Chapter 246 Daily Activities at the Palace of Versailles (Seeking Monthly Pass)

A young man in his twenties took up the thread:

"Are you referring to droughts and harsh winters, my lord Earl?"

"No, that's not the main reason." Mirabeau waved his hand vigorously, "The grain shortage stems from the nobility's disregard for farming. They just stay in the Palace of Versailles and have even forgotten where their domains are. This has caused land that could produce eighteen bushels to yield just twelve! It's their stubborn refusal to plant potatoes. Even Prussia, a country less advanced than France, hasn't experienced a famine as severe as ours, all because they have potatoes..."

At a nearby table, Venio also spoke passionately:

"The meager harvests of the peasants are further reduced by their lords through the use of mills and ovens. And the grand nobility's hunting grounds take up vast stretches of land where not a single wheat stalk grows!