Under the continued "concern" of Paul, Lakeheart Town Agricultural Machinery Factory finally achieved major results not long ago. The harvester is the primary development target, and now it has finally blossomed.
During the development process, Paul proposed two development ideas:
One is a tractor-type harvester developed similar to that of the American McCormick Harvester, which is pulled forward by livestock;
The other is a push-type harvester similar to the British Bell Harvester, which is pushed forward by livestock.
After careful analysis, the craftsmen finally chose a tractor-type harvester because it was simpler.
In order to promote the research and development of Agricultural Machinery Factory and create an ideal testing environment, the count asked craftsmen to conduct bold experiments on Greiman's own farmland.
However, the performance of the early experimental models was really poor. Seeing the large areas of grain being "spoiled", the servants responsible for managing the farm burst into tears. They secretly complained that Paul was too wasteful, and they had to be responsible for cleaning up the messy wheat fields after the experiment.
But the wheat fields that were "ruined" by the craftsmen eventually yielded great results.
The finalized harvester is pulled by two horses and is equipped with a ground-wheel-driven cutting knife, a reel and an ear-gathering table. It can not only cut the wheat, but also automatically sort the cut wheat and stack it neatly on the workbench at the back. It can be raked up by a man walking along the machine. The harvesting speed is 3 to 4 times faster than manual work.
Before that, a farmer who was good at swinging a sickle might only be able to harvest about 3 acres of grain in a day. With the harvester, a man with a horse could harvest 10 acres or more of grain in a day.
This will greatly improve farmers' labor productivity and free them from heavy physical labor, giving them more energy to engage in other work.
Paul stood next to the finalized harvester and proudly said to the craftsmen and Hansel, Mellon and others who came with him. "Gentlemen, this will be the first step towards mechanization of our agriculture."
Hansel was very excited. He used to work as a farm tax officer in the suburbs of Royal Capital. He knew very well: Wheat is best harvested when it is nine years old. Once it reaches ten years of maturity, the nutrients in the wheat grains will flow back into the straw, causing the grain weight to decrease. The yield per mu will be reduced by 30 kilograms to 50 kilograms. If it rains continuously, the grains will sprout and become moldy, resulting in poor quality and greater losses.
In view of the inefficiency of traditional manual harvesting, even if more cultivated land can be opened and more grains can be planted, it will not be able to harvest in the mature season due to the restriction of the optimal harvesting period.
Now with this harvester, if other factors are not considered, three times more grains can be grown and harvested three times more than before.
Mellon, with stars in his eyes, grabbed Paul's sleeve and said, "Paul, this harvester will build many harvesters. Can they also be used by Bairdin farmers?"
Paul patted his chest and said, "Of course, my brothers, Bairdin and Arda will treat them equally."
The craftsmen were also very happy and even excited. They often went to work in the fields and naturally understood the significance of the harvester. Although the original design was completed by the lord, the later improvements and improvements were made by them. It must be said that it is an honor to personally participate in the invention process of such a great creation.
Paul cleared his throat and said loudly to the craftsmen, "Your creation will be able to produce more food and save more people from hunger. This great achievement is no less than that of the heroes and saints in history. I announce that everyone who participates in the development will receive a reward of at least 1 gold coin. I will increase it based on each person's contribution. The greater the contribution, the greater the reward."
"Oh~~" The craftsmen exclaimed in disbelief. The lord not only raised them to a height comparable to the heroes and saints, but also made them a fortune.
For a time, words such as praise, gratitude, loyalty, etc. poured in towards Paul.
Although the harvester was successfully developed, Paul was not satisfied with this. He ordered the craftsmen to continuously improve the harvester to make it more convenient, more durable, and more efficient, and promised that every improvement would be accompanied by major rewards.
The next step is promotion. Unfortunately, it is already September. When Agricultural Machinery Factory was established, Paul estimated the R&D efficiency too optimistically, so he prioritized the request for a harvester in order to catch up with this year's wheat harvest. But now it seems that he has not been able to catch up. The wheat grown in the northwest has basically been harvested at this time.
But he still kept a wheat field on his farm and allowed it to sprout and become moldy, just to serve as a demonstration when promoting it.
Within a few days, Lakeheart Town issued an order to the Farmers' Association who had been deployed in various places: In the name of the Lord's Manor, the landlords of each village and town were required to arrive at Lakeheart Town within two days, and Earl Greiman would demonstrate an agricultural machinery of great significance to them.
The landowners saw an exciting sight in the farm near Lakeheart Town: a strange machine pulled by two horses. This Mechanical Monster had a wooden turning wheel and a cutting arm with sharp teeth that reciprocated like a saw. As the horses pulled in, bunches of wheat were harvested and stacked neatly on the workbench behind.
The crowd of onlookers was very excited, and these farmers who were familiar with farming exclaimed, "It's like a scene in a dream."
Hansel was in charge of hosting the demonstration. He lost no time in selling it. "Gentlemen, the name of this machine is 'Harvester'. Do you want it?"
"Yes! Of course I want it." "Lord, do you want to sell this kind of machine?" "Please tell me the price."
The farmers were intrigued and enthusiastic.
Humphrey quoted the price. "998 pieces of Aldo Silver Coin for a harvester."
When everyone heard the price, they all exclaimed, "This is too expensive." The atmosphere at the scene suddenly became cold.
"Don't worry, everyone, Lord Greiman allows you to 'pay in installments', that is, you don't need to pay it all at once, but pay a part of the deposit first, and then pay a sum of money at regular intervals until the payment is completed."
"Think about it! One harvester can support several skilled farmers. With it, you can open up more fields and plant more wheat."
"998 silver coins, as long as 998 silver coins, you can't suffer a loss, you can't be fooled, what are you waiting for?"
Hansel was selling the product hoarsely. Some farmers were discussing with each other whether the price was a good deal, while others were stroking around the harvester, their eyes full of longing.
Finally, a farmer shouted loudly, "I bought it, do I need to go through any formalities?"
"This gentleman is so refreshing!" Hansel gave the farmer a thumbs up and immediately arranged for a Department of Agriculture's Affairs Officer to lead him to sign the agreement.
In fact, this person was a shill arranged by Hansel, but as soon as he appeared, several people quickly followed suit and wanted to buy, and more and more people wanted to buy.
On the same day after the demonstration, Lakeheart Town Agricultural Machinery Factory received more than twenty orders.
Most of the farmers said they would like to go home and think about it, while Hansel said Lakeheart Town Agricultural Machinery Factory's door is open to them at any time.
As for the homesteaders, it is very difficult for them to purchase a harvester on their own with their financial resources, so Paul instructed Lakeheart Town Agricultural Machinery Factory to add a rental business. During the busy farming season, Farmers' Association from various places organize farmers to pool money to rent Agricultural Machinery Factory's equipment for use.
Northwest Bay region's agricultural reform can finally see a glimmer of hope.
Thanks to "Never Ending", "Maybe We Never Give Up", and "ZDIAN Jade Bracelet" for their rewards.