Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 101 Breeding
In August, it is the summer wheat harvest season again. Everything is golden. Under the summer sunshine, it looks like waves, sparkling and beautiful.

The heavy ears of wheat sway in the wind, making a rustling sound, as if whispering the joy of the harvest.

A few hundred meters northeast of Shixing Fort, there is a separately marked out wheat field. Its growth is particularly good compared to other fields. The stems and leaves are beginning to turn yellow. When you rub open the wheat ears, you will find that the grains are full and the color has changed from dark green to light yellow as they mature.

"I estimate the yield can reach 150 to 180 kilograms, right?" Li Xianqing picked another bunch of wheat ears and gently rubbed them open. The grains were still full and looked very pleasing to the eye.

"Well, maybe we can reach 200 kilograms." Kuang Xu was also very satisfied with the growth of this wheat field. "If all the wheat fields can have this yield, I'm afraid we will have an unprecedented bumper harvest."

"Two hundred kilograms? ...How is that possible!" Li Xianqing said with a smile, "This wheat field is our seed cultivation field. Before planting, the wheat seeds are carefully selected and of high quality. Moreover, this piece of land almost concentrates all the base fertilizer of Shixing Fort. During the field management, even more manpower and material resources were poured into it."

"It can be said that in order to cultivate higher-quality wheat varieties, we have invested considerable energy and resources in this wheat field. In the absence of chemical fertilizers, increasing the wheat yield to 150 kilograms is a rare high yield."

"Director, that's right!" Xu Xinghuai, who was accompanying him, nodded repeatedly in agreement. "In our Daming territory, if a grain yield of 150 kilograms per mu is achieved, it's considered excellent. If enough organic fertilizer is applied, and if there's no shortage of water in irrigated land, some fields can produce 180 kilograms, or even over 200 kilograms."

"However, this situation is extremely rare. When the government officials learn about it, they will personally come down to harvest the wheat as a sign of encouragement. However, under normal circumstances, the grain yield in the fields is not high. I heard that in the north, the wheat field only yields 80 to 90 kilograms per mu, and some even 50 to 60 kilograms. The rice in the south is slightly higher, but no more than 150 kilograms."

"Just think about it, it's really hard! A family of seven or eight, with only six or seven acres of land. After paying rent and government taxes, there's not much left from the annual harvest. To feed the family, all we have is porridge every day. My Lords, don't know, porridge is actually more water than rice, and it's crammed with wild vegetables. Only during festivals can we enjoy a luxurious meal of dry rice!"

After hearing this, Li Xianqing and Kuang Xu couldn't help but smile at each other.

Although these immigrants from the Ming Dynasty still miss the mountains and rivers of their hometown and care about their relatives and neighbors, they would never go back to live a life of hunger and cold.

Sometimes, the quality of life is determined by comparison.

Although the work in Shixing Fort is very heavy, there is almost no time to rest throughout the year.

Even in the freezing cold of winter, these Ming immigrants still had to work, such as processing wood, making simple furniture, salting furs, salting fish and meat, and even going out to hunt, cut wood, burn wasteland, and sort ore...

However, people here can eat their fill, three meals a day, corn buns, sorghum cakes, rice porridge, and hot noodles, and eat to their heart's content.

Moreover, they would occasionally enjoy some meat, such as venison, fish, chicken and duck. During festivals, the food was even more abundant, and fat pigs and sheep would be slaughtered to satisfy the hard-working residents.

Since arriving at Shixing Fort, the days when I went hungry for half a month, two meals a day, and always felt hungry are gone forever.

Even the current daily dietary standards are almost on par with those of wealthy families in the Ming Dynasty.

In winter, they not only have warm cotton-padded jackets to keep warm, but when working outside, they also wrap themselves in a layer of soft, furry animal fur, just like the wealthy businessmen in the city.

The managers joked that the furs they were wearing could fetch dozens of taels of silver if left in the Ming Dynasty. If they wandered around in the wild, they would most likely be robbed.

In the Ming Dynasty, no one dared to even imagine such a good life.

