations to lessen runoff, contour strip cropping to reduce the amount
of cultivated
land exposed to moving water, diversion ditches to break and
reduce the length of slope may separately or collectively be employed to prevent
sheet erosion.
The results of this detailed investigation on a common soil type in Durham
County indicate that if the Bondhead fine sandy loam is to serve its greatest
use capability, erosion control and sound soil conserving measures should be
employed.
These measures should be incorporated
into an acceptable farm
plan and cropping system based on a suitable long term use of the land. The
results of the detailed survey on this soil type should be applicable in a large
part to the Dundonald and Otonabee series.
The management and handling of this large group of soils should be guided
by the suitability
of the land to produce particular crops that give high yields
of good quality.
In meeting these requirements, the effect on the soil must
not be overlooked.
The farming practices should be controlled to such an
extent that the soils are not eroded by water or wind and that the rainfall
57
soaks into the ground rather than running off the land. To meet these requirements of a soil management plan, attention will centre around the selection
and rotation of crops adaptable to the land on each acre of a farm. In a general
way, any part of a farm that is too steep or eroded to produce an adequate
permanent pasture should be reforested. Land with less slope but susceptible
to erosion when planted to cereal grains should become the permanent pasture
areas. The balance of the farm which is smoother and is not eroded as severely
would be considered suitable for rotational cropping. The length of time the
cropland should remain in hay depends to some extent on the steepness and
danger of erosion. Even on gently sloping land, row crops like corn, potatoes,
tobacco and roots, afford very little protection for the soil often resulting in
serious erosion.
Under any type of farming the supply and availability
of necessary plant
foods must be kept at optimum levels. The organic matter supply is a storehouse for the nitrogen, phosphorus, potash and other plant foods. Maintaining
plenty of humus in these soils is a management problem slightly less than on
coarse droughty sandy soils. Applying barnyard manure and plowing under
clovers and grasses and hay aftermaths are the usual methods of adding organic
matter to the soil. For many crops applications of commercial fertilizers, based
on soil test recommendations,
improve the quality and quantity of produce.
Heavy
Textured
Soils
The heavy textured soils in Durham County occupy a small percentage
of the total area. The Newcastle, Schomberg, and Smithfield series are the
heavier textured soils considered under this grouping.
The series include
clay loam and silt loam types.
The Smithfield clay loam under natural conditions is a dark fertile soil
but its suitability
for some crops, especially alfalfa, is limited by imperfect
drainage conditions.
Where this type occurs over large enough areas and
suitable outlets can be established, artificial
drainage would improve the
general usefulness of the type.
The Schomberg clay loam and silt loam are alkaline well-drained soil types.
The topography is usually strongly undulating
to rolling, which encourages
the erosion hazards. In laying out or developing land use plans for the individual farm the same general procedure outlined for the intermediate textured
soils should be followed. These types contain more silt and clay which makes
the soils slightly more compact, less ready to absorb rainfall with the result
that erosion is often severe on fairly smooth slopes. The areas that have
eroded but are capable of supporting grasses and clovers should be returned
to pasture.
The Newcastle clay loam is mapped in the southern parts and is well
adapted to general farming, dairying and some fruit growing.
The natural
fertility is generally higher than most soils in the county. Good cultural practices, that maintain the supply of organic matter and provide other plant
foods, are recommended to retain the productivity.
In dairying districts there
is generally a large percentage of hay and as the slopes on the Newcastle are
not steep, erosion is not as serious a problem as in many other soils. Where
clean cultivation
in orchards is practised and large acreages of row crops are
grown, the sides and tops of the knolls are often grey in colour indicating an
erosion problem.
Maintaining
a good tilthy condition may be a problem on some of these
heavier soils. When a well drained soil becomes hard or sticky and can be
worked only under ideal moisture conditions, the fault is often found in the
lowered content of soil humus. This organic matter acts as a binder to hold
lighter soils together and reduce their droughtiness while in clay loam soils
the sticky clay is mixed with the humus to give a more tilthy friable soil. Under
some conditions
imperfectly
drained soils lack organic matter, especially
where row crops and cereal grains have been grown extensively and no grass
or clover included in t)he rotation.
