The Problems and Solutions of Living and Farming on the Plains

Created on: 16-04-13 21:19

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The Problems and Solutions of Living and Farming on the Plains
- Water Shortages
  - Water was scarce on the Great plains
    - Invention of windmill - 1874
      - It was difficult for people to keep themselves and their clothes clean
      - Used to pump water from underground
  - It was difficult for people to keep themselves and their clothes clean
- Weather Extremes
  - It was hot in the summer and cold in winter. There was low rainfall and fierce winds
    - No solutions
- Fuel
  - There was no wood to burn for heating and cooking
    - Homesteaders used Buffalo dung for fuel
- Dirt and Disease
  - Sod houses were difficult to keep clean
  - They lived with pests such as bed bugs, fleas, mice and snakes
  - Difficult for people to keep clean especially with water shortages
    - Easy for dirt and disease to develop
      - They lived with pests such as bed bugs, fleas, mice and snakes
      - Sod houses were difficult to keep clean
- Building Materials
  - Difficult to stop water leeking in when it rained
  - Blocks of earth (sods) were used to build houses
- Natural Hazards
  - Dry grass meant it was easy for prairie fires to start
    - Destroyed crops if they got too big
      - Hundred-acre cornfields vanished in a few hours
- Ploughing
  - Grasses had dense tangled roots
    - Cast iron ploughs needed constant repairs
      - Ploughing land when there had been heavy rain or snow
        Grasses had dense tangled roots
        Cast iron ploughs needed constant repairs
        Ploughing land when there had been heavy rain or snow
        
        Using a 'sod - buster' - a strong plough
        
        Better farming machinery was developed
      - Using a 'sod - buster' - a strong plough
      - Better farming machinery was developed
  - The Plains had never been planned before
- Protecting Crops
  - There was no wood for fencing
    - The invention of barbed wire - 1874
  - There was nothing to protect crops from buffalo or straying cattle
    - The invention of barbed wire - 1874
  - It was difficult to mark land boundaries which can lead to disputes
- Growing Crops
  - The crops that they grew were not suited to the weather conditions on the Great Plains
    - They grew wheat which was more suitable than corn
    - They kept animals rather than just growing crops
    - Russian immigrants introduced wheat that grew successfully on the Plains because the conditions were similar to those in Russia

Comments

Report Thu 20th February, 2014 @ 16:03

A really good idea for a mind map where the visual element and colour have been used well to reinforce the information. A good starting point for homesteaders although you will need more detail as well.