Farmers faces challenges day in and day out. Some of the challenges were the soil was bad, weather is unpredictable, and debt. There were inventions that helped the farmers with their work. The farmers that had animals the barbed wire fence helped keep the animals in and predators out. During harvest the reaper helped by speeding up the harvesting process. The steel plow made planting more effecient. Farmers never knew when there was going to be rain, so the steel windmill helped by preventing crop dehydration.
Barbed wire fence is common. It is fast to install. Typically there is five or six strands of barbed wire for a fence, this is best for cattle. For keeping goats in an area there is eight to ten strands of wire for fence. Horse owners don't like barbed wire fences because they are worried that the horses with be injuried if the horse becomes entangled in the fence.
The reaper helped by speeding up harvest, and it saved crops from inclement weather. Horses pulled the reaper. As the horses pulled it through the field the reaper the blades moved back and forth to cut the crops. Then the grain was collected in a craddle. Since it was so much faster, the farmer didn't have to hire expensive laborers.
In planting the steel plow was more efficient in root filled soil. The steel plow was made because the wooden plows wouldn't withstand in the prarie. The first John Deere plow was made of a broken saw blade over a log.
The Steel windmill prevented crop dehydration by bring up underground water for irrigation. Rainfall was unpredictable. If there was wind, but no rain the wind would generate enough energy to bring the water up from the ground.
Information sources
http://www.noble.org/ag/Livestock/Fences/index.html
http://www.edwardtodonnell.com/hibchroncyrusmccormick.html
http://www.ehow.com/info_10040922_benefits-steel-plow.html
The Americans Reconstruction to the 21st Century by: McDougal Littell
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