Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 847 The Great Western Wilderness ([-])

Today is the last day of 1650.A researcher from the Ministry of Agriculture, Chen Ke, the second-generation wearer, rode a horse and came to the Dahuang Farm in the Great Western Wilderness. The area of ​​arable land development, the actual sown area, the use of improved seeds, the number of livestock, the yield of various crops planted, etc. involve all aspects.And only after understanding the actual situation of more than 15 mu of farmland, including Dahuang Farm, Shrub Farm, and Glory Farm (farms developed by the retired army under the formation system), can the Ministry of Agriculture formulate agricultural subsidy policies more effectively. To protect the enthusiasm of these large farm renters and retail pioneers, maintain the agricultural production of the East Coast Republic.

The weather near the Great Wilderness Farm is fine, and the blue sky stretches as far as the eye can see.Even though it is midsummer (the temperature is about 33 degrees), the temperature is high, but with the cool wind whistling past, everyone still feels very comfortable—at least it is much more comfortable than when they were researching in the Beiyazihu ​​area at this time last year , the summer there is somewhat hot and humid.

There are some tall sentry towers around the farm, guarded by armed militiamen on them, guarding against surprise attacks from barbarians.In fact, at the end of 1650 today, with the gradual increase of the local population (meaning the increase in the number of trained militias) and the intensification of the East Coast Army’s suppression efforts, the remaining Chaluya tribes nearby were either expelled, eliminated, or Surrender, the social order has generally stabilized.

The existence of these sentry towers today is just a continuation of the thinking inertia of the residents to be prepared for danger in times of peace and prepare for war and famine.Perhaps in another year or two, with the strides forward in the colonization and development of the people on the east coast, these sentry towers will eventually be withdrawn gradually, and Dahuang Farm will also become a peaceful and stable inland pastoral village.

The water of some small streams nearby is very clear and tastes sweet.There are many introduced plants such as agave, cumin, and cactus planted on the banks of the river. These plants are widely distributed and extend far along the river.On the other side of the river, a group of large ostriches (South American three-toed ostriches) were drinking water. The leading male ostrich spread its wings and looked warily at Chen Ke and his party who were slowly passing by on horseback—obviously, they were not very afraid of people.

There are very few trees here, or there used to be some trees, but they were cut down by the early settlers for building materials.But now the settlers here have replanted saplings (mostly oak and peach trees) in the local area under the arrangement of the government. It makes people feel that their previous logging behavior is really meaningless.

Chen Ke found an obvious scratch on a surviving native tree, and two gaucho riders who acted as guides told him that there must be a jaguar moving around here, because of the marks on the bark It was caused by the grinding of the jaguar's claws.It is worth mentioning that ferocious predators such as jaguars and pumas are very common in the East Coast Republic—or there are too many of them—but the East Coast government still does not allow private hunting of such animals. The fear is that it will be hunted down by the residents, and now the government organizes some patrols to hunt it from time to time to prevent it from flooding.

However, as their habitats are gradually occupied by humans, there is no need for humans to deliberately kill them. Their numbers will continue to decline slowly, and this process is basically irreversible.After all, the westward expansion of the people on the east coast is not only competing for living space with barbarians such as Charuya, Guarani, and Kelandi, but it is also competing for living space with these animals!

Some houses gradually appeared in the field of vision, a few were red brick and blue tile houses, but most of them were still plank houses, adobe houses or reed houses.Brick and tile houses should be the houses for farm renters and their relatives. You must know how difficult it is to transport some building materials from the outside world in this semi-isolated grassland area, so the brick and tile houses here should be It is a double symbol of status and wealth, and ordinary people have no chance to live it for the time being.

There are some low and gentle hills here and there, weeds are all over the land, some are almost as tall as a human being, dotted with beautiful wild flowers, and there are butterflies or bees around them from time to time, the east coast prairie in summer is like this beauty!The reception staff of the farm, who had heard the news a long time ago, rode over to welcome them from a distance. After the two sides exchanged pleasantries, the farm invited everyone to go to the field department to rest and have lunch together.Chen Ke knew very well that these farm renters regarded the researchers of the Ministry of Agriculture as the "God of Wealth" (their research reports are an important basis for the distribution of agricultural subsidies), so he agreed with a smile.

After seeing the "Gods of Wealth" agreeing, the farm reception staff immediately beamed with joy.Without him, the price of agricultural products today is too low. If these pioneers hadn't received subsidies from the Ministry of Agriculture and protective purchases from the national grain reserve depot, they would have gone bankrupt one by one, so they couldn't help but be inattentive.

