Warwick Soils

PLYMOUTH COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS SOIL SURVEY UPDATE

266A - Warick sandy loam, 0 to 3 percent slopes.

This very deep, level, somewhat excessively drained soil developed in water-sorted sand, gravel, subrounded channers, and flagstones derived dominantly from acid dark phyllite, shale, or slate. Warwick soils are on glacial outwash plains, deltas, eskers, terraces, and kames.

Warwick soils typically have a thin black sandy loam surface layer, about 2 inches thick. The subsoil from 2 to 30 inches is mainly yellowish-brown and light olive brown channery fine sandy loam. The substratum from 30 to 60 inches is olive brown and dark grayish-brown, stratified, very channery sand and coarse sand.

Dark channers and flagstones of phyllite, schist, shale and slate comprise 50 to 75 percent of the coarse fragments.

Included in this soil map unit are areas of Quonset, Hinckley, Carver, Merrimac, Gloucester, Plymouth and Windsor soils. Deerfield and Sudbury soils are in lower elevations. Wareham and Walpole soils are in depressions and drainageways. Also included are very small areas where the soil is less than 60 inches to bedrock and areas that have more silt in the surface layer and subsoil. Isolated surface stones and boulders may be common in some areas of this soil.

Soil Properties:
Permeability: moderately rapid or rapid in the solum and rapid or very rapid in the substratum.
Available water capacity: low.
Soil reaction: extremely acid through moderately acid.
Depth to bedrock: more than 60 inches.
Seasonal high water table: Depth: more than 6 feet below the surface.
Type & Months: N/A
Hydrologic group: A
Hydric soil: no
Capability subclass: IIs
Flooding/Ponding Potential: Frequency & Type: none.
Duration & Months: none.

Most areas of this soil are used for homesites and suburban landuses. Some areas are in woodland and cropland.

Suitability:
Crops:
This is a prime farmland map unit. Warwick soils are well suited to cultivated crops. Good tilth is easily maintained. Droughtiness during periods of low rainfall is a management concern and irrigation is needed for maximum crop yields. Conservation tillage, use of cover crops, and incorporating grasses and legumes into the cropping system help to improve tilth. Mixing crop residues and manure into the surface layer improves tilth and increases the water holding capacity. This soil is well suited to hay and pasture. The main management concern is to prevent overgrazing that reduces the hardiness and density of desirable plants. Proper stocking rates, timely grazing and restricted use during wet periods help maintain plant densities and reduce surface compaction.

Woodland:
This soil is suited for woodland productivity. Droughtiness is a limitation that affects woodland management and some seedling loss is expected. Removal or control of competing vegetation will help to attain optimum growth of newly established seedlings. Trees most common to areas of this soil include pitch pine, white oak, scarlet oak, eastern white pine, and black oak.

Development:
This soil is suitable for building sites with or without basements. This soil readily absorbs but may not adequately filter the effluent from septic tank absorption fields. The poor filtering capacity may result in the pollution of groundwater supplies. Low density housing reduces the volume of effluent entering the groundwater system and lessens the severity of the pollution hazard. Additional precautionary measures may be necessary in some areas.

266B - Warwick sandy loam, 3 to 8 percent slopes.

Dark channers and flagstones of phyllite, schist, shale and slate comprise 50 to 75 percent of the coarse fragments.

Included in this soil map unit are areas of Quonset, Hinckley, Carver, Merrimac soils on similar landscapes. Deerfield and Sudbury soils are on lower elevations and Wareham, Walpole and Scarboro soils are in depressions and drainageways. Also included are areas with slopes greater than 8 percent.

Most areas of this soil are used for homesites and suburban landuses. Some areas are in woodland and cropland.

Suitability:

Crops: This is a prime farmland map unit. Warwick soils are well suited to cultivated crops and good tilth is easily maintained. Erosion and droughtiness during periods of low rainfall are management concerns. Irrigation is needed for maximum crop yields. Farming on the contour or across slope, terracing, strip-cropping, crop rotations, cover crops and conservation tillage are practices that help to reduce runoff and control erosion. Mixing crop residues and manure into the surface layer improve tilth and increases the water holding capacity.

This soil is well suited to hay and pasture. The main management concern is to prevent overgrazing that reduces the hardiness and density of desirable plants. Proper stocking rates, timely grazing, and restricted use during wet periods help maintain plant densities and reduce surface compaction.

Woodland:

This soil is suited for woodland productivity. Droughtiness is a limitation that affects woodland management and some seedling loss is expected. Removal or control of competing vegetation will help to attain optimum growth of newly established seedlings. Trees most common to areas of this soil include pitch pine, white oak, scarlet oak, eastern white pine and black oak.

Development:

This soil is suitable for building sites with or without basements. This soil readily absorbs but may not adequately filter the effluent from septic tank absorption fields. The poor filtering capacity may result in the pollution of groundwater supplies. Low density housing reduces the volume of effluent entering the groundwater system and lessens the severity of the pollution hazard. Additional precautionary measures may be necessary in some areas.

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