CROP ADAPTABILITIES
AND PRODUCTIVITY
DURHAM
COUNTY
SOILS
RATINGS
FOR
To successfully grow such general farm crops as fall wheat, spring grains,
ensilage, corn, roots, hay and pasture, a fertile well-drained soil located in a
favourable climatic zone is essential. Having equal access to these two requirements, the degree of success among farmers is explained in terms of management, marketing
facilities
and local conditions
of soil and climate.
The
production of general farm crops is governed by the inherent characteristics
of t,he soil and the climate which are not as liable to the changes or fluctuations
as found in management or markets.
Throughout
this report the potentialities
and limitations
for crop production of the soil types of Durham County have been discussed. Recommendations for soil improvement
have been suggested. Reference has been
made to those crops for which some types are especially suited.
Now consideration
is given to the soil type-crop
relationship
with
particular
reference to the comparative
suitability
of individual
soil types
for specific crops. Hence, a soil rating for a number of crops is presented which
is an attempt to give a crystallized expression to all those factors that influence
the productiveness of a soil type.
Various methods have been used for making soil ratings. It is not the
intention of the writers or the purpose of this report to appraise such methods.
Suffice to say that in this rating the characterist,ics of a soil are weighed in
relation to their effect upon the production of a particular crop. If a method
were involved whereby one could manipulate
the various phenomena that.
influence production and measure the effect exercised, then a rating could be
made on a fairly scientific basis. It is indeed difficult to conceive a means
whereby such an evaluation could be reached.
Ratings assigned according to yield data considered representative of the
production of a specified crop on a particular
soil have limitations.
Yields:
collected by interviews will only be as good as the memory of the man interviewed. It is rather doubtful if a man can remember yields from individual
fields for more than a year or two without the aid of records. Yields from any
geographic4 unit larger than a farm carry only slight significance in estimating;
the productive capacity of individual
soil types.
Probably the soundest basis for rating would be tb collect yields under
specific management from sample areas well distributed
over a soil type area.
and for a sufficient number of years to eliminate differences due to climateYield data collected on such a scale is costly and time consuming to obtain.
’
59
No scheme of productivity
indices can be looked upon as carrying an
implication
of mathematical precision. They are, however, a means of stating
that one soil type is better suited for the production of certain crops than is
another. The bases upon which they are formed depends upon the judgment
,of those individuals
charged with the responsibility
of making the rating.
It is well to keep in mind that the ratings are made for crops commonly
grown in the area and under prevailing conditions of management.
With the
introduction
of new varieties, new systems of soil management and other
unforeseen factors, the ratings may of necessity be adjusted and changed.
Good
Cropland
The types listed under good cropland soils represent about 47 per cent of
the land in Durham County. These soils are well adapted to general farming
when those cultural practices are followed that maintain the soil at optimum
levels of fertility.
Some of the types are suitable for the production of specialiced crops chiefly fruits and potatoes.
On rolling types like the Schomberg, Otonabee and Bondhead, practices
to conserve soil and water should be followed. Cultivation
up and down the
slope increases the loss of topsoil and surface water. The Schomberg series
because of texture and slope is particularly
susceptible to water erosion.
Good
to Fair
Cropland
About 11 per cent of the soils in Durham County are placed in this broad
grouping.
Generally speaking each type is characterized
by one dominant
feature that restricts the adaptibility
for general farming.
Local areas occur
in any one type that would be included in good or fair cropland.
The more
important limiting features are:
Smithfield clay loam ,.....
.
_. . im erfect drainage
Brighton sandy loam.. . . _.
_, lig %t texture and moderate
Tecumseth sandy loam..
. .. .
.. . imperfect drainage
Dundonald sandy loam.. .
