On Haeseni Agriculture

[LuxyLucy 691]

 

 

Spoiler

Music <3

 

 

ISSUED BY THE COUNTY OF JEROVITZ

c. 564 E.S.

 

 

 

 

In the bustling markets and tranquil villages of Haense, where the aroma of freshly baked bread mingles with the scent of ripe produce, the economic pulse of society beats to the rhythm of the fields. Here, amidst the rolling hills and fertile valleys, agriculture is not merely a means of survival—it is the lifeblood of our entire civilization, sustaining this kingdom and nourishing souls alike.

At the heart of this economy lay a simple truth: without the bounty of the land, there could be no wealth, no commerce, no civilization. From the humblest peasant to the mightiest lord, all depend upon the fruits of the earth for their sustenance and prosperity. Agriculture feeds the masses, fuels the coffers of kings, and sustains the delicate balance of power that holds our society together.

 

For the farmer, there is no rest at any point during the farming year. The farmer’s struggle to survive is never-ending, and tasks continue even under the blanket of winter snow. The life of each farmer is tied to the weather and seasons, and his tasks would change or adapt according to it. There is no such thing as “good weather” – the ideal conditions change according to what is required to advance the crops and facilitate that month’s tasks, and farmers might be as likely to pray for rain or wind as for sun. When the weather does not oblige, the family of a farmer could starve.

 

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Month	Work to be done
Deep Cold - Joma and Umund	Hunting for game meats, skinning for furs, tool making for the next cycle and repairing structures
Snows Maiden - Wzuvar and Byvca	Weeding the fields, ploughing the fields, planting garden crops, fertilising the fields, tending to newborn calves
Horen’s Welcome - Jula and Piov	Weeding the fields, ploughing the fields, sowing the seeds, pruning the orchards and scaring off the birds
First Seed - Vzmey and Hyff	Harvesting garden crops, herding the cattle to the grazing fields
Grand Harvest - Gronna and Droba	Harvesting the now grown fields, tying the scythed straws for transport
Sun’s Smile - Tov and Yermey	Threshing the grain from straw, winnowing chaff from the grain, milling grains into flour
Amber Cold - Msitza and Dargund	Harvesting the orchards, herding the cattle home, butchering the beef cattle, salting the meats, storing the meat in smokehouses

 

 

 

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Weeding

Throughout the year – before ploughing, during the growing season, and just before harvest – weeding is a necessary task. Other plants compete for the same nutrients, light and space as the crop, and have to be removed. This is done by hand, and by the whole family; it is a tedious and back-breaking task.

 

Ploughing

From all the tasks of the farming year, ploughing is, without argument, the most arduous of them all. Ploughing is the process of preparing the fields by breaking, aerating and turning over the topsoil, revealing the more fertile undersoil for planting. In order to achieve this the farmer uses (preferably) a heavy plough dragged by oxen or, in the worst case, a shovel and hours of unending, back-breaking labor. Ploughs are heavy, intricate and expensive, and oxen need a large amount of food; in many cases, villages own communal ploughs along with oxen and take turns in using them during ploughing seasons.

 

Fertilising

Contrary to popular opinion, most of the fields are not fertilized using manure. Fertilizing a whole field means that you have enough animals to produce a significant amount of manure, which is rarely the case. Another technique used is “marling”.  For marling, farmers spread clay containing lime carbonate onto their soil. Clay is not available everywhere, but where it is, it enriches the soil and provides a great boost to the fertility of the field.

Manure is used mostly to fertilize the patches the farmers have around their house, which provides the family with fresh fruit and vegetables throughout most of the farming year.

 

Sowing

Seed sowing takes place after the ploughing and fertilizing, it was done by hand. A harrow (or rake, for small areas) would then be used to cover up the seeds with aerated soil.

 

Scaring the birds

Why use an inanimate scarecrow if you have children with bells, gongs and rattles? Preventing the birds from eating the newly sown seed is vital to increase the yield. Noise makers of various types have been used for this task, or even simply shouting and clapping.

 

Harvesting

The time of harvest is a time of hard work and celebration. Twice a year, during First Seed and Grand Harvest, the whole of the family would take to the fields to gather the grains that were seeded. It is important that the crop is harvested as quickly as possible to prevent rain and cold damage. The villagers work from the break of day to dawn every day. It is common that, if a family is struggling, the rest of the villagers will help them out after they are done with their own fields without any pay – that’s how important it is to have a good harvest. When all this is done, it is time to celebrate. Even better is the fact that these celebrations are one of those rare celebrations, in which the Lord of the land would have it funded in its entirety.

 

Tying

This refers to tying the bushels of wheat and hay together. It is part of the harvest process. Tying made transportation and storage easier.

 

Winnowing and Threshing

Threshing is the process used to separate the delicious grain from the husks and chaff of the plant (the stalks, seed casings etc.). Cut grain-heads are to be hit with a flail to knock the grain out. The whole mix of grain and chaff are then put load-by-load onto a winnowing basket and flung into the air. The heavier grain portion will fall downwards (either into the basket or onto the floor) whilst the lighter chaff and husks will be blown a few feet away by the wind. These were not wasted but used as animal fodder.

