Augusta was larger by a factor of 22 percent, but 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 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.
