Lady of the Lord From the East - Chapter 141

Tomato is a very high-yielding vegetable, and its output can even be said to be the highest among all fruit and vegetable crops. Ordinary open-air cultivation can reach nearly 10,000 catties per mu. Its unlimited growth can even reach a yield of 20,000 catties per mu or more. Modern Agricultural News even reported a terrifying yield of 50,000 catties per mu.

To plant one mu of tomato, the seeds needed only need 30 to 40 grams. Compared with its yield, this is not a return rate of tens or hundreds of times, but a terrifying thousands of times.

Sardinson’s tomatoes, like other seeds brought by Wei Wei, were planted in the third year this year. Except for the number of seeds that were only 999 at the beginning, only one acre of tomatoes was planted, and the planting amount began in the second year. Crazy growth, this year, not to mention that they have planted them on a large scale, there are even extra seeds that can be distributed to knights and subjects.

The mayor of Uke Town, as a decent mayor, naturally followed the trend and asked his son to go to the castle to ask for seeds. For example, at their home, they not only successfully planted two tomatoes, but also eggplant, pepper, pumpkin, loofah, and wax gourd. Waiting for the vegetables and a few strawberry seedlings, those fruits and vegetables gifted by the countess, all the fruits and vegetables that are received, are served by the people of each family as treasures, watering and fertilizing are not leaking, strictly according to the planting manual. Now, most of the fruits and vegetables that can sprout and grow up have already begun to bloom and bear fruit, and the tomato vines are also covered with strings of fruits. Although they are still immature green, the yield is not low at first glance.

When the mayor of Wu Ke heard Wei Wei talking about tomatoes, he first thought of two of his own, and then thought of the large tomato field outside Wu Ke Town.

Since tomato yields are high, Wei Weiyou has been collecting seeds on purpose. Naturally, there will be no shortage of tomatoes planted this year. Of course, the main new crops planted in the manor this year are sweet potatoes, corn and potatoes. Although the tomato yield is high, it is not food, and it occupies a lot of land. Too much can easily affect the grain harvest. Wei Wei thought about it, and planted most of the tomatoes in Uke Town. There are few outsiders who come and go here, and the large tomato fields are not very noticeable. Compared with the other two towns, the development of Uke Town is slightly worse. Although there are pasta factories and farms here, the two factories need not many people. By planting tomatoes here, she can hire those who have spare time. The territorial people helped to farm the land, and the labor cost was lower than the other two places.

These tomato fields are not specially fenced, and naturally everyone in Wuke Town can see them, but everyone always thinks tomatoes are a kind of fruit, so although they see a lot of fruit, they can’t help but be curious when they pass by occasionally. After a few glances, it did not cause too much discussion.

Now listening to Wei Weiyi, the pasta factory will become a so-called ketchup factory in the future. Although I don’t know how the taste of this ketchup can be sold, the mayor of Uk, like everyone else, is very fond of their count and the others. Madam has a kind of blind trust and firmly believes that as long as they come up with something, there is nothing that will not make money.

And there are so many tomatoes, it obviously takes a lot of time to open a factory to make sauce, and the workers must not worry about running out of jobs.

Thinking of this, there is no need for Wei Wei to say more carefully. Mayor Wu Ke has the answer in his heart, and he has enough confidence. He doesn’t dare to disturb Wei Wei any more. He quickly said goodbye and left, and went back to tell everyone the good news .

Those tomatoes have already grown, and it won’t take much time before they mature. People in their town will soon be able to go back to work in the factory. In this way, no one should be around his door to make trouble. Bar?

When the mayor of Wu Ke went back to tell the townspeople the news, and after calming everyone’s anxiety, everyone began to run to the tomato fields regularly, talking about when they would ripen so that they could go back to work, which attracted the hired farmers. The farmers almost thought they were going to steal tomatoes, and looked at them every day with vigilant eyes, not mentioning that Wei Wei had other things to do before the tomatoes ripened in August.

The wheat harvest started at the end of June. This year, the amount of wheat planted in the manor is much less than in previous years. Coupled with the use of new farm tools, the serfs harvest wheat more easily than in previous years, but this does not mean that their workload is reduced.

Because at this time not only is the wheat to be harvested, but potatoes and corn are also almost in harvest season.

