Chapter 47
(Kyle Calendar
Year 505: Age 12)
Teigun
Development Project ②: Agricultural
Production
Translator : PolterGlast
Shortly after my
arrival, a full-fledged spring came to Mount Teigun.
Snowmelt created
numerous small streams, flowing gently down the slopes of the flatland.
New green shoots
sprouted everywhere in the grassland on the slopes, and flowers began to bloom.
The town was still
under construction everywhere, and it was a pity that we couldn't secure enough
snowmelt. Still, it was fortunate that we were able to store water in at least
a part of the completed dry moat.
Alongside the
construction of the town and defense facilities, we had to look towards
agricultural production for the future.
Therefore, we
established a department specifically overseeing farmland development and
related matters.
We recruited about 50
experienced individuals from the settlers who had originally been engaged in
agriculture.
With them as the core,
we hired more people and entrusted them with the operation of public
experimental farms, grazing, and dairy farming.
"Today, as our
first task, I would like you to install beehives," I said, explaining how
to install them and requesting their placement in various locations.
"You, as the
Lord, don't have to sweat installing them yourself..."
Such words reached my
ears from somewhere, but I pretended not to hear them.
『Show them how, tell them, let them do it, and praise
them; only then will people move. (Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto)』
These were words I
liked. To be precise, they were the favorite words of Nishida Takuhir from my
[previous-previous life].
With enough manpower,
the installation of the beehives was completed in a single day.
If only at least 20%
of them took hold... all I could do was pray.
The installation of
100 locations (it would have been a tremendous task if I had done it alone) was
completed, and from the next day, I began working on the experimental farm.
"The results of
the cultivation experiments at the experimental farm will be reflected in the
farmland of the settlement in the future.
This is the purpose of
this work, so please follow the instructions."
Unlike the central
part of the Estol territory, the vicinity of Mount Teigun, perhaps due to the
influence of the border mountain range and Mount Teigun itself, had relatively
adequate rainfall suitable for farming. I suspected the problem probably lay in
the soil.
Therefore, at the
experimental farm, we first spread oyster shell lime and then began soil
improvement by plowing fermented horse manure into the soil.
Fortunately, there
were many horses, so there was no shortage of horse manure.
In [this world],
livestock manure was also used in farmland, so this task could be left to
others.
"Is it alright to
spread something like this... on the fields?"
Only the oyster shell
lime was something even experienced farmers had never seen before, causing them
to be bewildered.
We used the oyster
shells that Bart had collected previously, sun-dried, and crushed at the
watermill near the town of Est.
Some were used as
fertilizer after being crushed as they were, and some were used as fertilizer
after being calcined and then crushed.
Furthermore, some were
left as whole shells and submerged in various locations in the sewer system.
The ones submerged in
the sewer system were intended to purify and improve the water quality through
the oyster shells.
I didn't know the
effect, but I thought it was worth trying.
The oyster shells that
Bart had newly brought back on his recent peddling trip were currently being
desalinated and would be sun-dried in the future.
Once the soil
improvement work on the experimental farm and the town's vacant land (temporary
farmland) was completed, we began planting.
Experimental Farm
- The right
section cultivated grains, the left section cultivated several types of
vegetables.
- Since the
appropriate amount of oyster shell lime was unknown, the amount was varied
for each section.
- A four-field
crop rotation system (wheat → root vegetables → barley → forage crops) was
adopted.
We began experimenting
in this way and decided to observe the progress.
Utilization of Undeveloped Land in the Town
Besides
the experimental farm, there was still a lot of vacant land in the town. Some
of it was decided to be used for agriculture for the time being.
- Four
sections of 200 m² were used as pastureland.
- Poultry and
livestock were raised in the pastureland, and grazing and dairy farming
were carried out.
- Four
sections of 50 m² around the lord's mansion branch were made into fields
to cultivate potatoes and turnips.
- Other vacant
land in sections where there were no residents for the time being was also
utilized.
- Potatoes and
turnips, which have a fast harvest, were mainly cultivated and utilized in
the temporary cultivated land.
We proceeded in this
way.
If the results of the
soil improvement were successful, we planned to implement them in the
settlement land outside the town.
Or rather, I just
hoped it would go well.
The cultivation of
vacant land was entrusted to the orphans of the orphanage, and the children
attending school also cultivated potatoes as part of their lessons.
As a result, other
citizens also came forward wanting to cultivate vacant land.
Similar to the
experimental farm, we also conducted trial operations of oyster shell lime and
experiments using fermented compost made from livestock manure on these plots.
Land Outside the Town
Several
preferential measures were prepared for those who moved to the settlement land
outside the town.
- Several safe
settlement areas designated by the government office were prepared in
advance.
- Settlers who
moved in would have their harvests tax-free for the first five years.
- Subsidies
would be provided on the condition of periodically engaging in corvée
labor.
※
The agricultural plan
progressed steadily, and issues were discussed at a regular meeting held at the
Teigun government office.
"We have a
complete lack of livestock in the pastureland. To meet demand, we need several
times the current number."
"Yeah... is the
cause of Claire's point transportation?"
