Chapter 580: Tropical fruit plantation
phone-reading
Because the 10 ships were half empty, the American fleet had enough space to ship the 700 Indian pariahs. At the same time, when Draka went to recruit untouchables, Amerigo also brought people to the market to buy a batch of human-made spinning wheels and looms for wooden cotton spinning in India.
This is not enough. Americo also bought a large amount of Indian cotton seeds, as well as local sugarcane seeds. Anyway, the fleet has room, so bring it back by the way.
In fact, Marin does not look at Indian cotton varieties. The variety of Indian cotton is called Asian cotton, also called coarse cotton. This kind of cotton has low yield and short fiber, which is not suitable for machine spinning, only for artificial spinning and weaving. Therefore, it was gradually eliminated.
However, at this stage, whether it is India or Daming, they are all using Asian cotton native to India. The better quality upland cotton and island cotton are all native to Mexico and the islands of the Caribbean in Central America.
Among them, the quality of island long-staple cotton is the best. However, the sea island cotton has harsh growth conditions and is not suitable for worldwide promotion. Therefore, in later generations, including China, the most popular is the upland cotton native to Mexico, which is the kind of cotton seeds brought back by Columbus.
Therefore, although the starting point of Amerigo is good, the Asian cotton varieties of India will eventually be eliminated. After all, Malin has the seeds of upland cotton.
However, Marin is very satisfied with Indian sugar cane. Why? The third brother is rotten again, but in this era, agriculture must have surpassed Europe. Therefore, the price of India is very low, even the price of human trafficking is relatively low.
Agriculture is stronger than Europe, and the varieties are naturally good. According to Americo's local inquiry in India, their sugar cane production is much higher than that of the Portuguese. At least, Indians know how to use manure. The sugarcane varieties cultivated with fertilizer for a long time are naturally superior to the sugarcane grown by the Portuguese.
If Indian sugar cane seedlings are a small surprise, then the other species dedicated to Marin by Amerigo is a big surprise ...
First, the seeds of bananas and coconuts. Bananas have no seeds later. They use split buds to cut seedlings or use underground stems to grow banana seedlings.
But in fact, bananas originally had seeds. The tiny black spots distributed in the banana meat are actually the seeds of the banana. It's just that after a long period of cultivation, it has deteriorated. The banana seeds brought back by Amerigo this time, although very small, still exist. As long as Marin sends people to cultivate it carefully, he can still grow bananas.
Needless to say, coconuts have seeds. Americo drank coconut milk from a coconut in India and ate coconut meat. It felt good, and he collected the same delicious banana seeds and brought them back with the coconut seeds.
As a navigator who helped Marin explore Grenada, Americo felt keenly that these two fruits seem to be grown in Grenada. So he took the seeds back.
Sure enough, after getting the seeds of bananas and coconuts, Marin "Dragon Face Joy" rewarded Americo with 1,000 gold coins. Looking at the seeds of bananas and coconuts, Marin was the best.
Right now, Grenada has been developed on a large scale, and Cuba Island and Panama are also developing vigorously.
Although there are crops suitable for growing in tropical regions such as rice and sugar cane, Marin always feels uncomfortable. Why? As a tropical island, how can there be no tropical fruit?
For Marin, the tropical fruits he is most familiar with are probably bananas, pineapples and coconuts. If you live in the tropics in the later generations and have not eaten these three fruits, it is estimated that they will be despised. Unless, you live in the tropical area of the Sahara ...
Anyway, in Marin's impression, the tropical zone is full of banana trees, pineapple trees and coconut trees. Of course, there are rubber trees or something.
Although it is said that these tropical fruits are grown in tropical colonies, it is difficult for Marin to obtain fresh fruits. After all, the refrigeration technology of this era is poor, or almost no.
However, Marin can eat canned fruit ...
The canned fruit technology is so simple, just make a glass bottle, dip brine in pineapple slices, etc., boil it in a cooking pot, then seal it with a cork and wax it, it can be stored for 10 months, and it can be delivered to the local area. Worthy.
As for bananas, Marin does not have to eat canned bananas. Because dried bananas are very good snacks. Coconuts, it seems, can also be dried into dried coconuts and shipped back as food. You know, in some Pacific island countries in the future, dried coconut is an important agricultural product and food. Coconut juice, it seems, can also be shipped back to Europe by making it canned ...
However, among the three common tropical fruits, bananas, pineapples, and coconuts, pineapples are not found in Marin. Because pineapples still grow in Brazil.
Now that the Portuguese have not occupied Brazil, no one has found this pineapple. Therefore, Marin now only has the ability to grow bananas and coconuts.
But, Marin thinks that bananas should be seedless now. After all, bananas have been cultivated for more than a thousand years, and there should be seedless varieties.
So, American went to an Indian pariah craftsman who came to Emden with a boat and asked about seedless bananas through an interpreter. Through inquiry, Marin determined that there are indeed seedless banana varieties in India. It's just that Americano didn't know how to do it and bought the seeds of seeded bananas and came back. After all, Americo has never eaten bananas, and I don't know if there are seedless varieties. Moreover, seedless banana seedlings are also difficult to carry. Therefore, Americano missed the seedless banana variety.
Of course, Marin did not care so much. Even if there are only coconut seeds, it's not bad. Because Marlin loves to drink coconut juice.
As long as coconut planting is promoted in Cuba or Grenada and other coconut plantations, then Malin wants to drink coconut juice in the future, it will be easy. The method is very simple, similar to canning, put the coconut juice in a glass bottle ~ www.wuxiaspot.com ~ boil it in a steamer, then plug it with a wooden stopper and wax, a bottle of coconut juice is made. As long as this canned coconut juice is shipped back to Europe by ship, Marin can drink the long-lost coconut juice.
As for bananas, Marin thought about it, or sent someone to send those seeds to the colony. Exactly, the batch of Indian untouchables, Marin intends to send to Cuba Island. These coconut seeds and banana seeds happened to be taken together. These Indian pariahs obviously know how to grow coconuts and bananas. Just let them serve these fruit trees.
After obtaining pineapple seeds and seedless banana seedlings from India, Marin intends to promote these three tropical fruits on a large scale in Cuba, Grenada and Panama, and make them important food in tropical regions.
Anyway, Marin will send people to India to buy supplies in the future. When the time comes, I will order the seedless banana seedlings. The pineapple may need to be sent to Brazil to find ...
In fact, of these three tropical fruits, the most suitable for canning is probably pineapple. Canned pineapple, sweet and sour, is very popular. When Marin was a child in his last life, he liked to eat canned pineapple. Every time I eat canned pineapple, I not only eat up the pineapple slices, but also drink the water in which the pineapple slices are soaked ... The sweet and sour taste most appeals to children and girls ...
Of course, these tropical fruit plantations are only auxiliary, and the area will not be too large. After all, the cultivation of rice and sugar cane is the main force. And those tropical fruits are actually just some auxiliary food. At the same time, provide some canned fruits and dried bananas and coconuts to the European market. But in any case, these novelties can definitely open the European market. After all, the Turtle European guy must have never eaten these things at this time ...
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