A leading middle-aged man in his forties made a show of flirting with the young men behind him, and these young men, who still had a little childishness on their faces, swung their horses' heads, turned and rushed to the side.Chen Ke watched intently, and saw a group of big ostriches eating something slowly. After seeing a few young people galloping past, they immediately ran away in panic.

The teenagers took out the meteor lasso from the pocket under the saddle, and spun it vigorously above their heads. The top of this meteor lasso usually has two or three smooth polished balls, which are connected to the rope through the jacket. It is mainly used to catch ostriches.As for wild horses or buffaloes, there is another kind of lasso without stones.

At this time, these teenagers found the target, and then quickly threw the shooting star lasso in their hands. Chen Ke looked intently, and saw that the flying lasso caught a male adult ostrich very accurately. , and then the lasso wrapped around the ostrich's leg like a demon. The ostrich was suddenly attacked, lost its balance, and fell to the ground. The teenagers not far away burst into laughter.

"The children are going to catch some ostriches, cook and eat at noon, and entertain Researcher Chen, ha ha." A middle-aged man in his forties explained with a smile beside him.

Chen Ke nodded, now he felt that the riding skills of these teenagers were really excellent.Don't look at ordinary people who can catch ostriches with a meteor lasso after a period of study, but the most test of people is actually whether the riding skills are superb.For example, when advancing at full speed and turning sharply, not only must the lasso rotate stably above the head, but also aim at the target at any time. This obviously requires very superb riding skills, otherwise you are more likely to hurt yourself than the prey.

Several other teenagers galloped towards some fat stupid birds. Chen Ke knew that that kind of bird was actually called Big? Common birds are not small in size, tender in meat, not afraid of people at all, and they can't fly very well, so they are very easy to catch.At this moment, I saw these teenagers joined hands, circled these birds non-stop, and then quickly approached them.At this time, you only need to take out a wooden stick and hit their heads, and you can hit as many as you want.Of course, you can also use a noose with a slipknot to catch. In the Wild West, this is the favorite game of boys. Even a clumsy little boy riding a pony can catch thirty or forty in a day.

But now the boys' interests have shifted, and the big, dumb birds are no longer their primary target.They prefer to bring their own hounds, and then ride their beloved colts to the wild to chase the hares introduced from the Old World—this kind of stuff has been introduced to the prairie by the East Coast people more than ten years ago. Because the climate and environment are extremely suitable for their growth, their number has increased surprisingly. Nowadays, wild rabbits can be seen from time to time in the wild, and they are the targets that boys are chasing.

Ignoring the teenagers who went to catch their prey, Chen Ke and the farm team continued to ride forward.At this time, we have already entered the range of the farm, and as far as the eye can see, there are neatly planned and arranged fields everywhere. Most of the soybeans planted in the fields are soybeans that were only planted last month—purchased from the Northern Seed Company. The fine varieties "Mancangjin" and "Mandihuang".

Of course, there are also many fields where overwintering wheat is planted, and the growth is very good, and it will be harvested in about a month.However, good wheat growth does not necessarily mean a good thing for farmers, because it is likely to lead to a sharp drop in wheat prices and affect their income.Of course, this is not something they can control. In the major grain-producing counties in the northern Nanyazihu ​​Basin, the sown area of ​​wheat there is about ten times that of here. Therefore, the harvest in Xihu County is the key to the price trend of wheat. factor.

The farm department will arrive soon, it is hidden in a forest - to be precise, it should be a "sapling forest", because there are some fruit trees that have not been introduced for a few years, and they have grown in different sizes. It is generally not yet the year of fruit bearing.But in a few years, when these fruit trees grow lush and lush, I believe this area will become the most beautiful corner of the whole farm, and the fruits they will bear will be fragrant and juicy.

The farm is composed of a row of brick and tile bungalows. Some lime has been plastered on the outer layer of the wall, and a lot of grain beans are drying on the top of the wall at this time—this is the old grain of last year. Taking advantage of the sunny weather today, the farm staff So they climbed the wooden ladder and transported many grains and beans to the roof to dry in order to prevent the grains from being damp and moldy due to long-term storage.

Smoke billowed from the top of the nearby kitchen, and rotten beef was being stewed in the large iron pot on the earthen stove.On the wooden shelf at the door, several laborers from Ireland and Scotland are skillfully killing a goat, which is used for entertaining the distinguished guests.There are beef, mutton, ostrich, and Dagong bird meat. This lunch is already very rich, and it is really a worthwhile trip!

(End of this chapter)