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SOIL RESOURCES AND LAND USE HAZARDS IN SOUTHERN ONTARIO
Author(s) -
Matthews B.C.
Publication year - 1955
Publication title -
canadian geographer / le géographe canadien
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.35
H-Index - 46
eISSN - 1541-0064
pISSN - 0008-3658
DOI - 10.1111/j.1541-0064.1955.tb01766.x
Subject(s) - drainage , agriculture , soil water , land use , environmental science , land management , agricultural land , geography , natural hazard , natural resource , hydrology (agriculture) , agroforestry , water resource management , geology , soil science , archaeology , ecology , biology , geotechnical engineering , meteorology
Southern Ontario, comprising about 50,000 square miles, provides the bulk of the agricultural wealth of Ontario. The soil resources in Southern Ontario are widely variable as a result of wide variations (1) in glacial drift from which the soils developed, (2) in topography and natural drainage, and (3) in climate. There are eight different great groups of soils, each group having its own peculiarities in regard to agricultural adaptability. In land use planning, the natural limitations of the land must be recognized. Problems such as inadequate drainage, excessively steep topography, low fertility and moisture holding capacity, as well as excessive stoniness and frequent rock outcropping seriously limit agriculture in certain parts of Southern Ontario. At the present time, only 25 per cent of the area is cropped but it is estimated that the present acreage of crop land could be increased by 20 per cent with proper management to overcome the hazards to cultivation. On the other hand, production could be increased by 50 to 100 per cent, without reclaiming new land, if known methods of good soil management were applied to all farms.