Table 9 Agricultural Statistics R.M. Rhineland 1891-1900

1891

1896

1900

7119

8514

8873

1232

1360

1218

94633

113088

145398

4380

6232

5822

569

89

5

2866

3376

3890

1350

1784

693

3380

4757

4123

Population Farms

Under Cultivation Horses

Oxen

Cows

Sheep

Pigs

Source: Assessment Rolls

Gretna's first farm implement business was established by Christian Pieper in the early 1880's.

The seed drill, introduced after 1889, replaced the broadcast seeder and was a great boon to farmers. It required half as much seed per acre and allowed no grain to be swept away by the wind, embedding every grain. 33 One indication of the prosperity of the farmers in Rhine­ land was the sale of these seed drills. In March of 1898 the Nordwesten reported that Christian Pieper, an implement dealer in Gretna, was selling four seed drills a day." Threshing machines were also in­ creasingly purchased and large threshing companies were formed to provide more effective harvesting in fall.

The Growth of Gretna and the Formation of New Towns

The renewal of immigration and agricultural expansion contrib­ uted to Gretna's growth and the formation of a number of other railway centers during these years. Increased grain growing in the area quickly made Gretna the third largest wheat market in the province with over 300,000 bushels of wheat shipped annually by 1889.35 With this in­ crease in economic activity Gretna's population rose from 61 in 1884 to over 500 in 1895.36 Much of this increase in population consisted of the non-Mennonite German immigrants who came to Gretna to find work

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