The period of time between 1865 and 1900 was one of great technological advancement; and, as a result, great agricultural advancement. As railroads were built throughout the country, transport for crops and livestock was able to be done with more ease and convenience. Innovations in farming equipment allowed for healthier crops and livestock, as well As new tools were invented, and old ones were innovated, the harvest of crops and maintenance of livestock became more efficient. With these advances came a spike in the profitability of agriculture.
Prior to the expansion of the United States’ railroad system, transporting goods was a strenuous and often times dangerous endeavor. Around 1870, the railroad system started …show more content…
This increase in profits only applied to the upper class, the owners of the fields and equipment. The workers on the farms received very little money for the crops and products they produced, with overproduction being cited as the cause for the low pay (Document G). This doesn’t mean that there really wasn’t an issue with the prices of crops. The prices for wheat, cotton, and corn were each decreasing in cost from 1865-1900, eventually costing only quarters per bushel. However, as prices decreased, production increased by a huge amount. In 1900 599 Million bushels of wheat were produced, as opposed to the 254 Million produced 30 years earlier (Document A). This increase in productivity effectively cancelled out the decrease in price, and caused profit leaps.
In the 35 years between 1865 and 1900, many advances were made in the field of agriculture. These innovations affected every area of agriculture from transport to harvest to the handling of livestock. The new inventions caused a rise in the popularity of farming and, as a result, the profitability of agriculture. This time period truly was an age of industrializing and improving agriculture as a