Potatoes are not bad, because planting requires a lot of seed potatoes. One acre of land will cost about 1,500 catties of seed potatoes. Even if it has been deliberately cultivated for two years, there are only ten acres of potatoes in the Sardinson Castle estate. The seed area is about the same, but corn is different. The seeds needed for one acre of corn only need 30 pounds. Except for some of the seeds sent out, this year, one thousand acres of corn have been planted directly in the manor, which has already taken up One-third of the fields in the manor, it can be said that the Williams family’s private land, has been used for corn cultivation for several years.

Now that the wheat is harvested, the corn that hangs on the pole and is surrounded by leaves is naturally ready to be harvested.

In order to make full use of the land resources, soon after the corn was transplanted, the serfs interplanted a lot of beans in the corn field according to the requirements. The yield per mu of legume plants is not high, basically about 400 to 500 jin, and the number of seeds cultivated for two years is not too much, which is not enough for intercropping in all corn fields, so apart from these, most intercropping The peas have long been grown locally.

This is the first time the serfs have seen this intercropping method. When they started, they were worried about whether this kind of planting would affect the harvest of corn, or that the beans they planted would not grow at all. After all, the corn stalks are so high. It is very blocking the sun. Without the sun, how can the beans grow well.

I did not expect that the interplanted beans would grow very well. Although the corn is tall, the planting spacing is large. When it is about to mature, the unneeded leaves below are removed, so that the low beans have enough production space, and the corn is mature. At the time of the harvest, these beans have just entered the flowering period, and there is still a long time before the results. When the corn is harvested, the vacant land is just convenient for the beans to bear fruit.

So when the serfs were told to harvest corn, they had to be careful not to step on the beans in the fields.

Unlike potatoes and sweet potatoes, the growth of corn is visible to the naked eye. The huge corn cobs held in the husks aroused everyone’s curiosity early in the morning, and some people secretly turned over the leaves to look at the corn kernels while they were working. , the golden corn kernels have long been one of the main topics when the serfs chatted, especially the serfs who were responsible for taking care of these lands, and they talked about their changes every day.

Because there are too many corns, Wei Wei did not let people pick the corn when the yield was the highest as before, but first asked the serfs to peel off the husks when the sun was big, and let the corn stay on the corn stalks It was dried directly on the top, and after several days of drying, the staff was organized to break the corn.

And during this period, without the cover of the bracts, the yellow and golden corn kernels were exposed in front of everyone carelessly, and those who saw it couldn’t help but swallow their saliva. The output is terrifying.

Although I haven’t weighed it yet, look at the size of this corn and estimate it by yourself, and you can almost get a result.

However, the estimate is an estimate, and the actual amount will not be known until after the harvest.

So when I heard that the corn was about to be harvested, not only the serfs who were in charge of planting, but even those serfs who had free time came to help. Of course, they didn’t help in vain. The Countess said that this can also be counted as labor.

Many people are powerful, and it took only three days to collect a thousand acres of corn, and the harvested corn filled the fields.

The agricultural officer and tax officer in charge of weighing are here, and they also bring a group of rookies. The harvest season comes every year. Except for the busy farmers, they are the busiest. Not to mention running around, the heavy work of weighing is also pushed to them, and even when he sleeps, his mind is full of numbers.

This is good. After finishing the wheat harvest, they have to work on the corn again. Originally, they were glad that the corn belonged to the Count. They only needed to weigh and count and did not need to calculate the share of the tax that needed to be collected. Look, tears are falling.

One thousand acres of cornfield, the harvested corn fills the fields, and from a distance, the whole area is golden, and the amount is unknown.

Based on their past work experience, this is definitely the number of dead people.

Seeing those corns, they haven’t even been rated yet, and this group of people already feel that they are going to suffer. Even, if it weren’t for the good benefits given by the Earl and various subsidies when they were busy, they would probably go on strike.

But complaining is complaining, what should be done is still to be done, a group of people exchanged glances with each other, rolled up their sleeves, and got busy.

Fortunately, they were not required to do the real heavy work. The novices were mainly responsible for weighing and counting, and the work of moving corn was done by the serfs themselves.

This is another day. Under the increasingly hot sun, a large group of people soaked in the fields for a day, and everyone drank several bowls of herbal tea to relieve the heat, so that there was no heat stroke.

However, when the results of the weighing came out, the sun on their heads was not as high as the heat that rose on their own in their minds.

A group of people counted separately. These corns were all from the earl’s private plot, so they were not particularly separated when they were sent to be weighed. They didn’t know which fields came from which fields. They were just mechanically weighed in baskets. Counting, and then moving on to the next frame, everyone wanted to finish the work early, so until all the corn was weighed, everyone did not deliberately calculate the total number.