. _. .. .. . . . susceptibility
to erosion
Fair
fertility
Cropland
These soils represent about 9 per cent of the area. For general farm crops
these soils are less suitable than those of the preceding groups. To restore,
develop or maintain the proper soil condition necessary for general farm crops
intensive and costly practices are involved.
The principal limiting
factors
:tlF:
Guerin loam ... . . .. ..
.
. . _.
Guerin sandy loam..
. . . . . ._.
Pontypool sandy loam..
. ..
Granby sandy loam..
. . .
Brighton sand. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .._.
Brighton gravelly sand., _.
_.
Fair
to Poor
.. .
.. .
. .. . .
.. . .
. . . ..
. . .. .
imperfect drainage
imperfect drainage
light texture, steep slopes, erosion
poor drainage
low fertility
and erodibility
low fertility
Cropland
A wide variety of soils and soil conditions is included in this grouping.
These soils represent approximately
32 per cent of the area. Generally these
soils are looked upon as marginal for general farming but some parts of the
arm are adapted to specialized crops. For the most part they serve their
greatest
usefulness as forest land or under a controlled system of grazing.
‘These soils, with their limitations and recommended uses, are given as follows:
60
*
1‘Y 13
LI~~~ITATIONS
HECOMMENDATIONS
___--
______-____--_
Otonabee loam, steep phase
Pontypool
Pontypool
Bottom
gravelly
sand
Steep topography,
sand
‘-
erodihilit>
-Low fertility,
steep topography, erodibility
Overflow
Land
and flooding hazard
--____
Bondhead loam, bouldery
phase
Guerin loam, bouldery
Lyons loam
Granby sandy loam,
bouldery phase
Brighton sandy loam,
bouldery phase
Muck
Bridgman
sand
-~Stoniness
-phase
Imperfect
drainage,
stoniness
Stoniness and low fertility
Permanent pasture, woodland
-___
General reforestation
excepting certain local areas
Permanent pasture, some cropland and woodland
Woodland,
cropland
removed
----~~
Permanent
land
I-----Pelrmnent
Very poor drainage
Woodland
voirs
Drifting
Reforestation
sand
61
pasture and some
where stones are
pasture
and wood-
pasture
and wood-
and
water
reser-
TABLE
SOIL
RATiNG
FOR
9
GENERAL
FARM
CROPS
The crop adaptability
rating for each soil type is indicated as follows:
G - Good; G-F - Good to Fair; F - Fair; F-P - Fair to Poor; P -
Poor.
W
z
o#
v
--
-GOOD CROPLAND
Newcastle loam.. . . . .
Newcastle clay loam..
Percy loam. . .
.. ._ . .
Schomberg silt loam..
Schomberg clay loam
Darlington
loam. . . . .
Bondhead loam.. . . . .
Otonabee loam ,... . . .. .
Darlington sandy loan
Bondhead sandy loam
G-F
G-F
G-F
G
E
G-F
GTF
E
:
:
G
F
:
:
G
E
G-F
G-F
G-F
G-F
G
:I;
G-F
G-F
G-F
E
:r
GFF
G-F
GEF
G-F
F”
G-F
G-F
G-F
G-F
GrF
F
F
F
E
G-F
;
F
G-F
G-F
GOOD TO FAIR
CROPLAND
Smithfield clay loam..
Brighton sandy loam..
Tecumseth sandy loan
Dundonald sandy loan
GFF
G-F
G-F
F-P
G-F
GFF
GTF
FFP
F
F
F-P
G-F
G_FF
:
F-P
F
FAIR CROPLAND
Guerin loam.. . . . .
Guerin sandy loam..
Pontypool sandy loam
Granby sandy loam . .
Brighton sand.. . . . . . . . .
Brighton gravelly sam
FTP
F-P
F-P
F-P
F-P
;I::
F-P
F-P
F-P
F-P
G-F
F-P
F-P
zT
i
FFP
F-P
F
P
;
P
F
P
F-P
P
F
F
P
FAIR TO POOR
CROPLAND
Ot;;;iF
loam, steep
.... . . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . . . . . . F-P
Posnatyrl
gravelly
.... . . . . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . . . . . .
