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Soil Types
Augusta was larger by a factor of 22 percent, but it contained a higher percentage of land poorly suited for agricultural
purposes.
| Franklin Soil Types |
| Soil Type |
Suitability for Agriculture |
Total Area, in square miles |
Area as a percent of whole county |
| Hagerstown-Duffield |
high suitability |
230.81 |
30.2 |
| Highfield-Glenville |
good suitability |
7.72 |
1.0 |
| Murrill-Laidig |
suitable |
68.22 |
8.9 |
| Weikert-Berks-Bedington |
suitable |
235.02 |
30.7 |
| Laidig-Buchanan |
poor suitability |
166.09 |
21.7 |
| Dekalb-Laidig |
not suitable |
56.91 |
7.4 |
| County Total |
|
764.76 |
99.9 |
| Augusta Soil Types |
| Soil Type |
Suitability for Agriculture |
Total Area, in square miles |
Area as a percent of whole county |
| Types 1 - 3 |
good suitability |
409.1 |
42.0 |
| Types 11 - 14 |
good suitability |
160.32 |
16.5 |
| Type 4 |
suitable |
43.28 |
4.4 |
| Types 5 - 10 |
poor suitability |
361.35 |
37.1 |
| Unidentified |
|
0.20 |
0.0002 |
| County total |
|
974.05 |
100 |
The data are based on the GIS of Augusta and Franklin households--maps are derived from a D. H. Davison map of Franklin County,
published in 1858, and a Jedediah Hotchkiss map of Augusta County, published in 1870, and based on surveys completed "during
the war." The maps have been georeferenced at the Virginia Center for Digital History, using ESRI Arc Info to produce a Geographic
Information Systems map and database of households based on U.S. census data from the population, agricultural, and slaveowners'
schedules.
Edward L. Ayers and William G. Thomas, III
Soil Types
2001.
Points of Analysis to this Data:
 "Slaveholders in Augusta did not monopolize the best soil nor did they crowd out nonslaveholders or small slaveholders."
"On a per capita basis, Franklin farmers grew far less corn and more wheat than their counterparts in Augusta, and their commitment
to wheat was seen by many as both the symbol of the North's wealth and the evidence of its superior labor system."
Citation: Key = E146
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