Also by the Author Southostem Excursion Gulebo (1952), with Eugene Cotton Mather ‘The British Macriands: A Probiem in Land Utilization (1935) The Southeastern United States (1967) Unita States and Canad (1967) Regions of the United States (1972), editor The Lav ofthe Land (1975) Citra Geograiy on Tepegrphic Maps (1975), with Kar Rate Te South (1976) The Land Tat Fos Us (1992) ‘Our Changing Cites (1991), editor The Rural Landscape @ JOHN Fraser Harr Tue Jouns onions Universtry Priss Baltimore & Landon“To Jean Blaming Fraser Hart Who remained curious about everthing and was ales ready to go anpere ‘Pubished in cooperton withthe Centr fr American Places, Horrconbure. Vga <1993.The Joba Hopkins Universiy Press Alig reserved. Published 1998 Printed ia the United States of America on acbce paper 987554321 “The Jone Hopkins University Press 2715 Nonh Chae Set ‘Sakimore, Maryand 2218-4363 “Toe Johns Hopkins Pes [a London tizary of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data are atthe end of his Book ‘Aca recor fo his book availble rom the Bt Library. IsoNo-got6 577-1 Contents Preface and Acknowledgmenss vil 1 Understanding Landscape 1 Part One—ROCKS 2. The Surface ofthe Land 21 3 Landscapes of Mining 42 Part Two—PLANTS 4 Plant Life 59 5 The Use of Forests 76 © Cropping Systems 93 art Three—LAND DIVISION 7 Land Division in Britain 109 8 Land Divisio in America 132 art Four—FARM STRUCTURES 9. Fences and Fiekds 167 10 Bas 193 AL Other Farm Structures 228 12. Farm Size and Farm Tenure 276Part FixeSMALL TOWNS AND THE URBAN EDGE 13 Smit Towns 301 14 The Long Shadow ofthe City 325 15° Recreation 345 Epilogue The Changing Counyside 371 Farther Reading 383, Index 391 Preface and Acknowledgments Sometime back around 1960, Merle Prunty told me that | reminded him of the man who jumped on his horse ancl rode off in all directions "You have written about everything under the sun,” he grumbled, “from fences and barns and manure ples to small towns and villages, and they have nothing in common.” They did have something in common, if only thatthey had attracted my curiosity. When | analyzed my thought processes, | realized that I had been curious about them because they are all part of the visible landscape 1 am intrigued by everything I see, and | am eager to “understand the visible landscape better. Why and how did it get to be the ‘way itis? Who are its creators and its custodians? I tried to put my wide-ranging curiosity about the visible landscape into context by developing a leeure called “The Look of the Land.” That lecture grew into a full-fledged course, and then into a book that bore the same name. That book was one of the unhappy victims of the decision by ‘Congress to tax commercial publishers on their inventories rather than on ‘theirsales, and the publisher declared it out of print. In 1984, when Geonge E Thompson first broached the possibly of having the Johns Hopkins University Press reprint it, {told him that | had learned so much since 1 ‘wrote it that L nad to write a completely new book instead of reissuing the original work have been singularly fortunate in having been privileged to sit atthe feet of many fine teachers who have also become my good fiiends. 1 am stateful for all I have learned from Merle Prunty; Malcolm Proudfoot, Jimmy lames, Cotton Mather, Wilbur Zelinsky, Wilma Fach, Glenn Tre- wwartha, Dick Hartshorne, Perce Lewis, Neil Salisbury, Wayne Kiefer, Ennis ‘Chestang, Ev Smith, Carl Sauer, Bob Plat, Estyn Evans, Sally Myers, John ‘Hudson, Kar! Raitz, Phil Gersmehl, Tom Hubka, Betsy Pye, John Morgan, Bob Ensminger, Kathy Klink, Wayne Price, and Cris Mayda, The most basic lesson I have leamed from all of them is to keep my eves, ears, and note-