The development of the prairie grain economy was in many ways a victory for agricultural science. In 1886 the Dominion government established a network of experimental farms. This photograph shows the stable and fields at the Indian Head Experimental Farm in Saskatchewan. Though these farms experimented with other commodities, they placed particular emphasis on grains. Under the leadership of the Saunders family, new strains of wheat (notably Marquis wheat) were developed. More appropriate to the prairie environment, these new strains matured more rapidly and resisted disease more satisfactorily. At the same time, other scientists in private businesses and farmers themselves experimented continuously, matching different varieties to varying soil and climatic conditions. Nor did the experimentation cease; constant change was necessary to ensure better production and to withstand the ravages of mutated diseases.
Another victory for science was the gradual recognition that prairie grain fields required their own special production methods. Generally, the new arrivals brought with them farming practices developed for different soils and in other climates. Gradually, after considerable hardship, methods of dry farming were developed so that the soils would not be disturbed unnecessarily and the evaporation of valuable moisture would be restricted.
