Jim Butcher (American, B. 1944) "Farm Children on Fence" Signed lower right. Original Mixed Media painting on Illustration Board. Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. Most farmers in early America were largely self-sufficient, producing only enough for the needs of themselves and their immediate families. At the beginning of the 19th century, significant changes in farming began to occur. Settlers began to homestead the Great Plains, using horse and mule labor with iron and steel plows, reapers, planters and threshers. In 1862 Congress passed the Homestead Act, which granted 160 acres to settlers who worked the land for 5 years. Within 3 years, over 15,000 homestead claims had been established. Over the next half century, immigrants from Scandinavia, southeastern Europe and Mexico transformed the Great Plains from barren prairies into fertile fields of American bounty. During the 1920s and 1930s the gasoline-powered tractor came into general use. In 1940, the average American farmer supplied food to some 10 people. During the 1950s America experienced an agricultural revolution with the number of tractors on farms exceeding the number of horses and mules. In 1850, some 90 labor hours were required to produce 100 bushels of corn. A century later, only 15 hours were required for the same result. By 1960, one farmer was supplying food to over 25 people. By 1970, this figure had tripled as a result of using better fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides and strains of crops. Today, agriculture in the United States -- with its fertile soil, moderate climate and widespread use of applied science and technology -- continues to be the most efficient in the world. Image Size: 16.5 x 17.75 in. Overall Size: 20 x 22.5 in. Unframed. (B05269)