"Haven't you ever thought of fertilizing the land?" Link couldn't hold back and asked.
It is well known that even the most fertile land, if continuously planted with crops for several years, will have its fertility in the soil constantly depleted as the crops grow.
If not supplemented with fertilizer in time, the fertility will eventually be completely lost, and the land will become increasingly barren.
"Fertilization? What is that?"
Raymond looked bewildered, scratching his head, his eyes full of confusion, as if Link was talking about some fantasy.
"Fertilization is about adding nutrients to the land to improve soil fertility, making it richer. This way, crops can grow strong and produce more grain."
Link explained patiently, a hint of urgency in his eyes, hoping they would understand quickly: "What I mean by fertilization is burying human and animal waste, as well as decayed plants, into the soil. This way, the soil's fertility can be improved. I had you build public latrines precisely to collect these excretions more properly."
"Human and animal waste, and rotting plants? How can such filthy things be mixed with clean grain? How can grain grown like that be eaten?"
Raymond's eyes widened, his face full of shock. Even though he had always held Link in awe, at this moment, he felt Link's words were utterly absurd.
In his mind, how could filthy things like feces be allowed into the clean and sacred land of the farmland?
In the past, when commoners sowed grain, if they found dirt in the farmland, they would carefully pick it out, let alone disgusting things like feces.
If the fields were full of such filth, who would dare to eat the grain that grew there?
Thinking of this, Raymond felt his stomach churn, a faint feeling of nausea rising.
"Can't eat it? That's the biggest joke in the world." Link almost laughed out loud in anger.
These people didn't even understand basic knowledge like fertilization.
Even medieval Europeans should have known this, right? It seems he really couldn't just apply the cultural understanding of medieval Europe to this world.
Link mused to himself, then asked Raymond and the others in detail how grain was cultivated in this world.
After understanding the specific process, Link immediately felt speechless.
In this world, the process of growing grain was almost childishly simple.
Every sowing season, farmers would simply scatter seeds into the ground, and then leave them alone, as if the land would naturally produce abundant fruits.
Yes, you heard that right, they just left them alone and didn't bother with them afterward.
Only when harvest season arrived would they return to the fields to gather the ripe grain.
Crucial steps like weeding and pest control were entirely absent, let alone fertilizing the land.
The only thing the farmers did was pray devoutly to the Goddess of Harvest day and night, hoping for a good harvest next year.
Without weeding, fertilizing, or pest control, how could such land yield a bountiful harvest, even if it was lucky enough to produce any grain at all?
Unless the land itself was exceptionally fertile, and it happened to be a lucky year without insect plagues or rampant weeds, perhaps there might be some harvest.
And yet, the farmers attributed all of this to the grace of the Goddess of Harvest, completely unaware that it was merely a stroke of luck.
"Raymond, issue an immediate order for the idle commoners in the territory to start collecting feces within the territory and transport it outside the city. Then, find a spacious, open area with good drainage for composting. When composting, first lay a layer of fallen leaves or straw at the bottom, then cover it with a layer of feces, and then another layer of fallen leaves and weeds. Repeat this layering until the pile is about one meter high. During this process, you can add a moderate amount of plant ash in between the layers..."
"My Lord, what exactly is this plant ash...?" Raymond asked cautiously, a confused look on his face.
"It's the ashes left after plants have completely burned. But remember, when you're making plant ash, you must be extremely careful not to ignite nearby forests and cause a disaster."
Composting is for decomposition; if these feces are directly poured into the fields, they can actually be harmful, causing root burn and seedling burn, and in severe cases, leading to the direct death of crops.
The main component of plant ash is potassium carbonate, which can add a moderate amount of potassium fertilizer and also has some bactericidal and disinfectant effects.
These things are basic common sense; one can learn them by tending to flowers and plants. Therefore, Link knew a bit about them.
Starting composting and fertilizing now was not too late.
If the fields could be carefully tended to next year, perhaps a good harvest could truly be achieved.
"My Lord, are you perhaps making fun of us?"
The surrounding commoners, upon hearing Link's command, were astonished and incredulous.
In their eyes, their Lord had gone mad, actually wanting to dump feces into the fields, and what was that about ashes from burned plants? How could these things be useful?
If such filth were truly poured into the fields, how could the grain grown there ever be eaten in the future?
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