THE agricultural implement industry in Canada is at once a very well-known and a very little-known industry. It is well known because agriculture is a substantial part of Canada’s economy, and the products of the implement industry are sold exclusively to agriculture. On most occasions in the past, when agriculture has been in difficult straits, the political spotlight has been turned on the implement industry. At such times, demands for tariff and freight reforms, and for official investigation of the industry’s pricing and other policies have been numerous and have brought the industry periodically into public view.

It is a little-known industry for various reasons. In its peak month in 1950, the industry employed only 0.9 percent of the total persons engaged in manufacturing in Canada. More important, its product has traditionally been sold principally in markets outside the country. It is a surprising fact that throughout the early’ fifties the Canadian implement industry exported well over half of its product, while in the same years more than three quarters of the farm machinery sold in Canada was imported.

This study traces the development of the Canadian industry since its inception, and examines some aspects of competition, past and present. The historical approach to competition is based on the hypothesis that competitive patterns are not generally accidental but are rooted in a variety of influences which condition an industry’s growth.