Chapter 149

After cities such as Visas Komoy Fort issued decrees on planting Potato, two more decrees were issued: one ordering people to come to the government hall to collect Sweet Potato seeds, and the other ordering them to collect Corn seeds.

The reason there are two decrees is that the lord requires that areas that have already received Potato seeds can only receive one new crop again.

You may not receive all of it.

Furthermore, there are specific conditions for planting Corn, such as the selection of terrain and soil, which can affect the planting process.

If you don't meet the requirements, you can only receive Sweet Potato seeds.

Corn and Sweet Potato were also new crops that Samuel Fern brought back from the New Continent.

Just like the Potato before them, these two crops came with a booklet explaining how to cultivate seeds and plant them, with clear and detailed steps.

A copy is included for reference only.

If you want to see it in more detail, you should go to the Thorn Merchant Guild to buy it.

While we don't need to give everyone a copy, we should at least ensure that those involved in planting thoroughly understand how to grow Potato, Sweet Potato, and the like.

Don't waste the seeds you've worked so hard to get.

The lord attaches great importance to the planting of three new crops.

Therefore, the city's residents, who did not yet know how much these three crops would produce, dared not slack off.

They are now simply following orders from above.

Moreover, if the planting is done well, there will be a reward later.

However, there will be some penalties if seeds are wasted...

Under such policy regulations, commoners or slaves would certainly not slack off.

Soon, news of planting new crops spread to the borders of the territory.

Although border cities did not participate in planting due to the limited number of seeds, it did not stop them from having high hopes.

Most importantly, the lord has promised that once the new crops are grown, they will be prioritized for supplying border cities.

Potato, Sweet Potato, and Corn are replanted around the same time.

After Cyrus began ordering the widespread planting of three new crops, and the region was almost back on track, the Cotton planted earlier was ready for harvest.

The Cotton fields were a soft, white expanse at this time.

Cotton is not food.

At first, people thought that "Cotton" was an ornamental flower.

They were also amazed by the Cotton's whiteness and softness, and that even a slight tear would reveal extremely fine, thread-like fibers.

However, the lord later clarified that Cotton is not a flowering plant, but a type of cotton plant that can be made into clothing.

Making clothes?

How could such a soft plant, which tears into threads, possibly be made into clothing?

Won't they get holes when you wear them?!

Filled with doubt, everyone picked all the Cotton and then temporarily stored it in the emptied warehouse.

There are many things to be aware of Cotton.

--It is not advisable to pick the cotton too early, otherwise the Cotton fibers will not be fully mature.

However, it shouldn't be harvested too late.

Otherwise, after being exposed to wind and sun for a long time, the Cotton will not only be contaminated and affected in Cotton, but the Cotton tensile strength and quality will also be reduced.

Subsequent processing, such as garment making, can further affect the quality.

Moreover, Cotton needs to be processed promptly after harvesting.

Cotton must not be exposed to rain, and it needs to be placed in a sheltered place. The surrounding environment must also be kept dry and away from fire at all times.

Otherwise, if the Cotton gets soaked by rain or other water stains, the pigments contained in the cotton leaves or hulls will contaminate the white Cotton, causing Cotton to become stained and develop spots.

Moreover, Cotton is highly flammable; even a tiny spark can cause it to spread rapidly and burn uncontrollably.

Cyrus even convened a brief meeting with everyone involved in the Cotton harvesting and subsequent processing.

--Let me mention some points that require attention and consideration.

First, the area where the Cotton is stored must be cleaned up to prevent any small debris from getting into the Cotton.

Otherwise, if they get tangled inside, it will be difficult to separate the debris from the Cotton later.

Secondly, Cotton is also divided into good cotton, stiff cotton, and fallen cotton.

The growth of Cotton can be good or bad.

These three types of Cotton must be harvested separately, and then dried and stored separately; they cannot be mixed together.

In addition, it is also important to collect Cotton seeds.

The amount of Cotton harvested at this stage is relatively small.

If you want to cultivate this crop on a large scale within the Desinia Territory, you will need to continue planting and harvesting seeds.

Cyrus's idea regarding the existence of Cotton was to not announce it within her territory for the time being.

After all, the subsequent processing of Cotton and making it into clothing is quite complicated, and it's best to have the assistance of machines.

While manual labor is possible, it is inefficient.

The Cotton harvested in the Par Mountain can be processed into clothing, bedding, furniture, and other items.

This way, people can understand just how good Cotton is at keeping warm when it's made into clothing.

So, when most cities began planting Potato, Sweet Potato, and Corn —three new crops— Cyrus also got busy...

--After harvesting Cotton, it is processed, including removing Cotton, forming slivers, and rolling...

The Cotton processing is quite complex, and there are several ways to make it into clothing.

One of the simplest methods of garment making is to tear the clumps of Cotton into thin sheets, then layer and press them together little by little...

Once the fabric has been folded to a certain thickness, the Cotton is placed onto the pre-cut garment fabric.

