Ridge Cultivation Method

Mountain Forest Town covered a considerable area. Luo Ning had spent the entire afternoon inspecting it and had barely managed to finish surveying the wheat fields and vegetable patches to the east.

If he wanted to circle his entire territory on foot, it would probably take two or three days.

When he had set out that afternoon, he had been full of anticipation, hoping to discover something that would pleasantly surprise him. Yet when he returned, the opposite was true, and his heart felt heavy with disappointment.

Not only had he found no pleasant surprises, but he had uncovered a series of problems, especially with grain cultivation.

Luo Ning took a sip of barley tea and sat before his desk. He began recalling what he had seen in the wheat fields and thinking of ways to solve the problems.

"The wheat is growing unevenly, probably because it's planted too densely. The random scattering method leaves the seedlings in complete disorder, and the gaps between them are too narrow. This not only affects their sunlight exposure, but also their growth."

"Moreover, this density prevents farmers from entering the fields to weed, fertilize, and water the crops during their growth. When the wheat matures, some of the ears will rot for the same reason."

After considering it carefully, he concluded that the root cause of this situation was the planting method.

A term from his history books came to Luo Ning's mind—the ridge cultivation method.

The ridge cultivation method was a farming technique in which farmland was divided into rows of ridges and furrows, with crops planted atop the ridges.

This farming method had many benefits:

For example, planting crops on ridges raised above the ground, with furrows separating each ridge, ensured proper spacing between crops and allowed for more complete photosynthesis. At the same time, it prevented poor root and stem development caused by overly dense planting.

The height difference between the ridges and furrows also aided drainage and flood prevention, while making it convenient to irrigate along the furrows.

That afternoon, Luo Ning had also asked quite a few locals about it. Mountain Forest Town received plenty of rainfall, so digging furrows would help drainage and greatly reduce the chance of wheat seedlings dying from waterlogging.

Furthermore, the furrows between ridges gave farmers room to weed and fertilize, unlike the current situation, where there was nowhere to set foot.

There was also one especially important point: using the ridge cultivation method could preserve the land's fertility.

This year's ridges would become next year's furrows, and this year's furrows would become next year's ridges. It was a form of disguised fallowing.

"This method is worth promoting!"

He took out a quill pen and parchment, then began writing down the ridge cultivation method while sketching a simple diagram of the planting process.

Night gradually deepened. The manservant Gallon had already lit the candles in the study. Their glow illuminated Luo Ning's serious face, leaving the maid standing beside him somewhat entranced.

She had heard that nobles loved indulgence. They were either eating and drinking or amusing themselves, and quite a few young nobles would even summon their Personal Maids to their beds.

But the Baron before her was completely different.

Over the course of the day, Bella had discovered that apart from his midday rest, the Baron had been busy almost constantly. He seemed to have endless tasks to do and endless words to write.

"My lord~"

Chahar entered carrying a cup of milk. When Gallon and Bella saw him, they lowered their heads and withdrew from the room, standing outside the door.

Although the castle steward was not a noble, he still held some status, especially since Chahar was one of Luo Ning's original retainers.

Thus, the newly arrived servants in the castle were all respectful toward Chahar and obedient to his management.

Chahar was finally getting a taste of what it felt like to be a steward.

However, his respect for Luo Ning had never diminished. Instead, it had increased greatly.

"Ah, Chahar."

Luo Ning glanced up at him before lowering his head and continuing to write.

He had already finished describing the ridge cultivation method. What he was working on now was a plan for fertilization.

Along the way, Luo Ning had noticed that whether in Wushan City, Lakeside Town, or his own Mountain Forest Town, the streets always featured one unavoidable sight: excrement.

That afternoon, Luo Ning had stopped a farmer to ask him about it. He wanted to understand why the farmers of this world did not know how to use fertilizer.

After learning the basics, he discovered that the people here had not failed to consider using fertilizer; they had simply been using it incorrectly.

The man had said that when they threw feces and urine directly onto the ground, rather than making the crops grow better, it caused the seedlings to burn.

As a result, they believed that excrement was harmful and could not be thrown into farmland, which rendered it worthless.

Naturally, no one managed things that had no value. The nobles did not care, and the people treated it as garbage. That was why the streets were covered in filth.

How to make proper use of this excrement was what Luo Ning was considering now.

Fortunately, he had come from a farming family on Earth. When he was young, he had watched many people farm, and when he reached high school and university, he had studied the sciences and learned about chemistry and microorganisms.

To properly utilize human and livestock waste, he could choose composting, decomposition, and fermentation.

Promoting this method throughout his territory would not only solve the fertilizer problem and preserve a certain degree of soil fertility, but also resolve the poor environmental conditions in his administration.

Once the farmers understood the importance of excrement, they would no longer relieve themselves wherever they pleased.

For Luo Ning, this was killing two birds with one stone.

However, neither the ridge cultivation method nor composting could be adopted by everyone after just a few words.

Luo Ning planned to find two people and set aside two experimental fields specifically for testing.

If these two methods proved effective in this Otherworld as well, they could be fully promoted during next year's spring plowing.

"My lord, you've been busy all day. It's time for you to rest!"

Chahar placed the milk beside Luo Ning's hand and thoughtfully urged him to retire early.

"I'm not sleepy yet."

Luo Ning set down his pen, picked up the cup, and took a sip of milk.

Milk in this Otherworld did not taste particularly good. It even carried a faint gamey flavor.

Still, not just anyone could drink fresh milk. It was a rare thing.

"How are the other servants in the castle settling in?" Luo Ning asked casually.

"Everything has been arranged smoothly!"

Steward Chahar was very satisfied with the newly arrived servants. At the very least, they eagerly learned whatever he taught them and had performed well.

"Please rest assured, my lord. At most, it will take only one month for the castle servants to reach roughly the standards of Wushan Castle."

Luo Ning laughed. "Remember what I told you before. The castle's hygiene must be maintained properly. Deal with damp areas immediately. I don't want to see rats or insects in my castle."

"Rest assured, I have emphasized this repeatedly. I also inspect every area once each day to ensure there are no problems!"

"I feel at ease leaving the castle in your hands."

Luo Ning said with a smile, "Have Administrator Wilson come see me tomorrow morning. I have something for you and him to handle together."

Chahar was somewhat surprised. What task required both him, the castle steward, and the Administrator?

"Understood, my lord. I'll go and inform Wilson tonight."

"Have Gallon go and inform him. Find me a fairly large ceramic vat. I'll need it tomorrow morning."

Chahar was confused again. What was his lord planning to have him do? He could not grasp his lord's thoughts at all anymore. Sometimes, he even wondered whether he was truly an incompetent steward.

However, he also understood that some matters did not require so many questions. He only needed to carry out his lord's instructions properly.

"As you wish!"

Chahar left the second floor with Gallon and went off to get busy.

Luo Ning, meanwhile, continued with his design.

His reason for having Chahar prepare a ceramic vat was simple: he wanted to build the most primitive kind of toilet in the castle.

Since he was preparing to collect excrement for fertilizer, the necessary supporting facilities had to be in place. A toilet was indispensable.

Luo Ning did want to design a flushing toilet, but that would be time-consuming and labor-intensive, and he did not yet have a mature idea of how to design the pipes.

He could only settle for the next best thing and first build a primitive toilet. Then, he would gradually promote the benefits of fertilizer, give everyone a basic understanding, and afterward introduce toilets to improve sanitary conditions.