THE AGRICULTURAL FUTURE 

 OF LAMBTON 



By S. E. TODD, B. S. A. 



The particular conditions which determine the directions of ag- 

 ricultural development that a district will follow are mainly four, 

 soils, climates, markets and iinhabitants. Let us then examine these 

 four conditions and see what claims Lambton may make to a pros- 

 perous agricultural future. 



In judging the value of the Soil for agricultural purposes one 

 must take into consideration its origin, its chemical properties and 

 physical features. The physical features of the soil of the County are 

 especially favorable to farming. In the first place there are no great 

 masses of rocks 'crr loose boulders to interfere with the development 

 of individual farms nor yet with the uniform development of the 

 agriculture of the County. This point is of exceeding importance. 

 All the physical features of tihe County conspire to favor a uniform 

 and intensive agricultural development. Its character is uniformly 

 level or gently rollimg, its streams and rivers are just sufficiently 

 numerous to afford good drainage, and there are great blocks of uni- 

 form soil, so as to allow the extensive development of each branch of 

 farming, within a compact area. The chemical properties of the 

 soils vary with the kinds. Available Nitrogen, Potash, Pliosphatea 

 and Lime are the essential mineral characteristics of a fertile soil. 

 The presence of Nitrogem is ev/idenced by luxuriance of tree growth, 

 by t'he wealth of hay production and by the length of the straw of 

 cereal crops. The presence of Potash and Phosphates is sihown by 

 the high color of fruits, by the filling of the grain and the luxur- 

 iance of the growth of such root crops as Sugar Beets. These latter 

 also give indications of the presence of available Nitrogen. Some 

 of the soils show a lack of Lime, but as this is one of the cheapest 

 lof the mimerals to buy, its lack is easily corrected 



The origin of the soil indicates that it is stored many feet deep 

 with all of the chemical requirements of plants except possibly lime 

 In parts of the County. The clay and clay loams are essentially of 

 delta origin; they were laid down at the mouth of a great river or in 

 the bed of a shallow lake. Such soil is always fine in grain and 

 tJherefore the mineral matter is quite easily available to plants De- 



