Soil Survey of Murray and Whitfield Counties, Georgia

Murray and Whitfield Counties, Georgia 5
Farming
Cindy Askew, district conservationist, Natural Resources Conservation Service, helped prepare this
section.
When Whitfield and Murray Counties were first settled, most of the farms were
diverse and self-sustaining. Farm size ranged from 600 to 4,000 acres. The nearest
market for farm products was in Augusta, Georgia. Corn, wheat, and hogs were
important agricultural products after the Civil War. During the 1880s, the size of farms
decreased and tenant farming was common. The production of corn, wheat, and hogs
declined, but the production of cotton increased. During this period, dairy and beef
cattle operations became common. These operations were typically included with
general farming, which continued until about 1914.
The increased production of cotton resulted in an increased hazard of erosion and a
reduction of soil fertility. During the 1930s, however, farmers began to apply
conservation measures, such as reforestation, cropping systems that include grasses
and legumes and winter cover crops, and terraces. They also began to improve soil
fertility by applying limestone and fertilizer.
Cotton production dominated the area’s agriculture from 1914 until about 1950.
Since the early 1950s, much of the land has been converted to pasture or to other
nonfarm uses.
The establishment of sawmills in the late 1800s led to the disappearance of nearly
all of the virgin forest in the survey area and to the decision by the Federal
Government to purchase much of the mountain land in Murray County and establish
the Cohutta District of the Chattahoochee National Forest.
Currently, about 73,000 acres of the survey area is in farm production. The current
trend in Whitfield and Murray Counties is toward smaller farms and part-time farmers.
Poultry production in the area has increased steadily through the 1990s to the level of
33 million broilers per year. The dairy farms in the area have declined in number, but
there are more cows per farm than in the past. Cropland and hayland make up 19,000
acres of the survey area. Corn and soybeans are the dominant field crops, but most of
the corn is grown for silage. Some grain sorghum is also grown. Most of the row crop
production occurs in the bottom lands near the Conasauga and Coosawattee Rivers.
Physiography, Relief, and Drainage
Most of Murray and Whitfield Counties lie in the Southern Appalachian Ridges and
Valleys Major Land Resource Area (MLRA). The eastern-most part of Murray County
is in the Southern Blue Ridge MLRA.
Prominent northeast- to southwest-running sandstone ridges on the western
boundary and steep or very steep mountainous ridges on the eastern boundary
characterize the survey area. The mountainous areas consist of large valleys
dissected by less prominent ridges. Slopes range from 0 to 90 percent, but most are
from 6 to 15 percent.
Grassy Mountain, located in northeastern Murray County, is the highest peak in the
survey area at an elevation of 3,692 feet. Bald Mountain, also in Murray County, has
an elevation of 4,005 feet, but it is located in the Cohutta Wilderness Area and was not
mapped in this soil survey. Other prominent points include Fort Mountain at an
elevation 2,800 feet, Rocky Face Mountain at an elevation of 1,600 feet, Dicks Ridge
and Taylor Ridge at elevations of 1,400 feet, and Camp Ground Mountain at an
elevation of 1,100 feet.
The lowest elevation in the survey area is 640 feet. This point occurs at the
southern boundary of Murray and Whitfield Counties where the Conasauga River
enters Gordon County.