I built a manor in the Middle Ages

Chapter 123 Apple Grafting (15)

"You mean, sir, to cut the apple branches and tie them to the thorn-tree?"

Standing in front of the apple orchard without apple trees, even Ryan and Old Eike, who trusted him very much, couldn't help but look at each other after hearing Luke's words.

They had never heard of such a planting method.

Old Eike, in particular, was curious about why the thorn trees were planted.

"That's right." Luc didn't explain, but said firmly: "Don't be dazed. Bring your knife and follow me. Watch carefully. Cut the apple branches the same way I cut them."

After more than half a month of initial plowing, the farmers gradually adapted to the pace and worked faster and faster. Ryan rubbed his butt to keep up. He hadn't felt well recently. Ever since he asked someone to train him how to ride, his butt was almost broken.

Arriving at a real apple orchard, the wild apple trees inevitably attracted some insects. He walked around the trees and finally stopped in front of a healthy one. He cut off the short branches along the thick trunk one by one. Luc pointed to the tender buds on them and said, "Try to cut those with buds. They will be needed for the grafting later."

The apple tree is in the critical growth period at this time. Cutting off the extra branches will allow the main trunk to bear more fruit.

Ryan and Old Ek followed suit. The process was not complicated and only required carefulness. In a short while, they had cut out more than a dozen strands.

When he saw that the number was almost the same, Luke raised his hand to stop pruning and asked someone to carry the wicker basket back to the thorn tree.

Looking at the rows of thorn trees, a few months was too short for them. Even with someone taking care of them, they only grew about three feet tall, but it just met Luc's expectations.

Luc didn't act immediately, but stroked his beard and thought.

Unlike tilling the soil during farming, a few clods of soil are not a big deal, but the grafting steps must be foolproof.

The first is the rootstock interface. Luc plans to use the most common method - T-shaped interface. First, draw a T on the trunk, then peel off the bark on both sides to expose the core of the tree. The bark must not fall off during the process.

The second step is the scion. Pick up the apple branch, discard the tenderer part, and cut the remaining part diagonally, leaving a thumb-sized scion piece with tender buds.

Luc walked quickly to the rootstock and slid the scion into the joint little by little. He controlled his wrist very well, without getting any dust on it. He aligned the top tightly. When he found a raised part, he cut it off with a knife without hesitation to ensure that the scion and the rootstock were firmly combined.

When the connection is complete, close the bark on both sides and gently cover them, leaving only the tender buds.

The last step is to tie it tightly.

Normally, rattan ropes were used to tie anything, but this time it didn't work.

He needed something more delicate and airy.

This is what Luc was just thinking about.

Take off the ponytail on your arm. Yes, Luc finally adopted a ponytail.

Caring for a warhorse is not just about providing feed; trimming the mane and tying the tail are equally important!
Having never raised a war horse before, Luc had neglected this aspect until the overly long horsetail accidentally got entangled with the saddle. Only then did he start cutting it short every now and then, including the hair on the forehead, which was tied into a small braid.

To ensure that it will not be blown away by the wind, except for the exposed tender buds, the rest of the bark is wrapped with circles of thin horsetail.

Luke clapped his hands in satisfaction, "It's done."

In the next few days, you just need to observe whether the branches will become shriveled and black, and whether they will shrink. If everything is normal, it means that the grafting is officially successful.

"Master, will we be able to harvest sweeter apples this way?" Ryan came up and asked curiously.

Luc nodded and shook his head. Theoretically, there was no problem, but in reality, it was still uncertain what kind of apples would be produced, and there were some mutated ones.

"No matter what, let's connect it first."

Explain the key points of the steps to everyone, and then become a hands-off manager.

When Luc returned to the Knight's Castle, Du Si insisted on dragging him over to play a few games of chess. She has become addicted to it recently.

"My dear, if you go to a banquet, you can strike up a conversation with a bunch of noble ladies just by playing Gobang!"

Du Si had a very high opinion of Gobang, or rather, it was her affirmation of a new form of entertainment in an era when there were no other entertainment activities.

"I don't have time to attend their party." Luke relied on his skill to set up a triangle formation in a short while, which made Du Si frown.

After thinking for a while, he said, "Since you feel bored, you can learn to read with Hugo when you have time. It can kill time and increase your knowledge. Once you can recognize words and read, you won't be so bored anymore."

Apart from the clergy, no one knew the importance of literacy better than Luc, including the middle and lower class nobles.

Take the military for example. A junior officer who can read and understand tactical deployment is like a treasure.

Of course, Luc has no plans to promote literacy, at least not yet.

It would be enough if he and a few people around him could learn it.

Du Si stared at the chessboard in confusion, then looked up and said, "But I can read."

"What?" Luc's eyes widened.

"In Tiha Village, I often had to handle my father's account books and manage the family property, so of course I had to be literate."

"Hiss" Luc felt a toothache. After all the fuss, he realized that he was the one with the lowest level of education.

The two of them went down until noon, and on the way they went to check on the fruit trees, which were basically planted.

In the afternoon, Luc went to check the wooden plow again. The second one had been completed and completely dried. At dusk, Luc came out of the church and suddenly found that Ryan was standing outside at some point, as if waiting for him.

"What's wrong? Is there something wrong?"

Luc frowned.

The church is far away from the manor, and Ryan would not come here specially unless there is something important.

I looked up at the lookout tower, but there was no smoke signal.

Ryan curled his lips and said, "My lord, two serfs are fighting."

……

"They were both refugees who arrived later. They only got together when they were fleeing the famine. They weren't from the same place before. Paul said they had a conflict on the way. They probably didn't clash when they first arrived because they were weak. But recently, the food has improved, and they started arguing over half a rabbit leg that night. Later, they even fought. I asked around, and it wasn't that Mary divided the food unfairly. They were just angry with each other. One of them had a swollen eye, and the other had two teeth knocked out. You were taking a nap at the time, so I had to separate them and have Jill guard them."

Luc walked along the country path and listened quietly to the whole story.

"How do they usually do in the land reclamation?"

"Not lazy, but not as hardworking as Paul."

Luc nodded and said no more.

Where there are people, there will be conflicts. This is inevitable. Before, everyone in Ward Village was a companion who survived the disaster and was very close to each other, but the refugees were not like that.

But although he understood, Luc's face was very serious.

Fighting in the territory right after finishing a meal was essentially a disrespect to him.

Without having experienced the killing of Martin, these people seemed to have less awe.

"grown ups!"

Under the cover of night, from a long distance, in the corner of the serf area, Gil was seen holding a long-handled blade. His one eye and the scar on his face had a great deterrent effect on the civilians.

Behind Jill, two tied-up serfs were lying on the ground, shivering.

The other serfs were sitting on the side holding their bowls, and they all stood up when they saw Luc coming.

(End of this chapter)