The Windsor is the official state soil

Soil

Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...

 of the U.S.

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 state of Connecticut

Connecticut

Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

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Profile

Windsor soils are well suited to the highly diversified agriculture of Connecticut; they are the preferred soils for the production of shade tobacco. Windsor soils are important for fruit and vegetable crops, silage

Silage

Silage is fermented, high-moisture fodder that can be fed to ruminants or used as a biofuel feedstock for anaerobic digesters. It is fermented and stored in a process called ensiling or silaging, and is usually made from grass crops, including corn , sorghum or other cereals, using the entire...

 corn, and ornamental shrubs and trees. They are also well suited for commercial and residential development, as well as a source for construction material. These soils cover 34000 acres (137.6 km²) in Connecticut.

The Windsor series consists of very deep, excessively drained, rapidly permeable soils formed in glacial

Glacier

A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...

 meltwater sediment

Sediment

Sediment is naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of fluids such as wind, water, or ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particle itself....

s. Some areas formed in sand dunes swept by winds from the Connecticut River

Connecticut River

The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...

 Valley as ancient glacial Lake Hitchcock

Lake Hitchcock

Lake Hitchcock was a glacial lake that formed approximately 15,000 years ago in the late Pleistocene epoch. After the Laurentide ice sheet retreated, glacial ice melt accumulated at the terminal moraine and blocked up the Connecticut River, creating the long, narrow lake...

 receded. The largest landscapes of Windsor soils are in the northern Connecticut River Valley, but the soils are mapped throughout the state. Slopes range from 0 to 15 percent. Windsor soils overlay sand and gravel groundwater aquifer

Aquifer

An aquifer is a wet underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well. The study of water flow in aquifers and the characterization of aquifers is called hydrogeology...

s. Droughtiness is the main limitation for crops, lawns, and landscaping. During dry months, irrigation is necessary for optimal production. There is a hazard of ground water pollution

Pollution

Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...

due to the rapid permeability of these soils.