At this point, the garment is simply laid out in shape. The Cotton is pressed inside and sewn according to this shape, and the edges are sealed...

With a little final trimming, the garment is complete.

This method is simple and produces thick, warm clothing, but the cotton tends to shed when wet, requiring the outer side to be reshaped.

Cotton can also be spun into thread, but this requires machinery.

Cotton thread can be used to weave cloth, and by dyeing the cotton thread, the color of the cloth will appear.

It sounds simple, but it's complicated in practice.

Cyrus sought out Reinog, intending to create a wooden spinning wheel.

--This spinning wheel allows Cotton to be spun into thread by hand.

The cotton threads are woven into cloth, dyed, and finally made into various clothes or bedding.

In order to speed up the Cotton processing.

Cyrus also plans to build a cotton gin—a machine that separates Cotton fibers from cotton seeds, which can improve labor efficiency.

Large-scale cotton gins cannot be manufactured at present due to current technological limitations.

However, smaller cotton gins have no problem.

This cotton gin looks like a large wooden box, with the cotton inlet and outlet at the top.

The box has a drawer on the side that needs to be turned manually.

The box has rotating rollers inside and out, which serve as conveyors and transporters.

In addition, and most importantly, a fixed blade and a moving blade must be installed inside the box. Only when both work together can the Cotton fibers and cotton seeds be separated.

In this way, the Cotton fibers are transferred out from the top, while the cotton seeds remain inside the box. When the box is opened, the cotton seeds can be taken out and stored separately.

Cotton gins are not difficult to manufacture, and their operating principle is simple.

After a brief hint from Cyrus, Reinog figured it out on his own.

When Cyrus saw that the Cotton fibers and cotton seeds were completely and cleanly separated, she nodded in satisfaction.

"Very good, Reinog."

"After the cotton gins are mass-produced, we'll hire another batch of people and set up a workshop specializing in making cotton gins..."

"This is just a first-generation cotton gin. You can think about how to improve it in the future, ideally to be able to separate Cotton and cottonseed in large quantities."

Technological advancements within the Desinia Territory must remain at the forefront.

Reinog: "Yes, lord."

Cyrus: "But this matter isn't urgent for now; the current cotton gins are sufficient for use."

"Your main task now is to continue researching a machine that spins Cotton into thread, turning fine filaments into yarn. It can also be made using the principle of rotating wheels, manually cranked..."

Cyrus fiddled with the hand crank of the cotton gin and said, "It can be driven by hand or foot."

Reinog seemed lost in thought.

The principle of a spinning wheel is easy to understand: it uses rotation to draw Cotton fibers, which are then spun little by little onto the rotating wheel.

It can be cranked by hand or pedaled.

There is also a large spinning wheel that requires a person to crank it with both hands.

Cyrus found many reference images for making the designs in the books she redeemed.

He plans to proceed gradually, making them one by one.

After all, Cotton is currently scarce, so there is no need for large spinning wheels at this stage.

Later, when Cotton had spread to various places and was even sold to other territories and small countries, the production of more efficient spinning wheels brought in another source of income.

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Cash flow is the most important factor, as all construction within the territory requires financial support.

Moreover, the Black-and-White Cavalry is constantly growing stronger.

Cyrus even planned to later establish a dedicated naval force to be responsible for the security of the route from the Cogit Sea to Yami.

This naval force can first select soldiers and officers from the Black-and-White Cavalry.

In addition, a two-pronged approach was adopted: recruiting a new batch of soldiers and specifically training them in skills needed for naval operations, such as swimming, preventing seasickness, and identifying sea areas.

Reinog was quick-witted, and with Cyrus's help, a wooden spinning wheel that could be turned by hand was soon made.

After that, Reinog went back to studying the spinning wheel.

After Cotton fibers are spun into yarn, they still need to undergo processes such as weaving and dyeing, which are complicated and time-consuming...

Not to mention that they also had to research the related machinery during that time.

Therefore, by the time Cyrus received the first batch of fabrics woven with patterns, nearly two months had passed.

Cyrus had the castle tailors make a thick winter coat, a hat with ear flaps on both sides, and a matching scarf from cotton fabric and Cotton.

The entire outfit was custom-made to Cyrus's measurements.

After it was finished, Cyrus tried it on—and immediately broke out in a sweat.

It's noticeably hotter now.

After reading it, Segalot couldn't resist reaching out and pinching Cyrus's cheek...

--She looks so cute with the hat on.

Segalot met Cyrus's questioning gaze and said, "I think the people living in the Bovell Kingdom will really need cotton-padded clothes."

Cyrus nodded. "Indeed."

"Your Majesty, after the Potato harvest, would you like to come with me to the Bovell Kingdom?"

He recalled that in the original book, the Far North would experience ground fissures and collapses, causing large-scale avalanches and casualties, while cold currents flowed from north to south through multiple territories and small countries.

The Desinia Territory lies within the area covered by the cold wave...