Chapter 290： Digging trenches and ditches for reclamation

The North Münster area has a large area of ​​assault, but due to population reasons, there is less development. Moreover, the developed area is mainly located in the Ames River basin in the west of the North Munster area.

Other areas, which have been developed, are also mainly on the banks of some smaller rivers than the Ames, and some areas near freshwater lakes.

The reason for this is actually very simple-that is, the issue of irrigation technology. In this era, Europeans have extensive farming techniques, sowing land is to sow seeds and then water them. Then, it doesn't matter. Waiting for the fall, another wave ...

As for irrigation, although skilled craftsmen in Europe invented waterwheel irrigation without human-powered driving. However, even if the waterwheel does not require manpower, it needs to be driven by water. Therefore, in the area near the general river, there are waterwheels that irrigate day and night to make agriculture more developed.

In areas far from rivers, irrigation is very inconvenient. Moreover, at this time in Europe, the moat irrigation technology is not very popular. In fact, since the late Middle Ages, Europe has introduced advanced irrigation technology from the Arab region. However, this advanced irrigation technology is mainly used in Italy and other places in southern Europe. In the German region, waterwheels are the main source of irrigation and natural rainfall.

Therefore, in this era of Europe, most of the farmland is still concentrated near rivers and lakes to facilitate irrigation. As far as the river is concerned, even if it is a plain, not much farmland is cultivated. Because, irrigation technology does not work.

Like Marin, in East Friesland, a large amount of labor was introduced to dig irrigation canals extensively, and in the farmland, between the small fields, excavation of trenches to divert water for irrigation is the European era of this era popular. At least, it is not popular in Germany. This type of "advanced" irrigation technology from the Arab region is popular. Only the Italian region, which has more exchanges with the Middle East, is the technology brought back from the Arab region by merchants from Venice and Genoa.

Therefore, in this era, Italy, developed agriculture, is a treasure in the eyes of Europeans. As a result, the two major powers of France and Spain broke their heads in order to compete for control of Italy. Even Maximilian I, if it were not for the domestic princes, would probably join the Italian hegemony.

The reason why the South Münster area is more developed than the North Münster area is because the rivers in the South Münster area are vertical and horizontal, which is convenient for erecting waterwheels. For example, the southern border of Münster is the northern border of the Ruhr area-the Lipper River. Moreover, the Ames River also flows through the South Münster area. At the same time, there are many natural rivers in the South Münster area, which is convenient for the installation of waterwheels. Therefore, its agriculture is more developed than the North Munster area.

In Beminster, the most developed agriculture is the west Ames River basin. As for the east, there are large plains, but because of the lack of natural rivers, irrigation is not convenient, and it can only rely on rain. Therefore, there is less cultivated land here.

However, for this situation, Marin has a very clear solution-organizing manpower to dig irrigation ditches on a large scale ...

Marin clearly remembered that the next generation of his hometown was filled with irrigation ditches that stretched from north to south, basically dug by hand. These irrigation canals, together with a slender moat that appears every few meters in the field, the crops in the field can be fully irrigated.

The reason why ancient rye cultivation was popular in ancient Europe for a long time was that it was unwilling to grow wheat because of the lack of water ditches. Wheat needs more water than rye. Rye can be irrigated by rain, but wheat cannot. Therefore, the wheat production in Europe in this era was extremely low, and most of the yield per mu was less than 100 kg. Therefore, the price of wheat is very expensive, five or six times the price of rye. After the "price revolution", it will reach more than 7 times that of rye.

In other words, the irrigation canals and water trenches that Marin promoted in East Friesland are actually ahead of most of Europe in this era, except Italy, which has introduced irrigation technology from the Arab region.

In fact, the advanced irrigation technology in West Asia and Egypt was already available in the Roman era. But after the barbarians invaded, these technologies were lost, and European technology retreated for hundreds of years ...

Therefore, others find it difficult to develop the North Münster area lacking rivers, but Marin feels simple. At that time, as long as a large number of manpower is organized to dig irrigation canals and water trenches, a large number of good fields can be reclaimed from the plains lacking rivers.

In fact, knowing that in the 1980s and 1990s, China was still in the winter farming period, often organizing farmers to engage in "conference wars", digging new irrigation channels, and opening up new farmland to solve the population explosion and food shortage The problem. Until the 21st century, mechanization was fully realized. Since then, there has been no such labor in the countryside. Because the work of digging rivers has changed from manpower to using excavators.

It can be said that organizing farmers to dig rivers to open channels or clear siltation of irrigation rivers during the winter slack season is also an important task in rural areas. In ancient China, the so-called active officials "built water conservancy", but not the dams and reservoirs imagined by the people in the city, but mainly digging trenches to clear silt in irrigation rivers. Dams and reservoirs will only be built in mountainous areas where water is scarce. The "construction of water conservancy" in the plain area means digging trenches, clearing silt, and clearing river channels. Moreover, this kind of labor is without any compensation and is an obligation. Of course, the people also know that digging trenches and clearing silt is also for their own good. Therefore, no one will ask for compensation, usually bring their own rations and rice bowls, and even bring their own shovel to participate in labor.

In this era of no excavators ~ www.novelhall.com ~ Marin wants to reclaim farmland in the riverless areas of North Münster, must organize a lot of labor to dig trenches. Otherwise, there is no water to irrigate the farmland, once the rainfall is not enough, you wait for the harvest.

Therefore, Marin arranged for Kohler to go to other parts of Germany to recruit a large number of surplus young laborers. After recruiting these people, the first thing was to organize them to dig trenches and ditches, to introduce water from large rivers such as the Ames River into irrigation channels, to those plains without rivers, and to reclaim new arable land.

As for the cost of digging the river, the main reason is that Marin has to prepare a batch of spades, poles and baskets. The shovel is digging the earth, and the pole and the basket are naturally picking the earth. In addition to these tools, the largest expenditure is probably food.

When digging ditches and ditches, farmers are physically exhausted, and they are especially able to eat. For example, a farmer usually only needs one piece of bread per meal. However, during the digging of the river, a meal of three large black bread is not necessarily enough. The price of grain in Europe is so expensive, even if you know the benefits of digging trenches and trenches, the general nobility may not be able to supply so much grain. After all, tens of thousands of people dig trenches and ditches, and the food consumption has increased two or three times. The poor nobles, even the big nobles, cannot afford it. Only a large aristocrat like Marin who is full of grain can afford such consumption. After all, as long as the ditches are dug and the arable land is reclaimed, with the advanced farming and fertilizer technology mastered by Marin, one season of grain, all the cost of digging the river can be recovered, and it is also very profitable.

But instead of other nobles, at the time when rye per mu yielded more than 100 pounds, a large number of people were organized to dig trenches and ditches, and God knows how many years it will take to recover the cost ...

Marin intends to recruit 50,000 young labors this year, dig trenches and ditches in the North Münster area, and then, reclaim at least 50,000 yuglam's arable land ...