Date of Award
8-1998
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Geography
First Advisor
Dr. Rolland Fraser
Second Advisor
Dr. Ilya Zaslavsky
Third Advisor
Dr. Oscar Horst
Access Setting
Masters Thesis-Open Access
Abstract
The purpose of this research was to explain and quantify twentieth century agricultural distributions of the genus Cucurbita in the United States to determine the effect of temporal changes in economic utilization and a variety of historical, environmental and social circumstances on those distributions. Geographic information system (GIS) methods were combined with statistical software techniques to analyze the spatial and temporal trends of pumpkin and squash growth in one region (the Eastern Broadleaf Province, as defined by Bailey) of the United States from 1982-1992.
Counties with fewer frost free days, later spring frosts, more accumulated growing degree units throughout the growing season and less estimated change in population during the ten year period were more likely to report zero pumpkin and squash acreage. The increase in ornamental production within the Eastern Broadleaf Province was influenced by a combination of local factors, as opposed to broad climatological or social characteristics.
Recommended Citation
Baker, Kathleen M., "Spatial Analysis of Agricultural Cucurbita Sp. Varieties in the Eastern Broadleaf Province" (1998). Masters Theses. 4789.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/4789