I built a manor in the Middle Ages

Chapter 128 Intercropping (15)

The sowing went as fast as Luc had imagined, but some problems arose immediately.

Because the wooden plow cart was heavy, the center of gravity would move forward when people pushed it from behind. There were several times when serfs accidentally stumbled while pushing the cart. So after discussion, they hung a piece of wood in the middle of the handlebars to balance the body of the cart.

The sun was shining brightly. Luc got up early this morning, walked to the table, picked up a small piece of charcoal, gestured with it, and muttered to himself.

As my memory came back, the five new words I learned yesterday began to emerge in my mind, and a vague impression began to be imprinted.

Ten words a day, this is the hard requirement that Luc set for himself. It was easy in the early stage, because they were all short words. Later on, they became longer and longer and it was a bit difficult to remember them. Fortunately, it was shortened by half.

It's not that Luc has a bad memory, on the contrary he has a very good memory, it's just that there are too many things to remember.
For example, right now, while reciting the poem, something else suddenly occurred to my mind:

"The rye planting will soon be completed, and next will be two hundred pounds of wheat."

"Two hundred pounds of wheat for two acres? No, I suppose it would take three and a half acres."

"There are peas after all."

"Jill said the carpentry house was finished and he hoped to lend them the pulley to use for lifting wood, but Ryan still needed to build a house, so he would have to build another one."

"What did Brother Hugo say? Oh, yes, he was going to tell me a story from the Bible this afternoon. Hmm, I should find an excuse to refuse."

"How much food is left? I'll ask Old Eike later."

Scenes flashed through his mind, and Luc rubbed his temples with a headache. He simply stopped memorizing words and went out to practice his fighting skills as usual. The refreshing mountain breeze made him much more sober. Without any hesitation, he handed the warhorse back to Ryan for maintenance, and then rushed to the field.

Looking at the scene where everyone was working diligently, Luke waved his hand and said:

"Robert, come here!"

Robert, who was bending over to dig the soil, heard it and quickly put down his farm tools and ran over. "Sir, what's the matter?"

"Is the rye almost finished?"

Robert nodded. "It will be done in the afternoon."

"Very good. I have a task for you. Lead your men to the warehouse and get the pea seeds."

Robert didn't understand why, but he immediately took his men away.

Looking at Robert's skinny back, Luke paced on the spot. What he had to do was very simple, that is - intercropping!
To put it simply, intercropping is the planting of two crops together on the same land. There are many types of intercropping, including peas and wheat.

There are huge benefits to doing this.

Take these two as an example. First of all, they are both sown at the same time in September, but their growth cycles are different. Wheat will germinate before winter and mature in May or June after wintering, while peas grow in early spring.

Secondly, peas themselves can improve the soil, which is why Luc spreads pea stalks into the fields. However, doing this for a long time will inevitably have an impact on the land, but it is still fine in the short term.

In addition, intercropping can reduce pests, reduce fertilizer use, and even have a complementary relationship, providing nutrients to each other.

To be honest, Luc sometimes really admires the wisdom of the ancients.

After a while, Robert took out bags of peas. The yield of the plump peas was good. During the spring harvest, one acre yielded several hundred pounds. But don't underestimate this yield. You should know that the seed density required for peas is also low.

Calling Paul over again, Luc looked at his dark face and pointed at the peas, saying, "When you sow wheat in the afternoon, remember to plant it together with the peas. For every three rows of wheat you sow, plant two rows of peas. Do you understand?" "I understand!"

After being made an example of, Paul, though he had no ulterior motives, was inevitably more respectful. He explained everything to Old Ike again, and before leaving, he suddenly said, "By the way, Ryan said Miller accidentally stepped on air on the lookout a few days ago. Was it your daughter who held him back? She's quite a clever girl. Have your wife go to Old Ike tonight and get five eggs."

Paul's eyes lit up and he immediately bowed in thanks.

Five eggs!
If you are fleeing famine, it is enough to feed one person for several days.
Waving his hand to let them go, Luc looked at the people who were still working in the new fields. In fact, he didn't have much confidence in the newly opened land. The virgin land obtained by burning the forest was not easy to cultivate.

Especially compared with the old fields, in addition to the twelve acres, the old fields also had a good harvest of wild vegetables planted in spring. Amy and three other farm women were responsible for the harvest. With the vegetable fields, they no longer had to go to the mountains to pick wild fruits so often.

There are a total of fifteen acres of old land. In addition to fertilizing and intercropping, under the command of Old Eike, crops are rotated in the mature fields. This farming method, called the rotation field method, is also a way to increase yields.

Luke estimated that if the virgin land could produce two-thirds of the yield of cultivated land, it would be considered a very good harvest.
But even so, it is still better than the ordinary farmers who can only sow seeds, weed and water.
Of the fifteen acres of old land, three were occupied by wheat and peas, two by oats, and the rest was divided up with rye, and of course half an acre of flax.

Of the new fields, three acres were planted with vegetables such as parsnips, lettuce, and the remaining peas, while the remaining twenty acres were still planted with rye.

After all, rye is the real mainstream staple food.

Luc looked out at the planned farmland area. Next year he would make the vegetable fields completely independent.

In fact, there is still half an acre of vacant land in Xintian
Luc turned back to the castle and opened a small room on the second floor facing south.

On the wooden table in the room where the unborn child lived, there was a pot of seed sprouts that had been soaked for a long time. I reached out and picked it up, and my wet hands felt the special-looking seeds.

The nearest half acre of land is its habitat, Humulus lupulus.

Luc couldn't help but curl his lips when he remembered that Hoffman once said that he fell asleep peacefully leaning on the Hemp Plant.

Of course you can sleep soundly, because the function of hops is very simple, it can be used to brew beer, or in other words, with its addition, the beer can truly restore the flavor of beer in memory.

Luc never intended to rely solely on charcoal as a trading resource, but also on cider and beer with different flavors.

The cultivation of Humulus lupulus is different from all other crops nowadays. It will climb upwards, and after it germinates, some supports need to be built.

He gave the processed Humulus lupulus seeds to Robert, and found an excuse to refuse Hugo's request for education in the afternoon. After learning to read, Luc practiced with the Book of St. John, but he didn't expect to be entangled by Hugo. In his words, such a devout knight is rare.

But Luc's mind was full of the development of the estate and he really had no time to bother with him.

Let’s talk about food. Apart from occasionally eating white bread to satisfy their craving, he and Dusi still mainly eat black bread. Maybe next year they can really eat white bread every day.

And there's sugar.
Oliver's role can be said to be simply to satisfy Luke's selfish desires.

At night, Oliver, who was temporarily living with Ryan, was called into the wooden castle for a private conversation.

Ryan came to the serf area with a small bowl containing five eggs, and then handed it to Paul in a very high-profile manner as Luc had instructed.

Where there is punishment there must be reward.

Paul happened to give Luc an opportunity.

(End of this chapter)