Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 39 Agriculture
August arrived, and farmers near Tyneburg plowed their fields in preparation for planting winter wheat a month later. Vig, bored, rode his grey horse around, carefully observing the work of his people.

Currently, the local area practices a two-field system. Farmers divide their land into two plots, one for planting winter wheat and the other for fallow. Before planting, farmers drive oxen to pull a wooden light plow, which is inefficient at turning the soil, often requiring two cultivations for a single field.

According to Vig, tilling farmland loosens the soil, increases its aeration, and is beneficial for crop growth. From this perspective, the land should be plowed as deeply as possible, rather than just shallowly.

He called out to an Anglo-Saxon farmer not far away, “Hey, this wooden plow is too light, why not use a heavy iron plow?”

The other party revealed a dull and timid face, "We have always used this 'Roman plow' and have never thought of changing it."

Roman plow.

Vig stared intently at the lightweight wooden plow, his mind racing, and he quickly realized its fatal flaw.

"The Mediterranean coast has a dry climate and relatively loose soil, so a wooden plow is sufficient to till the soil to the appropriate depth. In contrast, the North Atlantic coast has a humid climate and sticky soil, so even plowing a field twice won't achieve the desired results. Sigh, I'm really impressed with you all. You just copy the Romans' methods and have been using them for hundreds of years without making any improvements."

Returning to his study, Vig searched through his memories and recalled a type of large, heavy plow that was popular in Europe after the 11th century. It was pulled by two oxen and had an iron plowshare and two wheels.

"Yes, that should be the structure."

After drawing more than a dozen sketches, Vig scratched his head and fell into deep thought, then picked out two decent sketches and handed them to Kader.

"Get it sorted out, and remember to put in a lot of effort. This kind of plow is enough to benefit farmers across most of Europe."

After dismissing the blacksmith, Vig took the opportunity to recall the details of the three-field system, aiming to further improve agricultural output.

Under the two-field system, the yield of winter wheat per acre of farmland is approximately 8 bushels.

(A bushel is similar to the Eastern unit of volume or measure; one bushel of wheat is approximately equal to 27.216 kilograms.)

Suppose a family of five owns 30 acres of farmland, half of which is used for cultivation, and the annual harvest is 120 bushels.

On the expenditure side, 2 bushels of seed are reserved per acre of land, half of the land is left fallow, and 15 acres are cultivated, requiring a total of 30 bushels of seed.

向领主缴纳15%的税收，18蒲式耳。向教会缴纳10%的十一税，12蒲式耳。两者合计30蒲式耳。

In terms of diet, assuming each person eats 600 grams of grains per day (staple food, excluding other grains), it is equivalent to 40 bushels per year.

After deducting the three main expenses mentioned above, only 20 bushels remained. In addition, farmers needed to purchase farm tools, young livestock, salt, clothing, shoes, and other daily necessities, leaving very little grain to store in the granary.

Over time, the three-field system gradually replaced the original two-field system.

The three-field system divides the land into three equal plots: one plot is planted with winter wheat, another with spring crops such as oats and peas, and the last plot is left fallow.

In terms of land utilization, the two-field system uses only half the land, while the three-field system utilizes two-thirds. Moreover, legumes have nitrogen-fixing properties, which can increase soil fertility and improve crop yield. "Increased yields will also lead to increased taxes. We will implement it on a small scale for one year, and if the results are good, we will then extend it to the entire region."

After much persuasion, Vig convinced ten Viking farmers to adopt the three-field system, promising to compensate them for any losses if the yield fell short of the original two-field system.

Soon, September arrived. Amidst the whispers of those around them, the ten Viking farmers divided their land into three parts, planting only ten acres of winter wheat and leaving the remaining twenty acres fallow to await cultivation the following year.

After sowing ended, farmers from all over came to wash their woolen fabrics. Practice proved that the efficiency and quality of water-powered washing machines were far superior to manual washing, and users were willing to pay the 5% extra cost. Watching the waterwheel turning day and night, Vig was filled with emotion, never imagining that he would one day be able to earn money while sitting down.

That morning, Vig, who was bored, sat in the sun in front of the waterworks. The girl who sold books last time came to him and asked to borrow the water-powered washing workshop.

“No problem, Ellie. Give the fabric to the workers inside, and remember to pay the fee when you’re done.”

“My lord, my name is Herijiff.”

Taking a piece of wool from a horse's back, the young girl curiously entered the workshop. The worker gestured for her to put the wool into the washing tank. Under the scouring of the river water, a waterwheel drove two wooden hammers, alternately striking the wool cloth in the washing tank.

“Incredible,” Helgeve exclaimed softly. In the past, rinsing a piece of woolen cloth required the combined efforts of parents and herself, a time-consuming and laborious task. Now, this rinsing workshop, powered solely by water flow, was far more efficient than manual labor.

Just then, Vig's voice came from outside the door, "You can look, but you can't build workshops elsewhere to steal my business."

"I know." Helijif walked out the door, raising the back of her fair hand to shield her eyes from the glaring sunlight. "Our family is in financial difficulty, and for the foreseeable future, we can only honestly farm and herd sheep. We don't have the money to build a workshop."

"Really? For me back then, farming and herding sheep was a rare blessing." Recalling the past, Vig admitted that there were thieves everywhere in Northern Europe. In the countryside where he lived, there were a total of ten thefts in one year. There were lone thieves as well as groups of three or five robbers.

“In the past two years, the winters in Northern Europe have been so harsh that the villagers could no longer survive and abandoned their homes to come to Britain to seek refuge with me. Compared to Northern Europe, the climate here is relatively mild, and crop yields are 20 to 30 percent higher, which can barely be considered second-rate, but it is still not as good as the black soil along the Dnieper River.”

"Are you crossing the Dnieper River on your way to Constantinople for trade?"

Vig was incredibly surprised by Helgeev's question. "You actually know about this trade route? That's remarkable."

Mentioning Constantinople, he recalled the duel he had participated in before the emperor, noticing a hint of doubt in his opponent's eyes. He casually drew his sword, saying, "Look, this is the finest weapon in all of Europe. Ivar's 'Heartbreaker,' though made of Damascus steel, is ultimately no match for my 'Dragon's Breath.'"

During the war, nobles such as Eric and Leonard repeatedly proposed to purchase the Dragon's Breath Sword, with the highest price reaching twenty pounds of silver. Some even planned to seize the weapon through a duel.

To prevent such trouble, Vig ruthlessly killed three dueling opponents. Afterwards, Ivar also made a threat, saying that even if someone won the sword through a duel, he would take it back in the same way, barely stopping everyone's covetousness.

"A good story, just a little bloody. Goodbye, Mr. Vig."

After listening, Harrigif smiled at the knowledgeable lord, bowed slightly with her hands lifting the hem of her skirt, and then walked away carrying the washed woolen fabric.
(End of this chapter)