Back home, Qin Qinghuai swallowed the bitterness in his heart and started preparing lunch.
As the autumn harvest approached, the elderly men became increasingly nervous and anxious. Even though they had done everything they could, they were still uneasy about this first time. They spent all their time watching and pacing around the fields.
Fortunately, there have been no insect infestations, droughts, or floods this year.
As expected, it was a mixed bag of joy and sorrow.
Corn, which is the most commonly grown crop in the rural areas here, is growing well, but obviously, the growing cycle is a bit short. When it is harvested, it is more mature than silage and has a patina, but it is not as plump as the grain that is delivered to the state every year. In the words of the farmers, it is not properly grown and is full of water.
Soybeans are better, but they still contain a lot of excess moisture and need to be dried before the pods can split open. However, they are much better than corn.
The wheat, potatoes, and sweet potatoes, on the other hand, grew very well. The wheat grains were plump, and the potatoes and sweet potatoes were growing in large clusters. The potatoes, in particular, were not only plentiful, but each one was also quite large and heavy to hold. This gave the professors some comfort.
Although they already knew that something could be grown, given previous examples, no one dared to say anything recklessly until the very last moment. For the past few months, not only they had been watching closely, but everyone else had been watching as well. Now, seeing the actual fruit that had grown, the new crop finally felt real, and their feelings were naturally indescribable.
Upon receiving the news, Commander Lin rushed over. He was under more pressure than anyone else. They had planted the same crop a few years ago, and he had personally participated and witnessed the entire process. He understood how much expectation they had at the beginning led to disappointment in the end.
If we're talking about being afraid of disappointment, he's the first one.
"Let me see, let me see, are all the potatoes harvested? How many have been harvested?"
The old men were too busy to pay attention to him. The machine was turning over the ground in front, and they followed behind with their men to pick up potatoes and then transport them together.
Zheng Aiguo and his men weighed the items on the side. They were busy until almost dark before they finished. More and more people gathered to watch the spectacle, including soldiers off duty, their families, and children coming home from school. They formed several circles around the area.
The soldiers couldn't bear to watch, so they all went over to help.
As the weighing process drew to a close, the person being weighed showed some excitement, and the surrounding chatter subsided as everyone held their breath. Gradually, the scene became quieter, with everyone staring intently at the people in the middle, waiting for the results.
Zheng Aiguo and his companions seemed somewhat incredulous. They turned to look at the crowd surrounding them, then at the professors, and handed over their notebooks, relinquishing the right to make the announcement to them.
Professor Yu and the others watched, trembling and unable to speak for a long time. The old man, however, had no such patience and leaned forward.
"Oh dear, you guys are so slow! Whether it's a lot or a little, just tell me! Isn't this just making us anxious?"
Professor Wei cleared his throat.
"Nine, nine hundred and sixty-two catties?"
"Nine hundred and sixty-two? More than nine hundred jin?"
This yield of less than a thousand catties per mu is incomparable to the thousands of catties per mu in later generations. At this time, it was all pure natural farmyard manure without any chemical catalysts. Most importantly, this land had been abandoned for who knows how many years.
This land had been abandoned for many years, which likely led to a significant decline in soil fertility. Recultivation was necessary, and the key was restoring soil fertility.
They were all hoping for a harvest, but they never dared to imagine that they could harvest so much; it was truly an incredible surprise.
The scene immediately became lively, and even Commander Lin was somewhat incredulous.
"Over 900 jin? Really? You didn't weigh it wrong?"
He even grabbed the large scale himself, randomly selected a bunch of items to inspect on the spot, and then he was stunned, laughing and crying at the same time, staggering and leaning against Zheng Aiguo.
"Really, it really weighs several hundred pounds!"
The scene immediately became lively again, especially among the local residents and veterans, who were the most deeply moved and couldn't hold back their emotions upon hearing the words.
The scene was chaotic, with crying and laughter mixed together.
That evening, the barracks and the family quarters were filled with laughter and joy.
At Jian Dan's home, after a hearty meal and drinks, the group started talking about their day's haul. The layman sees the spectacle, the expert sees the details.
Professor Wei and his team have been monitoring the entire process from the time the seeds were planted until now. They are aware of every step in the process, so they can say that the result was within their expectations. Combining the results, the conclusion is basically clear.
Of course, there are also objective reasons such as weather and soil, but the fundamental principle remains the same. By removing these uncontrollable factors and analyzing the remaining factors, they still came to a very scientific conclusion.
Their suggestion was to expand the planting area of potatoes, sweet potatoes, soybeans, and wheat next year. Although potatoes and sweet potatoes are not staple foods, they are still very useful at this time.
Wheat has a low yield, but it is a staple food and an essential grain. Since the yield is low, we can only compensate by planting more crops and increasing the quantity to improve the overall harvest.
"Therefore, we must continue to reclaim the land. This land has been barren for a long time. The soil is infertile, the soil layer is shallow and the soil is not fertile. The ecology is fragile and lacks organic matter. If we want to increase soil fertility, improve soil quality and increase yield, we can only slowly cultivate it since we don't have chemical fertilizers."
Next year, we'll continue using farmyard manure. Actually, our conditions here are quite good. We have the livestock farm nearby, so we have readily available raw materials. Add to that weeds, corn stalks, stubble (in some rural areas, this is called zhàzi, the stems and roots left in the ground after crop harvest), bean stalks, and wood ash, and we'll process it. Although the results are slower, it's safer.”
Professor Yu nodded.
"Yes, it's a rotation system. Over the years, the soil has recovered quite a bit."
If I were to say that this black soil is perfect for planting, it's a real waste to leave it lying fallow like this.
The others listened without interrupting. These few were the authorities when it came to farming, so it was best for them to just listen.
As he spoke, Professor Wei's gaze drifted out the window, landing on the blueberry bush. Suddenly, he stood up and walked to the window.
"I remember back in the spring, didn't Xiao Jian plant some watermelons? Did they all survive?"
As luck would have it, just as he finished speaking, he heard the chattering of several children in the yard. The eldest children, led by Cheng Rui, were directing the youngest, Qin Heng, and Ping An, oh, and Hui Zhou, who was causing trouble with Cheng Rui.
Of all the people in this vegetable garden, the one who knows it best is actually Xiao Huizhou, who came later. Although it's not exactly the same, the things planted in Jian Dan's previous little garden are similar, and he recognizes them all. Don't underestimate him because he's young; he planted and harvested the vegetables with them. He's like a treasure hunter here, chattering away about everything he finds.
Soon, he really did discover what he liked.
"Brother Rui, it's a watermelon! Auntie planted watermelons for Zhouzhou!"
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