After the weighing, all the numbers were calculated together, and the final number exploded in their minds.

The newbies are in charge of all the calculations, and the agricultural officer who leads them has been in touch with George, the steward in charge of these fields. As the first steward under Wei Wei, George’s status has remained unchanged since she became a countess. The tide is rising. Although he is still only the steward of the manor, everyone knows that he is the most trusted steward of Wei Wei, and he is the one with the highest status among the manor stewards. In private, there are serfs who call him the manor steward. It means that his status in the manor is similar to that of the castle steward Patton, so the planting and management of these new crops will fall on his head, and other people are more and more willing to curry favor with him.

Fortunately, although George has been flattered a little after being lucky in the past two years, he is very clear that his current status and status are all from Wei Wei, so he is very loyal to his mistress, as long as Wei Wei’s orders are executed meticulously. , Knowing that she doesn’t like subordinates with too long hands, although he occasionally accepts favors from others, he is very restrained, never accepting really valuable things, and never doing things that would break the manor’s regulations.

So in the face of the farmer’s flattery, George was friendly, but in fact he was just gossiping for a long time and completely avoided all serious business.

Seeing that he didn’t get in the oil and salt, the agricultural officer also knew that he was making fun of himself, so when the newbies had almost settled their accounts, he turned his head and walked over.

“Have you figured it out? What is the total output?”

The novice little official who finally wrote the numbers was all empty at the moment, and there was a large blank space, and there was only one line of capitalized numbers.

He held the calculated data sheet in a daze, the focal length of his eyes was obviously not on the paper, and after hearing the question from the agricultural officer, he subconsciously reported a number: “5.9 million…”

The agricultural officer didn’t hear clearly, and walked in some more: “What?”

As soon as the little official was approached by him, he regained his senses. The dazed expression on his face quickly subsided, and then he showed an expression close to fright. He breathed quickly and said: “Sir, this thousand acres of land. 5.9 million catties of corn were produced!!!”

The louder he said, at the end, when he repeated the number, he almost shouted it out!

Originally, there were many people around, including novices in other calculations, and serfs who were responsible for transporting corn. They consciously lowered their volume when the agricultural officer came over, and because they were curious about the final total output, when the small official reported the number, they would They all closed their mouths and listened.

Then, his legs softened due to this roar, and he almost fell to his knees.

“Speak when you speak, so what do you do loudly…what…what are you talking about?!!!” The farmer was startled by the sudden outburst of the little official, he took a step back, and then realized what he was saying. After that, the agricultural officer came to his senses and heard a terrifying number.

As soon as the little official was reprimanded by him, he lowered his voice when reporting the number this time, but the agricultural officer was sure that he heard correctly.

God, what did he hear? The total output of 1,000 acres is 5.9 million catties? How can this be? In the past, when the land in the entire manor was added up, I am afraid there is no such figure in one year’s output!

how can that be possible?

The agricultural officer fell into disbelief, completely forgetting that what he said was before Wei Wei came. At that time, the manor was a three-bed system, and one-third of the land was fallow every year, and the crops were planted because they were not used. Fertilizer and the yield per mu are very low, so of course the annual output is less.

But now, with the use of fertilizers, the yield has increased to an acre and 2,000 kilograms of wheat fields. This number of corn looks huge, but in fact it is only three times the output of the same land – no, this is already very scary. OK.

The agricultural officer who couldn’t believe the number quickly wondered if they had made a mistake, and urged them to do the calculation again. The little official himself also wondered what was wrong, so he sat back and continued the calculation again, but the result was still the same. .

Different from their disbelief, the steward George and the other serfs who also heard the result were startled at first, but soon, they automatically converted it in their minds.

1,000 acres and 5.9 million catties of corn, which is an average of 5,900 catties per acre. This figure is almost three times the wheat harvest this year. The number is really amazing, but they think about working in the fields. When I saw it, I felt as if I had said it in the past.

“I estimated before that the amount of corn in this field should be about this number. At that time, I thought I couldn’t do the math and didn’t dare to say it to avoid being laughed at. I didn’t expect it to be the right one.”

“Me too, and I don’t dare to say it. With this calculation, what the young man said just now should be correct. God, there are so many corns.”

“Isn’t there still something that can’t be eaten in the middle of the corn? If you remove that part, the weight actually has to drop a little bit, so there shouldn’t be that much.”

