northernbook Chapter 438: New Green Fields
Chapter 438: New Green Fields
After successfully developing wasteland, building water conservancy facilities, and developing the water-milled tofu industry with the help of water wheels, Chen Jia and Chen Jue continued to explore the development path of the manor. They kept paying attention to the information of various crops, hoping to find new high-value cash crops, further enhance the economic strength of the manor, and improve the lives of the farmhands. By chance, they learned that potatoes, as a crop, have extremely high economic value and rich uses. At the same time, cotton, as a traditional important cash crop, has broad market prospects for its related products. Therefore, Chen Jia and Chen Jue decided to choose potato farming and increase cotton planting to open up new sources of food and income for the farmhands.
On this day, the sun was shining warmly in the reception room of the manor. Chen Jia and Chen Jue sat around the table, which was filled with books and materials about crops. Chen Jia was flipping through a book on agriculture that had been sent from other places. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. She looked up and said to Chen Jue, "My husband, look at the potatoes mentioned in this book. They have high yields, strong adaptability, and can be used as food and processed into various foods. They have high economic value. The land in our manor has been reclaimed and improved before, so it should be very suitable for growing potatoes."
Chen Jue put down the teacup in his hand, leaned forward slightly, looked at the contents of the book carefully, nodded and said: "Madam, your discovery is too timely. Our manor has a large population and a great demand for food, and potatoes can just meet this need. And if the potatoes can be processed and sold, it will definitely bring more income to the farmhands. But we don't know much about potato planting technology, so we need to find a professional to guide us."
Chen Jia bit her lip lightly and said thoughtfully, "Husband, we can send people to places where potatoes are grown more frequently to learn from their experience, and then invite experienced local farmers to come to the manor for on-site guidance. At the same time, we can also refer to these agricultural books and materials to make preparations for planting in advance, such as seed selection and fertilization."
Chen Jue shook Chen Jia's hand in agreement and said, "Madam, let's do this. We will arrange for people to learn as soon as possible. I will contact experienced farmers to see if we can hire them. By the way, in addition to potatoes, I think we can also increase the planting of cotton. Cotton can be used to make quilts, cotton-padded jackets, etc. These are necessities of life and the market demand has always been huge."
Chen Jia's eyes lit up, and she said excitedly, "My husband, your idea is great. Our estate has a good textile foundation, and cotton planting can be combined with our existing industry. We can let the families of the farmhands participate in the planting and production of cotton products. In this way, from planting to processing and sales, a complete industrial chain will be formed, which will definitely greatly increase income."
In the following days, Chen Jue and Chen Jia acted quickly. Chen Jue sent people to areas where potato planting was popular to learn planting techniques, and he asked around and finally invited an experienced old farmer. When the old farmer arrived at the manor, Chen Jia and Chen Jue warmly greeted him and took him to visit the fields where potatoes were to be planted.
Chen Jia said to the old farmer, "Uncle, we want to grow potatoes in this field. Please give us some guidance to see what the land conditions are like and what preparations we need to make."
The old farmer squatted down, grabbed a handful of soil, and after a careful inspection, he said, "Mrs. Chen, Mr. Chen, this land has been improved and has good fertility, but if you want to grow potatoes, you need to apply some potassium and phosphorus fertilizers to increase the air permeability of the soil. Seed selection is also critical. You need to choose seed potatoes with smooth skin and no pests and diseases."
Chen Jue listened carefully, nodded and said, "Uncle, is there any particular requirement for the planting time and density?"
The old farmer thought for a moment and said, "Generally speaking, potatoes are best planted in spring. They can be sown when the ground temperature is stable above 5 degrees Celsius. As for the planting density, about 4000 to 5000 plants are planted per mu of land, depending on the size of the seed potatoes."
Chen Jia and Chen Jue wrote down the old farmer's suggestions one by one, and had a clearer plan for potato planting in their minds. At the same time, the people sent to study also came back, bringing back detailed planting techniques and experience.
Under the guidance of the old farmer, the farmhands began to prepare for potato planting, plowing the land, applying fertilizers, and selecting seeds. Chen Jia and Chen Jue also often went to the fields to check on the progress and help everyone solve problems they encountered.
