Agriculture

When Artys left the dining room and his family behind before Andar's explosion, he couldn't witness the scene of his scheming brother scared to the bone. Instead, he had already gone to his room to draw up new blueprints. He spent the next hour drawing up plans for a beehive oven. Which was the best method currently available for turning Coal into Coke. Something that would prove vital in the functioning of the blast furnaces.

After discussing the new project with Axel, he assured that he would soon have all three designs in production in a month or so.

Artys spent the rest of his waking hours of the day perfecting farm projects. The valley's rich black soil allows the Valemen to grow wheat, corn, and barley. Not even in Highgarden do the pumpkins grow nor the fruits sweeter. The first improvement he would have to make to the Royce Territory's agricultural system would be the four-field system that would be critical to sustaining a large population.

Currently, the three-field system was in use, which essentially functioned as a form of crop rotation that left one field empty or fallow and used the other two fields to grow wheat, corn, barley and oats. The four-field system was a huge advantage that led to the agricultural and industrial revolutions. If this world were left to its own devices, it would be centuries before they naturally developed such a crucial system.

The four-field system was what it looked like; it had four fields divided into Legumes, Roots, Leaves and Fruits. This allowed an increase in food production, due to the legumes and roots, the soil would maintain or increase its fertility over time. On top of all this, it also allowed for the continued growth of food stocks for livestock, allowing them to be raised year-round, as certain roots such as turnips and potatoes were notoriously hardy plants capable of being grown through the winter.

Artys intended to implement the four-field system within the next month. Especially considering that in a month he will have access to a quality phosphate fertilizer that will only increase the yield of his crops. If all went as planned this year, they could have ample food storage. In a few years, House Royce may even become the breadbasket of the Vale.