Wheat and Corn Production in Dollars, 1860

The Eve of War

Fall 1859–Spring 1861

1860 Census and Summaries

Slaveholders outperformed nonslaveholders in the value of corn and wheat production in Augusta, even though they did not necessarily monopolize the best soil. On the best soil Franklin wheat farmers outproduced their counterparts in Augusta, but on lesser soils Augusta’s wheat farmers were just as productive. In corn production Augusta farmers were more productive across the range of soil types.

In Augusta the farms in the highest quintile of farm value produced a crop value twice that of the next lowest quintile in both wheat and corn production. This leap was not evident at any other farm value in Augusta or Franklin.

	Augusta			Franklin
Wheat, total crop	Number of cases	Mean Value ($)	Median Value ($)	Number of cases	Mean Value ($)	Median Value ($)
County Average	406	323	215	1028	434	361
nonslaveholders	236	211	130
Slaveholders	170	478	390
Best Soil	334	332	228	485	558	520
Medium Soil	42	366	260	510	335	260
Worst Soil	30	164	66	33	158	65
Lowest Farm Value Quintile	70	79	26	171	134	72
Low-Medium Farm Value Quintile	89	119	91	225	194	156
Medium Farm Value Quintile	86	253	235	206	392	361
Medium-High Farm Value Quintile	79	388	390	202	544	520
High Farm Value Quintile	82	764	656	224	845	780
Smallest Farm Size Quintile	70	70	39	278	206	130
Small-Medium Farm Size Quintile	203	253	208	637	505	455
Medium Farm Size Quintile	73	471	390	91	584	416
Medium-Large Farm Size Quintile	46	676	643	20	628	520
Largest Farm Size Quintile	14	673	650	2	780	780

	Augusta			Franklin
Corn, total crop	Number of cases	Mean Value ($)	Median Value ($)	Number of cases	Mean Value ($)	Median Value ($)
County Average	406	494	360	1027	257	180
nonslaveholders	236	334	270
Slaveholders	170	716	540
Best Soil	334	501	360	484	312	270
Medium Soil	42	506	360	510	209	180
Worst Soil	30	397	203	33	200	135
Lowest Farm Value Quintile	70	153	113	175	100	63
Low-Medium Farm Value Quintile	89	262	180	224	153	135
Medium Farm Value Quintile	86	388	360	207	226	180
Medium-High Farm Value Quintile	79	582	540	197	320	270
High Farm Value Quintile	82	1063	900	224	459	405
Smallest Farm Size Quintile	70	142	113	278	126	90
Small-Medium Farm Size Quintile	203	378	360	636	300	270
Medium Farm Size Quintile	73	678	720	91	322	270
Medium-Large Farm Size Quintile	46	1005	900	20	401	270
Largest Farm Size Quintile	14	1292	990	2	459	459

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.