The planting of crops, from Biblical times to the mid-nineteenth century, required preparation of the soil and distribution of grains by hand or machine upon the surface. Naturally, much of this seed might be killed in the late frost, eaten by birds or animals, or swamped by weeds. The press- drill, developed in the 1850s, ensured that seed would be planted more carefully by directing a measured flow of grain into a furrow of uniform depth where the kernels were immediately buried as the furrow collapsed. If the soil had been properly plowed and harrowed (a raking procedure), the kernels could be left to germinate in safety.
This photograph shows seeding on the A.W. Lauder Farm near Govan, Saskatchewan. Seeding relied upon horses for motive power. Faster and more reliable than oxen, horses provided the basic source of motive power on prairie farms between the 1880s and 1930s. Teams of Belgians and Clydesdales and Percherons, powerful animals bred for heavy work, were the pride of their owners and the focus of attention at exhibitions as well as in the fields. They became akin to extra family members, and their condition was seen as crucial to the family's prosperity.
By 1911, there were over two million horses on the Prairies and, naturally, a wide range of occupations to support their labours, from blacksmiths and harness-makers to carriage-shops and livery stables. In the next generation, as the horse ceased to be as popular a source of motive power, these industries and, indeed, the rhythm of life based upon horsepower, ceased to exist.