 

Milling

Milling is the process of grinding down grains of wheat and barley in order to produce flour. Flour is brown and coarse and includes particles of husks. If the Lord of the manor owns a mill, all the milling of the village will happen there and is usually taxed with a portion of the flour milled. If there is no mill available, the villagers will use a hand-operated mill (quern) which is composed of two stones – one above the other – and a handle to grind the top stone over the bottom one. The top stone has a hole in the middle, where the grain is poured slowly. As the stone moved in a circular motion, the grain would slowly break down into flour; this process took hours. In order to have enough flour for one loaf of bread, an adult has to spend around four hours milling flour.

 

 

 

Spoiler

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The Beast of Burden

 Though perhaps not technically a tool, the ox is the most significant force that changed the landscape of agriculture. Oxen are strong, hardy and unwavering beasts which work all day, under almost any circumstance. The owning of an ox was an indicator that things were going well. In many cases though, oxen aren’t owned by just one person and are shared amongst the whole, or part of, the village – this is due both to their worth and their food requirement. Oxen are stronger than a heavy horse, and certainly indefatigable compared to any man. They are able to carry large weights and pull the heavy plough for hours every day. The domestication of oxen is an art that not many have mastered, requiring fine tuning in order to create a creature which was domesticated, yet still retained its raw strength and physique. 

 

Within Haense, the curated species of bovine is the Markevian cattle, which was introduced to the nation upon the arrival of the Koravian peoples. Sparking an agricultural revolution within the nation, due to their mastery of animal husbandry. A fully grown Markevian bull is an imposing figure, embodying both strength and endurance. Standing with a commanding presence, it can reach a height of 1.55 meters at the shoulder, with its powerful build exuding an aura of quiet authority. The bull's muscular frame is solid and well-proportioned, characterized by a broad, deep chest and a thick, strong neck. Its well-defined withers and back highlight the animal’s robustness, while its thick, rounded hindquarters suggest both power and stability. The Markevian breed’s coat is short and dense, typically a striking white or light gray with occasional darker patches, especially around the eyes, ears, and on the back. The color pattern can vary, but a common trait is the contrast between the pale body and darker areas on the head and extremities, giving the bull a dignified, almost regal appearance. The coat’s texture is smooth to the touch but resilient, adapted to withstand harsh weather conditions, from particularly cold winters. 

 

When fully mature, a Markevian bull can weigh between 900 to 1,200 kilograms. Whether grazing in a pasture or standing in the presence of humans, it projects an air of nobility and untamed vitality, epitomizing the essence of a well-bred, working farm animal.

Plough, Heavy (Mouldboard) 

The heavy plough was a significant improvement in agriculture, with a heavy blade which created a deep furrow in the ground. Another vast improvement, due to its augmented design, is that the plough deposits the newly turned soil top-down, meaning that any weeds growing would be smothered without having to be removed. Mouldboard ploughs are mainly used in heavy clay areas, where extra measures are necessary to turn the soil, and reaching deeper into the topsoil was important in order to make the soil suitably fertile. They are much more arduous to draw than lighter variants, but the pay-off in improved yields is significant within the clay deposited soils of Haense.

Harrow 

After the soil has been turned by the ploughs and the seeds are sown, the earth must be smoothed so that the seeds are covered and protected. In order to achieve this, farmers use a harrow. The harrow is essentially a wooden frame composed of four to six connected beams. The lower side is set with spikes or nails, made of either wood or metal. The frame of the harrow is dragged over the ploughed, sown fields, and the spikes would comb the earth smooth, covering over the precious seeds. 

Fork (Pitchfork) 

The fork, or pitchfork, has a wooden handle of about five to six feet long, tipped with two or three prongs (or in some instances, as many as four or five), which were usually made of iron. Forks are used to prepare the ground for seeding and covering, in the place of a plough or harrow, for small areas. They are also necessary for the process of making hay, which involves throwing the cut grass into the air in order to aerate and turn it. The aeration of grass prevents the grass from molding which means that the hay dries and will be usable as nutrition for the animals during the winter. 

Rake 

For those who don’t have the resources or the ability to use a harrow, or for smaller areas like vegetable gardens, the rake is a low-tech alternative. The rake works exactly as the harrow, but on a smaller scale, covering over seeds and smoothing the topsoil. The rake is also used during haymaking to spread and collect grass. 

Scythe

Barley, oats and grass were no match for the mighty two-handed scythe. The scythe transformed the farmers' life, making it much easier and less tiring. With a scythe, one can reap a whole area of stalks quickly by using a simple circular movement; the clever design of the bent haft and side handle makes the movement quite intuitive. 

Flail

The flail consists of two pieces of wood – a longer handle and a shorter, thicker ‘striker’. The two wooden pieces are connected by a leather strap, passed through holes or metallic loops at their connecting ends. The flail is used to separate the grain from the husks, in a process called threshing, after they were harvested. 

Winnowing Basket 

After the grain crop is thoroughly flailed, the grain seeds are separated from their husks and chaff. The thresher would put all the material in the winnowing basket and then launch it up into the air. The heavy grain seeds would fall right in front of him on the ground (or back into the basket) while the chaff and husks, light as they were, would be blown a few feet away by the wind.

END OF REPORT.

 

 

 

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HER LADYSHIP, PRIMROSE EMELYA KORTREVICH,

The “Rose” of Kortrevich

 

[__Stal27 2126]

Within the depths of the southern Balian Palace, a young Lothar would be engrossed in reading the works of the Lady Kortrevich. 

[Gridlock 1033]

Karl was angry that his Majestic Yak were not mentioned as being the heart of Haeseni Agriculture.