“Mr Wei, do you have any special tricks?”
The Ninth Princess was also drawn in by the conversation between Jin Feng and Wei Wuya.
“There are no special tricks, just careful and intensive farming, that is all.”
Wei Wuya said, “My old wife, my concubine, and I, the three of us, tend only two mu of crops, so naturally we plough deeply, apply fertiliser thoroughly, remove insects and weeds with care. The yield is bound to be higher.”
“Ordinary people where would they find the time for that?” Jin Feng said helplessly.
In truth, the per capita arable land in Dakang was not small, but because of the shortage of able-bodied adults and basic farm tools, deep and careful cultivation was simply impossible.
In some places, there were also heavy corvée duties.
The so-called corvée meant working for the government or big landlords, not only without pay, but workers even had to bring their own dry rations.
“These are long-standing problems, not something that can be solved in a day or two. Does the gentleman have any better farming methods to teach?” the Ninth Princess asked.
“The gentleman has indeed mentioned methods of selection for superior strains, hybridisation, and grafting.”
Jin Feng answered.
“What do selection, hybridisation, and grafting mean?” Wei Wuya asked.
“The gentleman says that crop yield is closely tied to the seed. The correct way of farming should involve using good land specifically for seed breeding, selecting large, full grains for sowing.”
Jin Feng said, “But our farmers in Dakang, when sowing, always use last year’s old grain as seed, and some of it is empty or shrivelled husk. How could crops grown from such seed ever turn out well?”
“Sir, actually the principle you speak of, farmers understand it too, but there is nothing they can do. They only have old grain.”
Wei Wuya sighed.
“So this requires the government to step in,” Jin Feng said, looking at the Ninth Princess. “If possible, I hope Your Highness can memorialise His Majesty to establish a special institution for breeding grain and developing superior seeds.”
“I will definitely report this matter to Father.”
The Ninth Princess asked, “Then what about hybridisation and grafting?”
“Mr Wei, since you enjoy farming, the gentleman must know that some rice and wheat plants grow very tall, yet produce little grain and are prone to lodging, yes?”
“Yes,” Wei Wuya nodded quickly. “Sometimes the stalks look splendid, but the yield is low, and they fall over at the slightest breeze.”
“The old gentleman said one can cultivate many varieties of rice and wheat, then observe which ones resist lodging and which give high yields. During their pollination period, manually intervene to cross them. The next year, use the grain they produce as seed, identify varieties that are both high-yielding and resistant to lodging and disease, then propagate them on a large scale. This is the hybridisation technique.”
Jin Feng gave a simple explanation of hybridisation.
“This method is good, it just takes a lot of time.”
Wei Wuya sighed.
“Indeed, this matter may require ten years, several decades, even an entire lifetime.”
Jin Feng said, “But once it succeeds, it will be a great meritorious deed that benefits the people for countless generations!”
In his previous life, Jin Feng admired very few people. Grandfather Yuan ranked first.
The old man devoted his whole life to agriculture. When young, he was misunderstood and hated, his experimental fields repeatedly destroyed. An ordinary person would have given up long ago.
Yet the old man persevered and eventually solved the food problem for billions of people. Calling it a great meritorious deed that benefits all is no exaggeration.
“Sir, since you know this technique, Wen’er bows and begs you to take charge of hybridisation!”
The Ninth Princess gave Jin Feng a deep bow. “However much money is needed, sir, just say it. Wen’er will ask Father to allocate the funds!”
“There is no need for funding. The cost of planting a few extra plots, I can still cover.”
Jin Feng said, “It is just delicate work, and I know little about farming myself. I fear I might mess it up.”
“Sir, may I recommend someone?” Wei Wuya said.
“Who?”
“Mr Tan!”
“Which Mr Tan?” Jin Feng was taken aback.
“The Mr Tan from the medical room!” Wei Wuya said. “He is even better than I am at tending crops and medicinal herbs, and he is extremely meticulous. All the herbs in the courtyard were planted by him. See how well they grow.”
“Oh, so it’s old Tan!” Jin Feng suddenly understood.
Old Tan had always made his living gathering herbs in the mountains and occasionally treated villagers. Jin Feng had not known he could farm.
“Then I will go speak with old Tan later.”
Jin Feng said with a smile.
“Sir, rest assured. If old Tan cannot manage alone, I will go and help him.”
Wei Wuya said.
“The medical room will still need help from you and old Tan in future. Will you be able to cope?” Jin Feng asked.
“Treating patients can only save hundreds or thousands, but if we can breed the superior seeds the gentleman speaks of, that will bring relief to tens of thousands. Even if this old man drops dead in the field from exhaustion, it will be worth it!”
Wei Wuya declared, thumping his chest.
As the saying goes, a doctor’s heart is benevolent. Wei Wuya’s medical skill might not be the best in Dakang, but his medical ethics were unquestionably noble. Otherwise he would not have paid out of his own pocket and risked infection to go deep into malaria-stricken areas to treat people for free.
Everyone has selfish desires. Wei Wuya might care nothing for money or power, but succeeding with hybridisation would not only benefit the masses, it would also make his name live forever.
For Wei Wuya, the attraction was enormous.
“Very well, then I will trouble you in future.”
Jin Feng said, “I will go find the village head later and contract those several dozen mu of fine riverside land!”
“Excellent!” Wei Wuya continued to ask, “You have explained selection and hybridisation, sir, but what about grafting?”
“Hybridisation is for rice and wheat, grafting is for melons and fruit.”
Jin Feng explained, “Some fruit trees bear large and abundant fruit but are prone to disease, while others bear small and sparse fruit yet have good disease resistance. Grafting means taking a branch or bud from one plant and attaching it to another, so there is a chance to produce fruit that is both large and plentiful and also disease-resistant.”
“Is that not the same as hybridisation?” Wei Wuya asked.
“It can be described that way, yes.”
Jin Feng nodded.
Afterwards, they called old Tan into the room.
Old Tan was a simple mountain villager. When he heard that Jin Feng was going to contract the best several dozen mu of riverside land for him to farm and would even buy him two oxen, he agreed at once, wishing he could start ploughing right that instant.
“Gentlemen, I will be relying on all of you from now on!”
The Ninth Princess looked at Jin Feng, Wei Wuya, and old Tan with eager anticipation.
“Your Highness, this matter may not succeed, and even if it does, it will take many years.”
Jin Feng said, “Actually the old gentleman also told me of an even better solution.”
“What solution?” the Ninth Princess asked.
“The old gentleman said that 100,000 li east of the Eastern Sea lies a continent called America.”
Jin Feng said, “It is a fertile and prosperous place, its territory several times larger than Dakang. Not only does it have herbs that can cure malaria, it also has several grain crops with extremely high yields. Even on poor land, the yield per mu can exceed a thousand jin!”