;I;
Pontypool sand.. . . .
.. . . .. . . .
Bottom Land .. . . . .. . .
Bondhead loam,
.. . . .
bouldery phase ... ..
Guerin loam,
. . . ... ..
bouldery phase ... . .
Lyons loam ...... . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . .
Granby sand loam,
bouldery p K ase ....... . ,
Brighton sand,
bouldery phase .. . .. .
Muck ,.......,....,......, .. . . . .
Bridgman sand.. .. .. , . . .
.. . . .
. . . .. . . .
..*. .. ..
. . .. . . .
P
P
P
P
P
F
F
P
P
E
. . . .. . .
FTP
.. .
P
P
. . . .. .
E
. ......
Pp
.......
;
F
F
F-G
::
... .. .
P
P
. . . . ..-
. . . .. .
.. . .
. ..
. . .. .
... . .
. .
F
.. . . .
.. . . . .
. . . .. . .
. .. . . .
.. . . . . .
.. . .. ,
. . . .. . .
.. ..
..... ..
. . . .. . . .
.......
.. ..
. . . .. .
. .
F
. ., . . . ..
. . . ., . .
. .. . . ..
. . . .. . .
. . .. . .
. .. . , . .
. .. . . ..
. . . . .. . .
.*. . . . . .
. . .. .
F
. .. .. . . .
.. . . ..
. . . .. . . .
.. . . . .. .
.. . .. .. .
.. . . . . ..
.. . .. . . .
.. .. . . .
. . . . . ..
....,...
. . .. . . . .
. . . .. . . .
... ....
. . . . . .. .
.. . .
. . .. . *..
. .. . . . .
. . .. .
;
. . .. . .
. . . .. . .
... ....
. . .. . . . .
.. ....
. . .. . . . .
. . .. . .
62
PART
ANALYTICAL
V
DATA
The chemical and physical analyses of 75 samples of surface soils taken
in Durham County during the survey are shown in Table 10. The chemical
analyses indicate the levels of some of the plant nutrients in the soil. The
physical analyses record the relative amounts of sand, silt and clay in the soils
that were analysed.
Sampling
The samples were taken after the area had been mapped. The number
and distribution
of samples taken from the county generally depended on
the extent and importance of the soil t’ypes. In an attempt to avoid the effects
of different cultural and management pract,ices, the samples were taken from
pasbure fields that appeared to have been pastured for several years without
recent applicat8ions of manure or fertilizer.
Reaction
The soils of Durham County are mostly in the neutral to mildly alkaline
range, Only 3 samples out of 75 were below a pH of 6.0 and 10 samples were
above a pH of 8.0.
Only local areas on the well-drained
non-eroded sands are sufficiently
acid to indicate a need for liming. Samples from individual
fields should be
t’ested before applying lime extensively.
Phosphorus
The supply of phosphorus in Durham County soils is much higher than
in most of the counties farther west. However, with the alkaline reaction and
high calcium content on many of the soils, the phosphorus is not as available
to the plants as it would be if the soil were slightly acid.
In describing the method used in the determination
of readily soluble
phosphorus Lohse and Ruhnke state that soils containing less than 60 pounds
of phosphorus per acre appear to indicate very marked phosphate deficiency.
No figure however is proposed that would indicate an adequate supply but
some later work on Carleton County soils would indicate that 200 lbs. might
be accepted as a tentative figure for soils near neutral or acid. For the more
alkaline soils some additional phosphorus in the form of phosphatic fertilizers
usually gives good crop response, even though the soil contains a fair amount.
In plants, phosphorus is largely concentrated in the seeds; in animals
phosphorus and calcium are important
elements in the bones. A low phosphorus content in the soil is reflected in a delayed maturity of the plant, poor
plant growth and root development.
