The Key to the Future

Vienna, Schönbrunn Palace.

Franz felt that Bordeaux mixture was currently in a very awkward position. True, it could prevent Potato Late Blight to a certain extent.

However, the optimal way to use Bordeaux mixture was to spray it preventatively, rather than treating the disease after it had already taken hold, which significantly increased the dosage required and led to waste.

The second problem was that the Austrian Empire's production of anhydrous copper sulfate was severely insufficient. In reality, Austrians typically mined chalcanthite to refine copper or produce anhydrous copper sulfate.

Franz knew that industrialization certainly wouldn't rely on such small-scale workshop processing methods; at the time, it mainly relied on ancient calcination techniques, which were inefficient and resulted in high losses.

Just as Franz was preparing to mobilize experts from the Royal Academy of Sciences to develop new methods, he learned that a method for the industrial production of anhydrous copper sulfate had actually been invented as early as 1838, but because Austria had little demand for it at the time, it had never been introduced.

Consequently, Franz bought the technology from the Swedes for 2,000 pounds. This wasn't because the former was a master negotiator, but because the technology hadn't garnered much attention after its debut, and naturally, it didn't command a high price.

Having finally solved the problem of producing anhydrous copper sulfate, a new issue quickly arose. Although the Potato Late Blight epidemic had not yet appeared in the Austrian Empire (or perhaps it had, but hadn't been reported in time), should they take preventative measures in advance?

If they were to promote the use of Bordeaux mixture to prevent Potato Late Blight throughout the entire Austrian Empire, the consumption would be staggering.

Beyond that, the biggest problem was how to transport the raw materials for Bordeaux