"Yes, because the
roads are not developed, there are transportation costs and other issues, so
procurement is not progressing.
In the town of Teigun,
the proportion of construction workers is abnormally high compared to the
population, and meat consumption is also high, so the current situation is that
we cannot keep up with demand."
"Bart, can the
town of Fran meet the demand? ... No, it's impossible, right?"
"With the current
number of people, Fran is already beyond its limits.
Considering the increase
in laborers from now on... it will be difficult."
"I see. Even if
it takes some time and money, could you go as far as the town of Est to procure
meat and spread information to the traveling merchants that 'Fran is buying
livestock at a higher price than the market price'?"
"Also, for the
time being, the only option might be to drastically increase the number of
poultry, which are easier to transport... right?"
"Understood. I
will gather as much as possible."
Bart understood. For
the laborers doing physical work, the presence and quantity of meat also
affected morale.
This was something I
wanted to avoid at all costs.
Living creatures such
as livestock and poultry cannot be stored in spatial storage.
Therefore, since mass
transportation by Bart was not possible, we had no choice but to increase their
numbers steadily over time.
"Any other
problems?"
"Well, perhaps
the fact that the settlement land outside the town remains unpopular."
"Miseri-san, I
think it's unavoidable at this point that immigration to the settlement land
outside the town is not progressing."
Yes, due to its
location close to the Demon Realm, there was a world of difference between
inside the town walls and outside the town walls.
Frankly, as the
construction of the safe town enclosed by walls progressed, it was expected
that immigration to the land outside the town, which was not popular from the
beginning, would not proceed.
Once the town
development and castle wall construction were completed, we planned to develop
settlement land enclosed by safe partition walls, but construction had not yet
begun. And there were concerns about the soil and agricultural water, even in
agricultural production.
In the future, if the
operation results of the experimental farm progressed well, we could deploy
that know-how, or so I thought.
"For the time
being, we won't actively solicit immigration to the settlement land outside the
town, and we'll provide guidance once preparations are somewhat complete. Can
we handle it that way?"
"Understood. I
will provide that guidance at the reception office.
Um... is it alright to
accept reservations from those wishing to immigrate?"
"If Claire can
manage it, it would be helpful to know the number of applicants... but can you
handle it?"
"It's alright.
First, we will post that we have started accepting reservations and will
provide guidance in the future."
I was relieved by the
reply of my capable right-hand woman (Claire).
※
Some time later, a
troublesome problem arose.
Even with the additions,
the oyster shells, which should have been a vast quantity, were likely to
become insufficient in the future if consumption continued at the current pace.
Moreover,
there were multiple issues.
- Traveling
back and forth to the coastline of a distant neighboring country.
- The
subsequent processes of desalination and sun-drying were necessary.
- Preparation
time was required, and even if obtained, they could not be used
immediately.
- The trouble
of stopping by the town of Est once for the crushing work.
Yes, the crushing work
done near the town of Est also involved the trouble of unloading the cargo
once, processing it, and then transporting it back to Teigun after crushing.
Moreover, it was a
waste of Bart's time to be tied up during that period, and manpower was also
needed to manage the processing and crushing.
Bart was running
around transporting ore and goods, and it was practically impossible for him to
be away from transportation duties for about half a year.
When I was racking my
brains, two helping hands reached out.
First was Bart's
proposal.
Considering the future
hassle, he had paid the price locally and requested the collection,
desalination, and sun-drying of the oyster shells.
"I apologize for
acting on my own initiative."
I almost hugged him,
who was prostrating himself.
With this, if we
hurried using horses, we could make a round trip to the coastline of the
neighboring country in about a month and a half.
We could have him head
out to collect oyster shells while keeping an eye on the stockpiling of food
and other daily necessities, and the transportation status of iron ore to the
town of Fran.
I told him he could
use the funds and asked him to continue collecting oyster shells and carrying
out local processing for the time being.
And then there was
Foreman Karl, who had newly opened a workshop in the town of the settlement
(Teigun).
He had received
permission to branch out from Workshop Head Geld and had immigrated to the town
of Teigun with his disciples.
"In Teigun too,
although on a smaller scale, I think we can build a watermill utilizing the
height difference of the upper water channel."
"Karl-san!
Please, by all means!"
I jumped at this
proposal.
With this, not only
could we crush oyster shells, but we could also process the wheat harvested in
Teigun into flour.
I immediately adopted
Karl-san's proposal and placed an order.
After the watermill
was completed, I also incidentally requested the development of a windmill
utilizing the wind blowing down from Mount Teigun.
In this way, while
still facing many challenges, the agricultural production improvement plan that
had begun with the experimental farm was set to move forward step by step.
-----
Thank you for my Patrons !!
[Platinum]
Swagaraga
[Gold]
B random
DavidA
Nepheos
ShitaiNoKootoRyuu
[Silver]
Creris
Fred A.
Frédéric Bertrand-Hudon
Geral Aponso
Matthew Fraser
Anton Lim
Ctdela
Curious Panda
Read Advanced Chapters only on my Patreon
-----