What is even more rare is that the managers of Shixing Fort are not at all like the Ming Dynasty officials who "levy heavy taxes and levy heavy taxes". They are very fair in their dealings and rarely beat or punish people.

As long as you are obedient and work honestly, they generally won't blame you.

If they did well, they were generous with their praise and rewards, which was very encouraging. Today, two commissioners came to inspect the progress of the crops, and Xu Xinghuai, as the primary person in charge of the wheat fields, carefully waited by their side, explaining a few things to the two commissioners.

"After harvesting this wheat field, we'll need to select high-quality seeds again to ensure that the wheat seeds in Shixing Fort are even better, laying a solid foundation for future grain growth and harvests." Li Xianqing walked along the ridge of the field, inspecting the growth of the wheat field while giving instructions to Xu Xinghuai. "Of course, the other wheat fields can't be left alone either. When harvesting and storing them, we'll pick out the superior seeds."

"From now on, our wheat varieties must not only have yield-increasing varieties, lodging-resistant varieties, drought-resistant varieties, and even disease and pest resistance varieties. In other words, we must specifically select wheat with excellent genetic components... uh, superior external and internal characteristics, so that they are suitable for various planting environments."

"Your Excellency is right. I've made note of it..." Xu Xinghuai nodded in agreement.

"By the way, it's best to keep detailed written records during the breeding process, and also conduct systematic summaries and comparisons to ensure the scientific and rigorous nature of the entire process."

"Sir..." Xu Xinghuai's face suddenly turned bitter when he heard this, "Sir, I can't read..."

"You can't read?" Li Xianqing frowned. "Didn't we organize a literacy class? You haven't learned to write in almost a year?"

"Sir, I am really stupid and not good at reading and writing..."

"How many times have I told you guys this? We don't have any terms like 'adult' or 'little' here." Li Xianqing was both angry and amused when he saw him like this. "Look, wouldn't it be good for you to read a little and learn a few words? In the future, at least you'll be able to understand books and newspapers, and understand the policies and laws issued by the government. When you're old and have nothing to do, you can read to pass the time, right?"

"..." After hearing this, Xu Xinghuai dared not say anything.

Ordinary people like us, working in the fields and dealing with crops all day long, do we really need to learn to read and write?
"It seems that we need to select a few students to engage in agricultural research and study." Li Xianqing smiled bitterly.

"Yes, that's right." Kuang Xu nodded and said, "No matter how we develop industry in the future, we must not neglect the development of agricultural production. We must start from now on to systematically study and summarize the many aspects of agriculture. I remember that there are quite a few agricultural classics handed down. I must find a way to obtain them for research and reference."

"..." Xu Xinghuai was very puzzled as he watched the two adults discussing how to strengthen the study and mastery of agricultural production.

Isn't farming something that's passed down from generation to generation, from father to son, and from son to grandson? After digging for food in the fields for a few days and tending to the crops for a while, you slowly learn it.

Why do we need to get some ancient books and classics like scholars and study them carefully?

In the surrounding villages and in the fields, all the experienced farmers are veteran farmers. Have you ever seen a scholar tinkering with crops?
"Everything is a learning!" Li Xianqing patted the farmer on the shoulder. "If agricultural science is promoted, farming methods are established, and all experiences are documented, then even those without any farming experience can follow the instructions and grow good crops."

"Sir... Oh, no, the director is right." Xu Huaixing nodded in agreement.

"Oh, if you could read a little, learn to read a little, record your years of farming experience, and pass it on to other farmers, maybe you could be appointed an agricultural official."

"Ah, can you become an official by farming?"

"It's not just farming that can make one an official. Anyone who can promote the development of related industries, such as livestock raising, engineering construction, mineral processing and mining, and manufacturing tools, can also become an official."

"If you can breed high-quality seeds for our Shixing Fort, thereby promoting agricultural growth and harvest, and can also record many advanced agricultural experiences and promote them, why not appoint you as an agricultural official?"
-
　Welcome to join the book club of this work

　　Group number: 1009675408
　　
　
(End of this chapter)