Potassium
The figures for the replaceable potassium (K) indicate the supply of this
element that is available to growing plants. The total amount in a soil is
generally much greater but becomes available slowly through various soil
reactions. The necessary amount of replaceable potassium for most general
farm crops is approximately
167 pounds of potassium (K) per acre, with
somewhat larger amounts for crops like potatoes or tobacco.
63
The heavier textured soils, clays, clay loams and silt loams, in a general
way, have a greater supply of replaceable potassium than the sandy loam soil
t,ypes. This is borne out by the greater supply in the Schomberg and Newcastle clay loams. Most of the medium and lighter textured soils are deficient
in potassium supply and should benefit by the application of potash fertilizers.
,4n adequate supply of available potassium in a soil promotes the growth
of a healthy plant of good quality.
Potassium is essential in the production
of starch and sugar in plants, assures plump, well-developed
kernels and in
general increases the resistance of plants to disease.
The liquid portion of manure normally contains more than half the total
amount of potassium, nearly half t,he nitrogen and a trace of phosphorus.
Care should be taken in handling and storing manure to conserve this liquid
portion.
Calcium
The soils of Durham County are well supplied with calcium for normal
and continued plant growth. In discussing soil reaction it was suggested that
soil tests be made before calcium (lime) was added for the purpose of correcting an acidic or sour condition.
Since most of the subsoils contain an excessive
amount of calcium for best plant growth it is particularly
important to protect
these soils from erosion.
Magnesium
Magnesium deficiency may occur when the water-soluble supply is less
than 40 pounds per acre. It would appear that the soils in Durham County
are adequately supplied. The sandy soils are more likely to be deficient than the
heavy textured soils.
Organic
Matter
The amounts of organic matter in soils are lowest in the well-drained
sandy types like Pontypool and Brighton, intermediate
in the loam series,
Bondhead and Otonabee and highest in poorly drained soils like the Granby.
The organic matter content varies with the management and cultural practices that are used on each farm but since the samples were taken from areas
pastured for several years, the figures should be comparative.
It is particularly
important that a good supply of organic matter should
be maintained in the soil. It not only supplies nutrients for the growing plants
as it decomposes, but also serves as a storehouse for plant nutrients.
It greatly
assists in forming a friable crumb structure in the surface soil so that the rains
will soak in readily and not wash off taking part of the soil with it.
The most economical sources of organic matter are barnyard manure,
crop residues, cover crops, spoiled hay or straw, etc. When coarse strawy
material is used in fairly large quantities, such as straw left after a combine for
example, some additional
nitrogen fertilizer
should be applied to help the
straw decompose more rapidly.
64
APPEISDIX
SOIL
SURVEY
METHODS
The purpose of a soil survey is essentially to establish an inventory of the
soil resources and to record the information
on maps and in a written report.
The soils are studied, classified, ?-napped and described by men who are specially
trained in soil science. They are examined in depth as well as on the surface,
and such factors as texture, stoniness, structure, colour, organic matter content,
etc., are noted. The topography and drainage, native vegetation, crops grown
and amount of erosion are also noted and correlated.
Before starting the field work a study is made of any general information
available in the literature concerning the formation of soils in the area. This
may include reports on the surface geology, physiography;
climate, natural
vegetation, type of agriculture,
etc. When the field work starts, one of the
first objectives is to make several cross-section tours to study the general
soil profile development and determine the main soil types in the area.
The soil survey conducted in Durham Count,y may be classed as a detailed
reconnaissance type of survey. ‘Traverses were made along all roads passable
by car, and extra traverses were made on foot wherever necessary, in order to
obtain the required amount of detail. Wherever available, cross-sections along
road-cuts were studied, and elsewhere the soil was examined in depth by
making a boring with a one-and-a-half-inch
auger, or by digging a pit with a
spade or shovel.
Kotes were taken continually
during the survey, and the locations of
boundaries between soil types were plotted on base maps with a scale of one
inch = one mile, as supplied by the Hydrographic
and Map Service, Ottawa.
Several representative
samples of the surface soil were taken from each
of the more important
agricultural
types. These sa.mples were taken from
fields which had been in sod for at least two or three years and which had not
been recently manured or fertilised.