“But I feel like I’m dreaming.”

“What a dream, the Countess said before that these corns are particularly high-yielding, doesn’t this result confirm Madam’s words? Sure enough, Madam is the most powerful, and she brought us such good seeds.”

“that’s right!”

“I also want to plant corn in the field next year. Those corns are easier to serve than wheat, and the harvest is so good, but I don’t know how it tastes?”

“The taste is not bad!” Someone whispered secretly: “I couldn’t help but secretly took a small grain and tasted it, and I tasted a sweet taste in my mouth, which is much more flavorful than wheat flour.”

“You are so bold…but is it really sweet?” No one can refuse sweetness these days.

“Absolutely sweet, I swear to God!”

In fact, other people have secretly tasted the taste of corn, but they dare not say it.

“I just don’t know if Madam is willing to share the seeds with us?”

“No problem, didn’t Madam give a lot to those knights and gentlemen before, some stewards and servants of the castle even got it. Now that the harvest is so good, the Countess must be very happy, and then we will go and ask As soon as you ask, don’t give us any share, just spend some money to buy some, and Madam will definitely be willing.”

“That’s right, so much corn may be kept in the headquarters to eat, right? Madam should be able to take it out, but I don’t know how much it will cost to buy it.”

“As long as it’s not very expensive, I’m willing to buy some. How many grains and seeds will I need in the future?”

“makes sense.”

The serfs were talking a lot, thinking that they would be able to grow corn on their land next year, and the farm officer also calculated the new number, and it turned out that it was indeed the right number.

Now it’s hard for them to believe it or not.

George also watched the results after hearing the results. After confirming the results, he was going to go to the castle to report the good news to Wei Wei, but before leaving, he had to ask the serfs to pack the corn and send them over. This time there was so much corn production, and he was worried that he would not be secretly taking some home, but he didn’t want to miss out on being good in front of the hostess, so he ordered a few usually honest and diligent serfs to help him watch everyone.

He didn’t forget to warn everyone: “This time the food is owned by the Count and Madam. Anyone who dares to steal it will have their hands cut off. If you don’t want to be maimed, take care of yourself. If there is one less, in the future Don’t even think about staying in the manor.”

This is serious, but he is not just casually scaring people. The rules of the manor are there. Stealing is the most serious crime. Not to mention cutting hands, there are beheads, and the lives of the serfs are in the hands of their directors.

And although the Count is generous, he is clearly rewarded and punished. If he really makes a mistake, he will not tolerate it. For the sake of his own life, he cannot make such a mistake.

This made those who had a little idea in their hearts dare not act rashly. If these corns were broken into corn kernels, they would dare to secretly carry a little bit on their bodies, but these are all attached to the sticks, and there is one less left on the top. The vacant seats can be seen, and the serfs thought that they would not dare to plant even if they secretly took them home.

So no one dared to reach out for that thing, and even if someone had already stolen it, he planned to eat all the corn when he got home, and he must not leave any evidence.

These people are also worried that if someone else steals the corn, the anger of the count will affect them, so they don’t forget to supervise each other when carrying it.

But as they moved, someone suddenly thought of a problem.

“Speaking of which, the potato field should be harvested too. I wonder if there are as many potatoes as corn in it.”

“I think it’s almost the same. Didn’t Madam say that they are all high-yield crops. Think about the size of those potatoes when they are planted. If they grow out like that, they probably won’t be any less.”

And the novice officials in charge of weighing can’t think that they can rest for a while after being busy today. As a result, when they heard that there were any potatoes, their faces immediately turned pale. If this is another bumper harvest like corn, not to mention the result will be different. It will scare them, just this process, I am afraid that they will exhaust their rhythm, right?

When I heard later, the potatoes were only planted on ten acres, but I didn’t worry so much. Anyway, with just such a lot of land, there is still a number of high yields.

When the potatoes are finished, they must apply for vacation!

It’s just that they don’t know that in addition to potatoes, there are more than 600 acres of sweet potatoes in this manor, which are thriving under the fertile ground, and next month will be their harvest season.

At that time, not only these peasant officials, but all serfs and vassals would know what a truly terrifying high yield is.

On the other hand, George hurriedly ran into the castle. He felt that the good news he brought would make the Countess very happy. When the hostess was happy, she might even give him some rewards.

I wonder if he could take advantage of the Countess’s good mood to ask her for some corn seeds, so that he can grow such good crops in his own fields in the future.