Chapter 12 Farming - Part 2

As Landon looked into the basin, he realized that the water residue was clear in color and not a lot of organic sediments could be seen floating at the top. This was a bad sign.

Typically, rich soil leaves murky colored water with a lot of organic sediments floating around.

The solution is simple. The soil needs manure.

Actually this problem would been solved decades ago, if the people in this continent knew what manure was.

The most important thing to know is that soil is alive. The are more species of organisms in the soil than there are aboveground. These organisms convert soil minerals and organic matter to vitamins and hormones needed for the plant.

So for more than a decade these people have been starving the soil. Obviously these organisms would either die or move away. It’s that simple.Soil needs to eat too.

Infact, Baymard wasnt the only place where the lands were said to be barren. There are so many small towns that had this problem.

The reason Baymard was well known was because it was the third biggest city in the empire. For more than 40 years, it had been barren.

From the reports he received, people claimed that one day, the land turned barren. Some people even said it was a cursed plan. Of course Landon didnt believe in all those stories. It definitely didnt happen overnight.

Everyone gave up on the place, as it was deemed worthless to the empire. As the saying goes -’The bigger you are, the harder you fall’.

Baymard’s size was comparable to Tokyo Japan back on earth. Immagine if the entire Tokyo turnt to barren lands and there was no food too.....Of course it make headlines.

Landon also wanted to introduce Crop Rotation. Doing this would definitely increase soil fertility, soil nutrients and crop yield.

Crop rotatation would also reduce stressful weeds and soil pollution.

It was a good method for maintaining the soil structure.

Having come up with a solution, he took a lot of bags and buckets, leaving again with Momo, Lucy, Terry and three other knights.

On their way to the the lower region, they stoped at the stables and got animal faeces and then got water from the wells.

He also planned on teaching both women math every night from now on. He hoped that one of them could take over his duty as the second math teacher very soon.

There were quite a handful of literate people living in the central region. From the reports, he knew there were a few alcamists, welders, and so on, who were literate.

It would be a good idea to find these people and use them in teaching others. Afterall, he cant teach everything.

He decided to follow the same schooling system that exists back on earth.

No matter how old or young the villagers were, those who were not literate, would begin at Kindergarten.

They were to learn how to read, write, simple add numbers and so on. As the saying goes: ’Your never too old to go to school’

Infact, Landon remembered that back in his university days, there was a 50 year old man who was in the class with him. He was was so astonished and had deeply respected the man.

Not everyone had the guts to go to school at such an age. Most people where either ashamed or very prideful.

The situation in Baymard was very tricky. Everyone went out to either hunt, fish, cook, farm and so on.

Because he didn’t want to disrupt their daily lives, he decided to make a teaching schedule for the town. He would have morning sessions and late afternoon sessions.

All illiterate villagers were required to attend at least 1 session a day.

All villagers below the age of 18, were required to attend the morning classes. While those above 18 could choose to attend any session they liked.

Morning sessions would have 6 classes, 3 taking place at the same time.

He decided to break the children down into 3 groups: those below 7, those below 13 and those above 13.

Lucy would teach Pyron to those below 7, Kim would teach Math 1 to those below13, while he would teach Math 2 to those above 13 at the same time.

Once their classes was done, they would just take the next set of children.

Landon thought all these things as he made his way to the center region in search of a carpenter.