The results of t.he analyses of these samples
are reported elsewhere in this report.
65
TABLE
CHEMICAL
AND PHYSICAL
ANALYSES
ANALYZED
SavPI ,I3
SO.
TYPE
______---___-
g
Rondhead
loam
Hondhead
sandy
Brighton
sand
Brighton
sandy
__
loam
loam
--
._...
Ton
--~-
NBHIP
OF SURFACE
BY A.
PER
CENT
SAND
LOCATIOS
So1r.
10
OF SAMPLES
co\.
---_
LOT
l.O.05biM
L.
SOILS
FROM
DURHAM
COUNTY
WILLIS
PER
CENT
SILT
PER
CENT
CLAY
--
--
.05.002MM
,ESSTHA?
.002bfM
REACTION
i
-- _-
(pH)
GLASS
ELECTRODE
.-
PHOSPHORUS
READILY
SOLUBLE
LB&
P/ACBE
POTASSIUM
REPLACEABLE
LBB.
K/ACRE
--_-_-
CALCIUM
REPLACEABLE
LB&
CA/ACRE
MAGNESIUM
WATER
SOLUBLE
LB&
MG/ACRE
ORGANIC
MATTER
%,CCAHBOX
x 1.724
___-
I_--
2
3
3.5
36
38
39
40
57
Darlington
Darlington
Csvan
Darlington
Darlington
Darlington
Darlington
Clarke
9
8
5
5
6
7
5
5
34s
3oc
5s
12c
22c
31s
3oc
25X
45.8
38.2
30.2
64.6
42.6
42.6
51.6
50.4
42.4
51.6
52.8
31.0
44.6
47.2
38.8
41.0
11.8
10.2
17.0
4.4
12.8
10.2
9.6
8.6
7.95
7.58
7.95
6.27
7.18
7.70
7.80
7.60
160
170
392
88
248
176
172
196
94
90
97
127
96
71
86
120
8,952
8,640
10,560
2,568
7,200
6,696
9,648
6,120
40
40
40
40
50
45
50
56
2.98
5.43
2.72
2.66
3.66
3.45
2.10
3.48
1
4
5
7
8
9
11
13
23
28
29
-55
59
Cartwright
Cartwright
Cartwright,
Manvers
Manvers
Manvers
Cartwright
Hope
Cavan
Cavan
Manvers
Clarke
Hope
4
1
5
11
9
6
8
7
3
12
12
2
4
6C
9N
15s
6NW
EC
12w
2
16s
2s
17s
12N
34s
42.8
75.2
50.4
56.8
52.8
46.0
81.6
53.2
77.2
65.2
42.0
56.2
49.6
49.8
38.4
38.2
29.0
33.4
45.8
15.6
39.2
17.0
28.8
47.2
34.4
40.8
7.4
4.4
11.4
14.2
13.8
8.2
2.8
7.6
5.8
6.0
10.8
9.4
9.6
7.22
6.52
7.99
8.09
8.15
8.10
6.88
7.03
6.33
7.81
7.92
7.73
6.60
132
122
196
232
184
108
62
316
128
324
220
352
122
95
88
130
121
94
80
130
121
47
67
73
77
56
4,872
2,712
10,536
13,440
14,13&
12,600
2,784
3,072
2,064
10,416
9,600
6,336
3,096
48
45
40
40
45
45
45
50
40
40
40
40
40
3.24
2.60
4.38
2.84
2.69
4.09
2.36
1.86
1.48
2.50
4.07
2.36
2.66
49
67
Darlington
Hope
1s
21N
80.1
90.3
14.4
6.8
5.5
2.9
7.49
5.83
172
70
86
35
3,072
1,056
50
40
1.91
1.57
52
64
69
70
Clarke
Hope
Hope
Clarke
21c
1oc
22N
69
91.6
74.8
70.2
63.0
5.1
18.4
25.0
33.6
3.3
6.8
4.8
3.4
5.90
7.11
6.53
6.45
54
158
20
36
42
62
56
69
696
2,448
4,752
3,624
40
40
40
50
1.10
1.76
5.07
3.98
SOIL
TYPE
If
I>OCATION
SAMPLE
NO.
