An Evolution of Land Use in Kent County, Maryland
An Evolution of Land Use in Kent County, Maryland
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Date
1953
Authors
Singleton, Carey B. Jr
Advisor
Van Royen, William
Citation
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Abstract
The object of this study is to determine the land use changes that
have taken place in Kent County, located on the Eastern Shore of Maryland
(See Fig. 1) with emphasis on recent land use changes. The principal objectives
of this study will be to ascertain, analyze, and review the evolution of land utilization in Kent County.
A major trend within the past ten years has been toward a decreasing
number of farms and, at the same time, a decreasing number of people
gainfully employed in agriculture. This trend has resulted in the displacement
of agricultural earners by fa.rm machinery and farm consolidations.
An increase in the average size of farms is due to "outsiders" - business
men from out-of-state -- who have established themselves in the county by
buying and combining principally waterfront property. Thus large estates
are formed along with the restoration of Colonial homes. This type of
land tenure has been bringing about utilization of the land in the form
of large dairy and beef herds. Kent County has the smallest number of farms
of all the counties in Maryland but it has the largest average farm size
in the state. This is an area of predominantly large dairy farms with
highly mechanized machinery and equipment. The major trend in the last
25 years has been from cash grain to livestock raising which has resulted
from the growth of dairying. The pattern of field crops has also changed
from cash grains to feed grains for the large dairy herds.
This study has been accomplished through the use of field work
historical data, tables, maps, and photographs. The assumption can be
made that greater permanency and stability in land use may be assured by utilizing the land for what it is best suited to produce. In an
agricultural county, such as Kent, the retention of the soil, maintenance
of its fertility, and the productivity are fundamental and therefore, the
outstanding problems of optimum land utilization in the county. Land use
adjusted into a pattern set by man should be utilized according to its
capabilities. Optimum production and use of the land may be obtained by
utilizing it for purposes to which it is best adapted. This is essentially
a geographical problem in the final analysis and is manifested by a myriad
of socio-economic factors that compose the gamut of land use implications.
The author's interest in this area emanates from a field course
in Geography and a number of trips through parts of this county. Field
work was accomplished during the spring and summer of 1952 and constitutes
the primary source of data for this thesis. The initials of the
author appear where compilation of maps and graphs have been drawn from
research and field data. All photographs have been taken by the author
during his field work in the county.