Farming with Entries: From Lord to Emperor Chapter 29 - 25: Cultivation

The townspeople of Frost Leaf Town choose the largest rye seeds.

But in reality, seeds that are too large are not necessarily suitable for cultivation.

Rye seeds that are much larger than average may be deford and genetically unstable, making it difficult for their traits to be passed on to future generations.

The first selection by Luo De was the premium thousand acres of land he had secured.

Good seeds should be of uniform size, full, round, and of even color, with no shriveling or damage, and must be free of mold or pests.

The most common traditional thod of seed screening is the saltwater thod.

This involves adding an appropriate amount of salt to clear water, putting the seeds into the saline solution; unsuitable seeds will float, while suitable ones will sink.

However, with the Northern Wasteland being so far from the east coast, salt here is genuinely scarce.

For a thousand acres, at least twenty thousand pounds of seeds are needed, possibly even thirty thousand pounds, and Luo De cannot just rely on salt for processing.

Besides that, there’s the mud screening thod and the diluted urine thod, but Luo De chose the wood ash water screening thod.

By mixing wood ash with water to make a slightly cloudy solution, this thod mimics the effect of saline solution by observing whether the seeds sink or float.

Once the seeds are screened, they’re taken out, washed clean, and then dried.

Luo De adds another layer of manual selection at the end to ensure the seeds are top-notch.

This thousand acres of land is Frost Leaf Town’s backup grain supply, so no sloppiness can be allowed with the seeds!

Once all the seeds have been screened, the fields chosen by Luo De have been turned over, and fertilizer spread over the land.

It’s worth ntioning that after spreading fertilizer over the furrows, they have to be turned again to ensure the fertilizer is buried properly in the ridges before sowing.

Thankfully, the cold climate in the Northern Territory ans sowing starts in early May, giving Luo De ample ti to prepare.

The sowing thods for rye include dibbling, drilling, and broadcasting.

Broadcasting wastes seeds.

Dibbling is not suitable for large-scale planting.

Therefore, Luo De opted for drilling.

Drilling simply ans using a wooden rake to create a straight groove of three to four centiters on the furrow.

A rope is usually used as a marker to keep the grooves straight, then seeds are evenly spread into the groove, making sure they do not pile up.

After sowing, a layer of fine soil mixed with plant ash is spread over the seeds and raked flat, followed by a roller (a wooden stick with a rope on both ends and an axle in the middle) to compact the soil and ensure the seeds make firm contact with the soil.

This whole sowing process is not easily understandable just by explanation, so Luo De demonstrates it once more personally to the farrs.

Sowing is unlike plowing—mistakes cannot be corrected once the soil covers the seeds.

Therefore, Luo De specifically selected eight astute farrs for focused training and personally supervised their sowing process for a day.

He ensured they distributed the rye seeds evenly and properly—ultimately, Luo De’s sowing standard was between twenty-three to twenty-eight pounds per acre.

Then, Luo De instructed these eight farrs to teach the others, and once Luo De’s spot-check showed satisfactory results, large-scale planting comnced.

"The seeds are finally in the ground."

Watching the people in the vast fields move back and forth like ants, Luo De finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Of course, this was not the end.

After the seeds are sown, fences have to be erected around the fields, and scarecrows have to be placed inside to at least prevent the crops from being ruined by rabbits and sparrows.

At the sa ti, Luo De had already instructed Rein to set up traps near the fences to deal with the wild animals, while also supplenting the territory’s at supply.

These tasks did not require Luo De’s personal demonstration.

—If they couldn’t even properly set up fences, they’d certainly deserve a beating.

Of course, Luo De wouldn’t just plant these thousand acres.

If anything went amiss, the entire town would go hungry.

Grain is a fundantal necessity in any era and cannot be taken lightly.

Without grain, Frost Leaf Town would collapse as easily as a paper tiger.

In truth, Luo De did not expect to increase yields with a single spring planting, especially since breeding improvents are not achieved overnight.

What Luo De wanted most was to change the farming habits here, which was also the easiest goal to achieve.

Now that this objective had been reached, once these thousand acres were entirely sown, Luo De planned for Otto to be primarily responsible for farming the remaining land.

Luo De would focus on random checks and supervision.

Having taught all the necessary techniques, Luo De, as a lord, could not always be busy with the farmland.

There were still many other responsibilities demanding Luo De’s attention.

The next day at noon,

in front of the newly built manor house,

"You two get ready. Tomorrow we will be inspecting the territory."

Having arranged everything, Luo De ordered.

Durant and Gang Le were puzzled, not understanding why the Lord Baron, having just finished three exhausting days of farming, suddenly wanted to inspect the territory?

"Lord Baron, where are we going?"

"We’ll see everywhere that’s not extrely dangerous."

Gazing into the distance with a weathered expression, Luo De remarked, "I haven’t had a chance to fully appreciate the scenery of Black Pine Ridge, nor do I know if the ice in Blue River Bay has lted."

"Lord, if you want to see if the ice has lted, shall we go and check for you?"

Gang Le chuckled, "You staying here to smith in town is not only safe but you’ll get our axes done faster too."

"And how about you help plan the irrigation channels for the fields?" Luo De retorted with a side glance.

"That I can’t do."

Gang Le shook his head vehently.

"Hahaha!"

Luo De and Durant exchanged a smile, then began planning the personnel for the following day’s excursion.

In reality, the scenery and the planning of the irrigation channel were secondary.

The most important thing was that Luo De had received a system prompt a week ago: [Mineral Vein Detection (Green)] has been unlocked.

This entry allows Luo De to sense the existence of valuable mineral veins within a radius of three hundred ters centered on him.

Not only tal ores but also salt deposits, stone mines, and even yellow clay and quality timber are considered veins.

There are also nurous pieces of knowledge, including how to slt and use the resources, and other various instructions.

For instance, knowledge such as how to fire red bricks using clay, how to make peat, and so forth, is very detailed.

However, proximity is required to receive the prompts and determine the specific location of the veins using the hints and the knowledge in one’s mind.

The next entry, therefore, is to personally investigate five mineral veins within the territory, extract five hundred tons of tal ore, and slt one hundred tons of tal to obtain the entry [Lord of the Mineral Vein].

After so laughter, Durant suggested, "There are many fierce beasts in the wasteland. Rein has the most experience dealing with them, so I hope you can take him along, my Lord."

"Yes, have him bring along a hunter, so our food needs are also covered," Luo De nodded in agreent.

"Should we bring along a maid to attend to your needs?"

"It’s not a pleasure trip, so why bring a maid?"

Luo De chuckled lightly and unabashedly said,

"They’re not helpful at all, and in case of danger, they’d more likely be a burden."

No one dislikes enjoynt, but now is not the ti for it.

"Very well, my lord, I understand."

Durant nodded slightly, showing respect.

He knew Luo De wasn’t the traditional delicate noble lord; he would eat and live with the guards when they traveled together.

The concern was that with maids serving him in Frost Leaf Town, Luo De might change his ways.

But it now seed that the Lord had not changed.

"Alright, let select six guards to accompany you. Is that alright with you?"

"Two will suffice,"

Luo De decided.

The main purpose of the journey is to search for mineral veins, which requires a certain level of confidentiality.

It’s not that there is distrust of the other guards, but too many people inevitably ans loose lips.

With Durant and Gunter following, there’s no need for too large a group, making it easier to act.

"Yes, Lord Baron,"

Durant responded, then imdiately passed the ssage to Rein.