.-
-
-
PER
CENT
SAND
l.O.05M%l
--
-
PER
CENT
SILT
.05.002MM
PER
CENT
CLAY
ESSTHAK I
.002MM
_-
I REACTION
WV
GLASB
ELECTRODE
PHOEPHORUB
READILY
SOLUBLE
LRS.
P/ACRE
POTA
EIUM
REPLACEABLE
LBS.
K/ACRE
-____
CALCIUM
1REPLACEABLE
LBB.
CA/ACRE
RIAGNESIUM
WATER
SOLUBLE
LBS.
RIG/ACRE
ORGANIC
MATTER
&CARBON
x 1.724
TOV,~NSHIP
CON.
6
10
37
41
45
Cartwright
Manvers
Darlington
Darlington
Darlington
7
8
6
RF.
1
14s
15N
15s
24N
19c
59.8
42.8
64.2
54.0
49.6
31.2
50.2
29.6
30.6
35.8
9.0
7.0
6.2
15.4
14.6
8.10
7.32
7.10
7.88
7.73
128
176
44
172
108
98
209
68
98
55
11,040
11,928
5,184
12,336
10,986
45
50
40
50
50
3.56
6.58
4.35
3.72
7.05
.-
LOT
.-
-
.-
Darlington
loam
Darlington
sandy
loam
43
Darlington
2
24C
56.6
32.4
11.0
8.09
188
79
13,128
50
5.21
Dundonald
sandy
loam
16
17
30
60
71
73
74
Hope
Hope
hlanvers
Hope
Darlington
Clarke
Clarke
7
9
4
4
8
7
7
18s
ION
21c
30C
17c
35N
20N
77.4
39.6
51.6
71.2
40.8
46.6
43.4
20.2
49.0
43.2
23.6
48.2
47.6
41.0
2.4
11.4
5.2
5.2
11.0
5.8
15.6
6.43
7.45
6.57
5.91
7.78
7.38
7.93
122
296
112
36
116
264
308
124
133
71
58
71
126
332
1,536
5,280
4,056
2,232
7,584
6,720
9,888
45
40
45
40
25
56
40
1.48
2.72
3.83
3.40
4.40
4.42
3.36
15
44
56
Hope
Darlington
Clarke
6
4
4
11N
23s
9c
35.4
68.4
46.2
56.2
26.0
40.8
8.4
5.6
13.0
8.00
7.92
7.95
236
188
400 +
98
117
94
18,288
8,784
16,080
45
50
56+
9.22
2.64
5.86
Guerin
sandy loam.
(bouldery
phase.)
54
61
Clarke
Hope
1
2
18C
26C
56.2
66.6
31.2
25.6
12.6
7.8
7.74
6.48
80
104
150
49
7,032
2,280
45
40
4.45
1.86
Newcastle
loam
47
51
62
63
65
Darlington
Clarke
Hope
Hope
Hope
RF.
1
2
2
3
4c
3oc
2oc
2c
15c
58.0
39.8
40.4
48.2
41.8
31.4
39.8
45.2
39.0
44.2
10.6
20.4
14.4
12.8
14.0
7.13
6.08
6.33
7.19
6.68
190
292
196
192
96
68
159
161
105
94
3,456
4,104
4,584
5,304
6,816
40
56
50
50
50
1.67
3.52
4.71
3.40
5.65
Newcastle
clay
46
48
50
Darlington
Darlington
Clarke
R.F.
2
4
13C
2c
33c
33.6
36.2
39.2
45.8
42.6
46.0
20.6
21.2
14.8
7.40
6.44
7.25
248
184
252
133
132
71
7,632
4,512
6,960
56
4.17
3.45
4.38
Granby
sandy
loam
loam
56+
45
.
Sort
SAiMPLE
NO.
