The American West (c1835-c1895): New Machinery in Farming

Technological developments continued to improve farming throughout the 1880s and 1890s. New machinery increased the amount of land ton the Great Plains that could be farmed on, as it made it easier to access water and grow crops. For example, wind pumps had improved significantly by the 1880s.

Metal wind pumps had been developed that were able to reach water hundreds of metres underground, and they only needed oiling once a year. Other new machinery made ploughing the land and growing crops easier. For example, seed drills were developed which were able to automatically plant seeds at the correct depth.

These new machines made faming more efficient and boosted the economy as farmers began to purchase machines. By the 1890’s the Great Plains had become a productive and fertile area of farming. Most homesteaders prospered.