Changing Times

Question 1

When was dry farming introduced?

Answer 1

1879

Question 2

What was dry farming?

Answer 2

Sprinkling dust over the crops so when it rained the dust would soak up the water to ensure the crops had water until it next rained

Question 3

When was the Sod buster invented?

Answer 3

1837

Question 4

What was the sod buster?

Answer 4

It was a strong steel plough that could deal with tough prairie grass

Question 5

What was the problem with the sod buster?

Answer 5

It was slow and not everyone could afford one

Question 6

When was the ‘self-governing’ windmill invented?

Answer 6

1854

Question 7

What did the ‘self-governing’ windmill do?

Answer 7

Pumped water out of the ground to make it more fertile for crops

Question 8

When were steel blades introduced?
How did they help the ‘self-governing’ windmill?

Answer 8

1870
They made them tougher in strong winds

Question 9

What was a disadvantage of the ‘self-governing’ windmill?

Answer 9

It needed constant maintenance and wasn’t powerful enough to pump up water from deep wells

Question 10

When was turkey red wheat introduced?

Answer 10

1873

Question 11

What was turkey red wheat?

Answer 11

Wheat that grew well on poor land

Question 12

What was the advantage of turkey red wheat?

Answer 12

It grew well on Kansas farms so farmers were able to make a profit

Question 13

What was the disadvantage of turkey red wheat?

Answer 13

It couldn’t be ground by the windmills until later on

Question 14

When was barbed wire introduced?

Answer 14

1874

Question 15

What was barbed wire used for?

Answer 15

Fencing off crops to protect them from people and animals

Question 16

What was an advantage of using barbed wire?

Answer 16

It was cheaper than buying timber for fences and it was more effective

Question 17

What was the disadvantage of barbed wire?

Answer 17

It would rust easily and was quite expensive

Question 18

When was the sulky plow invented?

Answer 18

1875

Question 19

When was the sulky plow invented?

Answer 19

1875

Question 20

What could the sulky plow do?

Answer 20

Dig up tough weeds and prairie grass

Question 21

What was the advantage of the sulky plow?

Answer 21

It was strong and easy to operate

Question 22

What was a disadvantage of the sulky plow?

Answer 22

It could sometimes be unstable

Question 23

What did too many cattle on the open range lead to?

Answer 23

Overgrazing (too little grass)
Prices dropping (oversupply of beef)

Question 24

What was the winter of 1886-87?

Answer 24

Freezing temperatures and deep snow killed at least 15% of cattle and many cattlemen went bankrupt

Question 25

What happened as a result of the great die up?

Answer 25

The end of the open range

Question 26

How did smaller ranches improve the cattle industry?

Answer 26

Smaller herds were easier to manage.
Cattle produced better meat and prices rose

Question 27

When was the exoduster movement?

Answer 27

1879

Question 28

What was the exoduster movement?

Answer 28

A migration of black Americans from the southern states to Kansas

Question 29

What is sharecropping?

Answer 29

When a land owner allows a tenant to use some of their land in return for a share of the crops they grow

Question 30

Why did exodusters struggle to farm?

Answer 30

They had no money to set up farming

Question 31

How did white Americans respond to the exodusters?

Answer 31

There was lots of opposition.
Many believed that they shouldn’t be helped and should return south

Question 32

When was the Oklahoma land rush?

Answer 32

1889

Question 33

What did the Dawes act do?

Answer 33

Ended reservations
Divided land into 160 acre plots
Each plains Indian family was given a plot
The rest was put up for sale to white settlers

Question 34

When was the Dawes act?

Answer 34

1887

Question 35

What happened during the Oklahoma Land rush?

Answer 35

The US government opened up the middle section of the Indian territory (unclaimed land). On the 22nd April 1889, thousands of white settlers rushed to claim a 160 acre section