The Anglo-Saxons of the Kentucky Mountains: A Study in Anthropogeography

Semple, Ellen Churchill

doi:10.2307/199958

Cited by 22 publications

(8 citation statements)

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“…Yields were initially low and declined rapidly as the decomposition of tree roots and plowing led to accelerated erosion of the surface soil (Semple 1901, Ayres and Ashe 1905, Poundstone and Roth 1935, Barnes 1938, Dils 1953. Some fields were permanently abandoned after 2-10 yr of use; others were temporarily abandoned and reclaimed after 1-15 yr oflying fallow (Semple 1901, Ayres and Ashe 1905, Davis 1925, Craig 1932, Poundstone and Roth 1935, Hart 1977, Otto and Bums 1981. Deciduous forests recolonized most of these areas after abandonment even though in many cases the soil A horizon had been completely lost dur-1 Manuscript received 24 June 1985;revised 29 October 1985;accepted 30 October 1985. ing the period of cultivation (McCarthy 1933, Coile 1952.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil Properties of Steep Appalachian Old Fields

Kalisz¹

1986

Ecology

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Shifting cultivation of com (Zea mays) was widely practiced on steep, mesic slopes in the Appalachian Mountains during the period 1800-1930. Contemporary reports often emphasized both the severity of erosion during the period of cultivation, and the rapidity of reforestation following abandonment of agriculture. In eastern Kentucky, old fields that originated during this period are presently occupied by nearly pure yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) stands that contrast with the mixed mesophytic forests found on areas that have never been cultivated. Soil properties on four old fields :::::60 yr after abandonment were compared with those on uncultivated areas that were similar in physiography, geology, and, apparently, in original soils and vegetation. This paired-plot comparison examined the effect of both past land use and present vegetation on soil properties.Intensive sampling of the 0-60 em soil depth revealed only minor differences in the properties of the formerly cultivated vs. uncultivated soils. Significantly higher concentrations of coarse fragments (particles > 2 rom) in the 0-5 em depth of cultivated soils were attributed to the erosion of :::::2 em (100 Mg/ha) of fine earth (particles <2 rom) and the subsequent burial of the coarse lag material. Significantly lower concentrations of available phosphorus in the 0-40 em depth of cultivated soils, averaging I mglkg less than in uncultivated soils, may have resulted from depletion during cultivation or from differential retention in the aboveground biomass following reforestation. Exchangeable calcium concentrations and pH of cultivated soils were significantly higher in the 0-10 em and 0-60 em depths, respectively, compared with uncultivated soils. Average plot values of exchangeable calcium and L. tulipifera basal area were linearly related (r 2 = 0.87), as were the average values of these two variables over a downslope composition gradient on uncultivated areas (r 2 = 0. 78). These relationships, together with the greater content of calcium in the 0-60 em depth of cultivated vs. uncultivated soils, suggested that relatively large amounts of calcium were accumulated in the surface soil as a result of the nutrient-cycling characteristics of the L. tulipifera-dominated old-field community.Fields cleared during the episode of shifting cultivation were typically located on landscape positions characterized by favorable water regimes, and by deep, porous soils with uniform physical properties throughout the rooting depth. Surface soils on such sites are resistant to permanent erosional degradation, and are rapidly rejuvenated by processes associated with reforestation. Thus the effects of both past land use and present vegetation on the properties of these soils are for the most part superficial and ephemeral.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil Properties of Steep Appalachian Old Fields

Kalisz¹

1986

Ecology

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“…In a series of papers between 1897 and 1901, Semple synthesized and represented aspects of Ratzel's geographical philosophy. This work culminated in 1901 with the publication of her most personal work, ‘The Anglo‐Saxons of the Kentucky mountains: a study in anthropogeography’ (Semple 1901). Semple's demonstration that anthropogeography could be studied in the field, and that environmental influence was a legitimate causal explanation, was significant for those geographers who believed that the promotion of the discipline depended upon an ability to adhere to a scientific and nomothetic approach (Beckinsale 1981).…”

Section: Semple Ratzel and Influences Of Geographic Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bringing geography to the book: charting the reception of Influences of geographic environment

Keighren

2006

Trans Inst British Geog

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Whilst geography has formed an important yet often unacknowledged component in the description and analysis of print culture, its specific and potential contribution to understanding the making, distribution and reading of books has yet to be outlined fully. This paper seeks to describe the different ways in which Ellen Churchill Semple's 1911 volume Influences of geographic environment was received and understood – to explain why it was read both as a timely manifesto for a scientific approach to geographical research, and as a text which might damage the discipline's legitimacy. In exploring Influences’ trajectory of diffusion, I argue that it is possible to outline a geography of its reception – to reveal a locational particularity in its reading and reviewing. In so doing, I address questions relating to the epistemic and methodological bases of book geography, and describe the contribution that geography can make to explaining how knowledge and ideas, in textual form, are communicated and received.

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“…First is inclusion of material about women within research in the anthropogeography tradition of Semple. While her well‐known leanings toward environmental influences and ethnic essentialism are evident, Semple's article on the Anglo‐Saxons of the Kentucky Mountains (1910) incorporates considerable material on women's work, cultures, and perspectives. So do a number of dissertations written by women at Clark in the 1920s and 1930s within the anthropogeography and historical traditions; they address domestic and income producing labor by women, men, and children, mention child care, deal with domestic spaces, and challenge some stereotypes about ethnic minorities (Clune 1922; Anderson 1932; Lemaire 1935; Roberts 1938).…”

Section: Gender and The Construction Of Geographic Knowledgementioning

confidence: 99%

Women, Gender, and the Histories of American Geography

Monk

2004

Annals of the Association of American Geographers

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Histories of American geography have tended to concentrate on geographic thought and on the men who have been seen as major figures in research. In contrast, I examine the careers of women geographers and of professional practices in American geography in the 20th century. My approach reflects thinking in feminist studies and the social studies of science, which acknowledge the existence of multiple histories and the importance of paying attention to contexts. Before 1950, values linking prestige and masculinity resulted in the exclusion of women geographers from university professorships though they found opportunities in teacher education and outside academia. In the post-World War II era, even as higher education expanded rapidly, women's representation in the profession declined substantially, influenced by the social climate that promoted women's domesticity and priorities for recruiting men. Academic practices and the consciousness of the few women graduate students reflected this gendered culture. Whether women geographers have valued particular aspects of their work and created distinctive knowledge pose questions for further exploration. A brief look at the practices and meanings of field education over the century suggests that such experience has been important to women, even when attempts have been made to exclude their participation. There are also indications that women geographers disproportionately bring social concerns to the discipline. The paper calls for reflection on the implications of our histories for the profession's future, especially for graduate education.

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The Anglo-Saxons of the Kentucky Mountains: A Study in Anthropogeography

Cited by 22 publications

References 0 publications

Soil Properties of Steep Appalachian Old Fields

Soil Properties of Steep Appalachian Old Fields

Bringing geography to the book: charting the reception of Influences of geographic environment

Women, Gender, and the Histories of American Geography

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