Chapter 163: The Three Old Ways of Farming

The front row of people were responsible for weeding and loosening the hard soil with a pickaxe.

The four oxen behind pulled the heavy plow to turn over the soil and stones.

The people behind were responsible for breaking up the hardened soil.

The last were people picking up weeds, tree roots, and stones.

The division of labor was orderly and very scientific and efficient.

The wasteland to be reclaimed was fragmented and scattered.

Roman selectively reclaimed the land according to the soil structure and quality, and only picked suitable places.

Some land was planted with peas and broad beans, some land was planted with spring wheat, and some wasteland was planted with ginger and garlic.

Some wasteland was planted with onions, lettuce, and windbreak.

The yield of thin fields was not very high.

He chose the best and most wasteland to plant spring wheat.

But this round of spring wheat can only win if it can produce 100 kilograms per mu, and he has to sow 20 kilograms of seeds for this.

Anyway, no matter what you plant, you have to plant something, and the combination of seeds and soil can effectively improve the soil.

Roman attached great importance to this spring plowing.

After full supervision, I found that they were quite diligent.

Although the production model has changed, the specific steps are still familiar.

Weeding, plowing, picking up stones.

The same old three.

...

However, the reclamation of wasteland is a bit difficult.

Mainly because of the insufficient number of cattle and horses.

There are only 700 to 800 oxen and draft horses that really work - some are pregnant, some are producing milk, and they cannot be overworked.

Four oxen or draft horses, pulling a heavy plow, can only progress three acres of land a day, and hundreds of acres of land in a day.

The insufficient number of cattle and horses refers to human-shaped cattle and horses.

Because real cattle and horses plow the land.

But we still have to clean weeds, stones, harrow the land, and apply fertilizers, which are too laborious.

Roman had to direct on-site and keep an eye on them at all times to prevent them from making mistakes.

Farmers in this era don’t even know how to farm.

Half a month later, only more than 3,000 acres of wasteland were reclaimed.

You know, they worked hard without any worries.

All three meals were delivered to the fields.

They were sealed in a hundred large wooden barrels, and when the wooden lids were opened after delivery, the vegetable and meat soup, bread, and bean porridge were still warm.

Damaged farm tools were replaced with new ones, and their bodies were adequately nourished, and they slept soundly and comfortably at night.

The result was still the same progress.

But who can be blamed for this.

This is how fighting with the land works.

Roman did not urge too much, and it was obvious that most people did their best.

So he only asked Barro to catch a few typical examples.

Unless they were not feeling well, anyone who dared to be lazy would be hung up and beaten, and one person would be beaten to death, so as not to waste his food.

He asked them to sow the reclaimed land.

Depending on the soil conditions, some planted spring wheat, and some planted various vegetables as side dishes.

Anyway, it was just planting!

Catch the right place and plant hard!

The happiest stage of agricultural civilization is not a good harvest, but sowing.

Bury the seeds in the soil, expecting it to return several times, or even dozens of times the harvest.

There is no one on this land who doesn't like farming.

But.

Farming life is often not smooth sailing.

...

"Is this enough?"

Gweil turned to ask Sana.

She poured the yellow berry jam from the wooden barrel into a pottery jar.

The jam had a strong fruity aroma.

She and Sana went to the yellow berry field again during this period, and this time they returned safely.

They brought back two full buckets of yellow berries this time.

Yellow berries have a long growth period and need to accumulate nutrients throughout the winter, but once picked, they only have a shelf life of three to five days.

When Roman learned about this, he laughed dumbly and was also relieved.

Sana was a strong girl, and the doomed land did not scare her.

At dinner, Roman told the two girls a secret recipe: mix lemon juice and maltose to make jam, which can greatly extend the shelf life of yellow berries, and there will definitely be no problem for two or three months.

They made it according to the method he said, and boiled hundreds of kilograms of jam.

These delicious jams are only for the manor's own use, and they are especially delicious when dipped in white bread.

But he forgot to tell the two how to dye the jam. The yellow paste is really eye-catching.

Of course, it doesn't prevent the people in the manor from still eating it with relish.

After all, people living in this era really don't have any requirements for food, let alone it is so sweet and rich.

Roman came over with a white horse.

"What are you doing?"

"I want to bring some cloudberry jam to Grandpa Jialin." Gweiler squatted on the ground, looking at the cloudberry jam in the jar, a little undecided.

She thought Jialin might not be able to eat so much, but on the other hand, she felt that it would be better to bring more of this delicious food, because these were cloudberries picked by her and Sanna one by one.

But if she brought more, Roman would eat less.

After Green tasted the yellow berry jam, he begged her to give him some. She just nodded and turned around to find that there were 20 to 30 kilograms of yellow berry jam missing from the barrel. Green, the foodie, took it to the barracks. There is even less now.

"Why did you bring him yellow berry jam?"

Roman pulled her up from the ground.

"I haven't been to the mountains for a long time..." Gweil whispered. Garin likes to eat sweets and drink beer.

Especially maltose, which is the only food he wants her to bring him.

If possible, it would be nice to bring some beer. That's what he said.

Roman carried Gweiler to the horse and put him in a sitting position.

"I mean why can't he come here to eat." He climbed onto the horse while speaking, and handed his hand to Sana. The tall girl also climbed onto the horse and hugged his waist with both hands.

The three of them rode together. Because they were lightly equipped, they only weighed more than 300 kilograms in total, which did not cause too much burden to this excellent warhorse. A fully armed knight would be heavier than this, not including the horse armor, otherwise it would weigh 600 kilograms.

"Really?"

Gweiler turned her head and looked up at Roman. From this angle, she could only see his chin, nostrils and eyebrows.

"But will Grandpa Garin agree?"

The dirty doctor was always stubborn.

"He has to agree even if he doesn't agree!" Roman snorted.

Gweiler smiled happily. She liked the tone of Roman's words, which was shining.

It would be great if Garin could also go down the mountain. She wouldn't have to go to the mountain every month in the future. She could just go once every six months or a year.

Roman pulled the reins and the horse galloped.

Soon they rushed out of the Origin Manor.

Today. The sun is shining, the horse is galloping, and the spring breeze is full of joy.

Gweiler leaned on Roman's arms, and her face could feel the strong spring breeze blowing on her face, which reminded people of the grassland with breeze, the rippling lake, and the tender green swaying golden willow branches...

The spring breeze brought the smell of newly turned soil, mixed with the smell of grass and various flowers, brewing in the soft and vibrant air, making people a little intoxicated.

Along the way, you can see farmers working hard to sow in the fields.

Gweiler and Sana asked Roman what they were planting, and Roman answered them patiently.

Gweiler knew that Roman was very busy during this period. He had to arrange many people to plant the land, and he also had to judge what to plant on those lands, and many things had to be done personally.

It was not until the spring ploughing was finished today that he had time to take them to find Jialin.

The hand that was holding her had more scratches and scars, and the callus was getting thicker, and it felt a little rough and gritty.