Answer:
North
The Northwest's agriculture slowly became more industrialized as the decades went on. By adopting new cultivating techniques, farmers were able to greatly increase production. Farmers began to use new types of seeds, import breeds of domesticated animals from Europe and utilize the numerous inventions from the Northeast. Steel plows, automatic reaper and the thresher became commonly used by the Northern farmers. These ground-breaking machines sped up the harvesting of wheat by almost 50 percent, therefore escalating production. This surge of production helped form the strong economic alliance between the two Northern sections, the factory centered Northeast and the agricultural Northwest. This however, increased the isolation of the South within the Union (Brinkley, 274). The Northern free states also were proved to produce more crops than the South, even with the North having considerably smaller labor force than the South's slave industry. For instance, the North produced 499,190,041 total bushels of crops, including wheat, oats and more, in 1850, while the South produced only 481,766,889 bushels of the same crops in the same year. (Helper, 189). The North's increased crops is most likely due to the recent invention of many farming machines that the South did invent and utilize. The northern farms were originally centered around little communities, but as they pushed farther west, they became more isolated and only worked with their families to make a profit. The major force that drew farm communities together was religion, which was one of the only reasons for communication. However, around the time of harvest large numbers of families gathered to bring in the crops allowing families to produce more crops (Brinkley, 275).
South
The South's agricultural system was more focused on cotton growing and slave trade than other aspects of farming. Southerners utilized the plantation system, creating a wealthy planter class, who owned hundreds of slaves to do the difficult farming labor of planting and harvesting cotton and keep up with the daily farm tasks. These planters, along with capitalists in this area, invested ample amounts of money in land and slave trade, both crucial parts of Southern agriculture. After investing so much money in these areas, it left little to be invested in other areas of trade. Also, the South tended to have different values than their northern counterparts. The southerners were inclined to believe that they were "representatives of a special way of life" (Brinkley, 284). In turn, both of these aspects of the South contributed to the isolation of the South from the North, and the growing separation of the two Union sections. (Brinkley, 284). The South also produced less crops in a year than the North, aforementioned above. The reasoning behind the South's deceased production is most likely due to the major cotton industry in the South, as it was not able to be grown in the North. The working conditions in the south tended to be difficult and harsh, due to the sometimes unbearable heat and the cruelty of the slave owners. Slaves lived in prisonlike conditions in some areas and were susceptible to harsh punishment if they disobeyed their master (Brinkley, 289).
Explanation:
