LAND USES 35 



Density of Poultry Population 



In regard to the importance of the poultry industry, the distribution of towns 

 presents a different picture with more emphasis on geographical location. The 

 greatest density of poultry population is found in the eastern part of the State. 

 It is lower in the central part and reaches the lowest level in the towns of Berk- 

 shire County. Unlike the situation with the dairy industry, poultry farming, 

 therefore, is largely located irrespective of the suitability of land for cultivation 

 or the proportion of improved land. 



Proportion of Total Area in Woodland 



In classifying the towns on the basis of the proportion of woodland, all the 

 areas under wooded cover have been included, whether in farms or not. As 

 already pointed out, trees are the major cover of land in the State and this is illus- 

 trated by the fact that in some cases the proportion of woodland exceeds 50 

 percent of the total area, even in the lowest third of towns. In general, the group- 

 ings of towns indicate an inverse ratio to the classification on the basis of im- 

 proved land. The towns with the highest proportion of improved land show the 

 smallest amount of woodland and vice versa. 



The classification of towns on the basis of land suitability, amount of improved 

 land, and density of livestock population deals primarily with factors involved 

 in agricultural land utilization. In order, however, to grasp the full significance 

 of these factors and place them in proper relation to other types of land utiliza- 

 tion, it is necessary to take into consideration several major economic and social 

 developments which pertain to the character of the communities. 



Density of Population 



Coincident with the general decline in agricultural land utilization in a number 

 of Massachusetts communities, there occurred also a decrease in total population. 

 This took place primarily in towns where agriculture and small local industries 

 were the basis of the town's economic development. With the decline or disap- 

 pearance of these basic activities and no new enterprises to take their place, a 

 general decline set in with a crushing effect on the entire economic structure of 

 the community. In spite of the fact that the total population of Massachusetts 

 more than doubled in the period between 1880 and 1940, there are 101 towns in 

 the State where the population now is smaller than it was at the earlier date. 

 Most of these towns are located west of the Connecticut River Valley, with an 

 additional group in the eastern part of Franklin County and the western section 

 of Worcester Count}'. In the eastern part of the State the decline took place in 

 most of the towns of Cape Cod and the two Island' Counties. 



In considering the three groups of towns segregated on the basis of density of 

 population, as presented on Map 10, it is easy to see that the group at the lower 

 level closely coincides with those towns experiencing a decline in agriculture 

 since 1880. The group with the highest density of population is mostly in the 

 eastern part of the State, although some towns belonging to this class are found 

 in the Connecticut River Valley and around industrial centers in other sections. 



