Tie Niu was carrying potatoes.
There were seven muddy potatoes on it, each as big as a fist. They were heavy and pleasing to the eye.
Ning Que breathed a sigh of relief.
It looked like the yield was about the same as he'd estimated. He took the potatoes and patiently washed away all the dirt. The potatoes, now golden and speckled, had a unique aroma that Ning Que greatly enjoyed.
"Quick, let me see."
“Is this the legendary potato?”
"My goodness, this one must weigh at least half a pound, right?"
"I see seven or eight potatoes hanging there. That means if one potato plant is planted, can we get back four pounds of potatoes?"
"You could say that."
Ning Que smiled and nodded.
Ximen Jie took a look and according to his rough estimate, there would be 800 potato seedlings in one acre of land, which means the yield could even exceed 20 dan!
Yield per mu is actually a very general term. For example, Ning Que could increase the number of potato seedlings to 1,000 for the sake of yield. However, this would be meaningless because potatoes need sufficient nutrients to grow. If the number of plants increased, it would inevitably affect the growth of potatoes.
Ning Que estimated that the optimal number of plants per acre during this period would be 600 to 800. Anyone who has actually grown potatoes knows that cultivating the soil is crucial. After planting potatoes once, the best approach is crop rotation. Otherwise, it's easy to overdraw the soil's capacity and ruin it.
"Hurry up and dig potatoes!"
"Every potato must be treated with care!"
"Wash and weigh all the potatoes!"
Jie Jun was also quite excited.
He knew about potatoes, but he didn't think much of it at the time. He thought potatoes might just have a slightly higher yield. But now it seems that potato production will far exceed rice!
Jiejun was also very excited watching them digging potatoes. Without thinking, he jumped in and began to dig potatoes with a wooden shovel. Every time he pulled up a bunch of potatoes, he would grin widely.
The potatoes piled higher and higher, and soon all the potatoes in the entire acre were dug out. Ning Que asked them to continue digging elsewhere while he began calculating the yield. After cleaning them, he weighed them to ensure there were no errors. By adding them up over and over again, he finally got the specific yield.
Shen Qinghe held the book in his hands and trembled as he spoke, "It adds up to about 3,050 kilograms. In other words... the yield per mu reached 25 dan!"
"Oh My God?!"
"Twenty-five stones?!"
Everyone was in an uproar in an instant.
Looking at the mountain of potatoes, everyone swallowed their saliva. They had never expected the yield to be so terrifying, even higher than Ning Que had predicted!
"It's okay."
Ning Que simply smiled, appearing calm. These were experimental plots, so they couldn't really be used as examples. After all, they were cultivated with meticulous care, and the farmers took good care of them. Under normal cultivation, he estimated the yield would be around twenty dan.
Compared to later generations, this yield was certainly far inferior. He remembered that many farms abroad grew potatoes, even reaching yields of 10,000 kilograms per mu. But they had all kinds of machinery, even using drones to spray pesticides and fertilizers. That's why they could achieve such high yields.
They certainly couldn't do that now. At best, they could use some farmyard fertilizer. Achieving a yield of 20 dan was already quite good. In this era, this could truly be considered an auspicious sign!
With potatoes, at least we wouldn't starve to death. We didn't need to plant a lot; five mu of land was enough. A hundred dan of potatoes, that's ten thousand kilograms. A family of five wouldn't have to worry about going hungry.
Ning Que believed that the most problematic issue in the modern era was low productivity. This wasn't limited to Lingnan, but also affected dynasties like Dafeng. Relying solely on growing corn and collecting taxes wouldn't be enough to feed the people.
Now, they have potatoes!
Never worry about food again!
"good?"
"Junior brother, I have to criticize you!"
"Twenty-five dan per mu... who would dare to think of that?"
"If Master knew, he would probably jump up and down!"
Ximen Jie's face was full of joy.
After all, they couldn't even imagine such a high output!
Shen Qinghe gripped the book tightly, nodded earnestly, and whispered, "My father once told me that food is life for the people. The foundation of a country's operation is actually food. So if a natural disaster causes a decrease in grain production, it is very easy for man-made disasters to occur. In the past, many countries were destroyed because they did not have enough food reserves."
"Um."
Ning Que nodded.
Food is the most important thing for people!
This is never just talk.
As for the common people of this period, their tolerance was actually quite high. They didn't demand a luxurious diet; they simply wanted to fill their stomachs. Even such a simple desire was difficult to achieve. Agriculture, which depended on the weather, was difficult to fully control.
Therefore, Bu Suanzi believed that a truly wise ruler would share wealth with the people. This meant that every household would have two to three years' worth of food stored, so that even in years of famine, at least they wouldn't starve to death. However, his idea was too idealistic and destined to be unattainable.
The emergence of potatoes made Bu Suanzi's vision possible. They couldn't even imagine a crop that could yield 25 dan per mu. Even if taxes were required, it would be more than enough. Within three to five years, every household would have a food reserve, and they wouldn't have to worry about starvation anymore.
"By the way, are these potatoes delicious?"
“With such a high yield, it doesn’t matter if it tastes bad.”
"As long as I can fill my stomach, that's enough."
Yi Suiyun looked calm as he picked up a potato and examined it, saying softly, "Besides, we don't necessarily need to plant potatoes. With such a high yield, only a few acres of land are needed to produce enough. As for the rest, we can grow rice. If you don't like potatoes, we still have rice."
"Hey, did you forget what I said?"
“Potatoes are a good vegetable and a good food!”
Ning Que smiled and jokingly said, "This stuff tastes pretty good. Let's have a whole bean feast for lunch. Roast potatoes, steamed potatoes, beef stew with potatoes, and hot and sour shredded potatoes..."
“Haha, good!”
"Then we must taste it!"
Ximen Jie and the others all laughed heartily. If Ning Que said it was delicious, then the taste must be good.
Ning Que looked at Jie Jun and instructed, "King of Nanyue, the rest of the potatoes are in your hands. Remember to bring all the potatoes back to Panyu City. I will make further arrangements later. These potatoes are crucial, so we must hurry and plant another round!"
"good!"
"Let's go back to the city!"
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