TYPE
T
LOCATION
-
TOWNSHIP
Percy
loam
loam
Pontypool
sand
Pontypool
sandy loam ._
Schomberg
clay
..
loam
Schomberg
silt
loam
Tecumseth
sandy
loam
Analytical
19
21
22
25
26
CON.
-_
--Otonabee
-
T
I,OT
__--
PER
CENT
SAND
-__-
PER
CENT
SILT
l.O.05UM
__--
.05.002MM
__-
PER
CENT
CLIY
.- ----1,Et38THA>
.002MM
.- --___
REACTION
(pW
GLASS
ELECTRODE
PHOSPHORUS
READILY
SOLUBLE
LBS.
P/ACRE
POTASSIUM
REPLACEABLE
LBR.
h'/.4CRE
-----
CALCIUM
REPLACEABLE
1~x4.
CA/.~CRE
--
-~-
,\I.IoNESIUM
W.4TER
SOLUBLE
LBS.
lIG/ACRE
(hWA;vIC
FLATTER
To CARBOX
x 1.724
___--
Cavan
Cavan
Cavan
4
4
7
13
11
19s
16N
12s
78
1x
44.6
33.2
34.6
46.0
46.6
43.2
42.0
38.3
38.8
43.0
12.2
24.8
26.6
15.2
10.0
8.08
7.96
7.40
7.90
7.83
276
332
324
240
240
102
161
197
170
112
10,824
13,968
9,984
13,536
9,096
40
40
4.5
40
40
3.32
3.71
4.54
5.00
3.80
53
58
75
Clarke
Clarke
Hope
1
RF.
8
25C
75
14s
59.4
38.6
34.8
28.2
50.0
44.2
12.4
11.4
21.0
7.25
7.64
7.91
128
120
204
77
97
126
4,344
5,808
14,400
40
40
50
2.78
2.81
3.72
32
33
34
72
Manvers
Clarke
Manvers
Darlington
3
10
2
9
21N
19N
16s
4c
74.8
86.7
84.4
79.6
19.0
9.2
11.1
16.1
6.2
4.1
4.5
4.3
7.74
7.37
7.88
7.46
244
170
288
142
65
50
55
35
6,528
2,400
4,704
3,120
40
40
40
40
2.60
1.21
1.21
1.64
31
Manvera
4
186
GO.8
36.0
3.2
6.01
154
58
1,440
45
1.01
12
18
20
66
Hope
Cavan
Cavan
Hope
7
1
4
4
1s
20s
228
7s
35.0
33.2
27.6
46.4
44.6
41.8
45.0
40.4
20.4
25.0
27.4
13.2
7.98
7.54
7.84
8.04
252
272
340
172
135
188
221
114
12,744
10,560
16,560
15,648
45
56
56
56f
3.91
5.12
6.31
5.05
27
Cavan
9
4s
35.6
42.6
21.8
7.84
276
135
11,736
56
3.80
14
24
42
68
Hope
Cavan
Darlington
7
9
1
4
SC
22N
24N
30N
51.4
61.0
55.8
69.6
41.8
27.0
33.0
24.4
6.8
12.0
11.2
6.0
5.96
8.04
8.01
7.02
66
212
172
32
265
73
62
56
2,362
13,296
11,928
7,080
40
40
50
35
3.69
3.80
5.40
6.41
Cavan
Cavan
How
Methods:
Mechanical Analysis-Bouyoucos
Hydrometer Method.
Phosphorus-Lohse,
H. W., and Ruhnke, G. N.-Soil
Science 35:6, 1933.
Reaction-Glass
Electrode.
Potassium-Volk,
N. J.. and Truog, E.-Jour.
Amer.
Sot. of Agron.
26, 537-46, 1934.
Calcium-The
replaceable calcium was determined on the same extract that was used in the determination
Magnesium-Spurway,
C. H. -Mich.
State College Technical Bulletin 132.
Organic Carbon-Allison,
L. E.-Soil Science, Oct. 1935, p. 311.
of potassium,