1867-1914: Background / Fitful Growth / Changing Conditions / First Wave / Laurier Boom

Changing Conditions

This cheaper-priced farmland was more attractive by the turn of the century when farmers began introducing new agricultural techniques, particularly dry-land farming, to the semi-arid conditions of the southern Canadian Prairies. The federal government's scientific farms and independent agricultural colleges in the West, too, introduced hope to Canadian farming. New strains of wheat now matured faster in the shorter Canadian growing seasons. International changes raised interest in Canadian land and wheat

production. Economist Ken Norrie and historian Doug Owram point out that steel was replacing iron ships, lowering the overall cost of overseas transportation. Vessels were now larger and carried more cargo. Railway technology improved and more durable steel rails further lowered freight and transportation rates. After the 1880s, rising demand for agricultural products in industrializing Britain and the United States stimulated prices for Canadian wheat.

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First Wave