Chen Jia watched a farmhand selecting seed potatoes, walked up to him and said, "Brother, you must be careful when selecting seed potatoes. Don't pick any that have sprouted or are damaged, otherwise it will affect the yield."
Chen Jue was paying attention to the tillage of the land and said to another farmhand: "Brother, when tilling the land, you need to break up the clods to make the soil looser so that the potatoes can grow better."
With everyone's efforts, the potatoes were successfully planted. Looking at the neatly arranged seed potatoes in the field, Chen Jia and Chen Jue were full of expectations.
At the same time, cotton planting is also proceeding in an orderly manner. Chen Jia organized the families of farmhands to learn cotton planting and management techniques. She said to everyone: "Sisters, cotton planting requires careful care, from sowing, fertilization to pest control, every link can not be sloppy. When the cotton is ripe, we can use it to make quilts and cotton-padded jackets, which is a good opportunity for us to increase our income."
A family member said with some concern: "Mrs. Chen, we have never grown cotton before, will it work?"
Chen Jia smiled and encouraged, "Don't worry, sisters. We have invited a master to teach you, and Master Chen and I will be there to guide you during the planting process. As long as you study hard, you will definitely be able to grow good cotton."
Under the guidance of the master, the long-term workers' families began to try to grow cotton. They sowed, watered, fertilized according to the requirements, and carefully cared for each cotton seedling.
As time went by, the potatoes and cotton gradually grew. The potato seedlings were lush and green, and the cotton also grew tender green leaves. Chen Jia and Chen Jue looked at the scene in the field and were filled with satisfaction.
Chen Jia said to Chen Jue, "My husband, look at how well the potatoes and cotton are growing. It seems that our efforts have not been in vain. When the potatoes are ripe, we can try to make some potato products, such as potato chips and French fries, to increase the added value of the products. After the cotton is harvested, we can let the family make quilts and cotton-padded jackets."
Chen Jue nodded and said, "Madam, you are right. We need to contact the sales channels in advance to ensure that these products can be sold smoothly. I will go and discuss cooperation with the shops in the city."
Chen Jue went to the city and negotiated with many shops. After hard work, he successfully reached cooperation intentions with several shops, and the other party was willing to purchase potatoes and cotton products produced by the manor.
When the potatoes were ripe, the farmhands were busy harvesting them. Looking at the heavy bags of potatoes, everyone's face was filled with joyful smiles.
A farmhand happily said to Chen Jia and Chen Jue: "Mr. Chen, Mrs. Chen, thank you for taking us to grow potatoes. This year's harvest will definitely be good, and our income will increase significantly."
Chen Jia smiled and said: "This is the result of everyone's joint efforts. Next we have to process the potatoes and sell them at a good price."
The families of farmhands also began to make cotton products. They fluffed and combed the cotton, and then sewed it into quilts and cotton jackets. Each product embodied everyone's hard work.
As the potato and cotton products were gradually completed, Chen Jia and Chen Jue organized people to transport these products to the city for sale. Due to the high quality of the products, they were soon welcomed by consumers and sales continued to increase.
A shop owner said to Chen Jia and Chen Jue, "Mr. Chen, Mrs. Chen, your products are so popular. Please produce more next time and we will continue to purchase them."
Chen Jia and Chen Jue were overjoyed, they knew that this attempt was successful again.
Chen Jia said to Chen Jue: "My husband, our efforts have made the lives of the farmhands better and better, and have also taken the development of the manor to a higher level. In the future, we will continue to explore and find more development opportunities."
Chen Jue smiled and said, "My lady, with you by my side, we will definitely make the manor more prosperous and the farmhands' lives better and better."
Under the leadership of Chen Jia and Chen Jue, potatoes and cotton have become important cash crops in the manor. The development of related industries has not only brought stable food supply and generous income to the farmhands, but also further enhanced the economic strength and influence of the manor. Their continuous innovation and efforts in the field of agriculture have also painted a more brilliant blueprint for the future development of the manor.