The total population of the three prairie provinces rose dramatically between 1901 and 1931 and, after two decades of slower growth, has continued to increase rapidly in recent years. It is significant, however, that the proportion of urban dwellers has also multiplied. While cities and towns once held one-quarter of prairie residents, they now contain two-thirds of the total population. This decline in rural population is paralleled by a decline in the number of people who worked in agricultural occupations. Forty-eight percent were employed in agriculture in 1929, but by 1956 this figure had fallen to thirty-two percent. One insight into this decline in farm population is provided by comparing the relative importance of tractor power and horsepower on the farm. In 1921 there were 2,240,000 horses in the prairie provinces and 38,485 tractors. By 1971 the number of horses had declined to 274,000 while the number of tractors had reached 308,475. As tractor power replaced horsepower the farmer was able to cultivate much larger areas in less time than ever before, resulting in larger farms and fewer farmers.
