A Study of the Relationships of Live Stock Enterprises in Farming in South Western Saskatchewan

Range cattle production was the first important agricultural induat17 in south western Saskatchewan. The open range was the foundation of the cattle.industry in its early period ft expansion. The development of the industry depended on the tree and unrestricted use of the grazing resources. Range control was not practiced. When grass became scarce in one area, the rancher moved his cattle to new pastures. Establishment of the range cattle industry was followed by a growing interest in more intensive agricultural settlement. In 1882 the main line of the Canadian Pacific Railway passed through southern Saskatchewan and provided facilities for agricultural settlement within limits on each side ot the railroad. Subsequently, a number of branch lines were built "Which provided a transportation network for the more general settlement of the area. The development of transportation facilities, in association with . other factors, paved the way for a Large scale settlement movement which began after 1900 and reached a peak in the period from 1910 to the beginning of World War I. Settlement was effected in accordance with the land policies developed by the Dominion government in the earlier period. The Homestead Act allowed one quarter section of land to anyone who desired to settle. After 1908 the Pro-emption Act provided an additional quarter section. This settlement policy was obviously designed tor grain farming insofar as any live stock enterprise on a quarter or halt-section area constitutes an extremely limited scale of enterprise. Increasing prices of grain up to the World War, and excessively high prices during the war and post-war period gave stimulus to settlement and the rapid breaking up of the land area, Favorable yields in most of the earlier years of settlement allowed a general optimism as to the capacity of the land when under cultivation. Two yea:r:s or rather severe drought in 1918 and 1919 indicated the probability that some of the so11s that had been brought under cultivation might be subject to low productivity ill the rucure, However, the continuance of moderately favourable yields and good prices during the twenties promoted a continuance of settlement up to about 1930. The population for the area, as shown by census periods, reached its maximum in 1931. This is indicated by Table 1 giving the population figures tor Census divisions 3, 4, 7 and 8, which represent the general area referred to in his study as south west Saskatchewan