Chapter 1624 - 1530: The Ministry of Agriculture Has Never Been Idle

Chapter 1624: Chapter 1530: The Ministry of Agriculture Has Never Been Idle

Harper pointed at the machine and asked his wife in a low voice, "Martha, what is that thing?"

In his mind, his wife was a well-traveled noble lady who knew almost everything.

But this time, she shook her head, "I’ve never seen it, dear."

The technician from the agricultural consulting company didn’t keep everyone in suspense, and directly introduced, "Gentlemen, this is a seed drill. Farmers in France are all using it."

An Indian elder studied the machine and asked, "Mr. Shewan, what is it used for?"

"For sowing." Shewan and his assistant set the machine on the ground and started pouring wheat seeds into the small hole at the top, "Its speed is very fast, approximately ten times that of 15 people sowing by hand."

In fact, the seed drill was invented 80 years ago, but its adoption rate has not been high.

Through the agricultural consulting company, Joseph, together with the parish bank, promoted it, making it a common commodity in every village in France.

Of course, the rapid increase in France’s steel production over the past decade is the foundation for mass-producing these farm implements.

Moreover, the ones Shewan brought out are obsolete products, the new generation seed drills can do the work of more than 20 people.

The Indian elder was very astute and quickly said, "Then it should be very expensive, Mr. Shewan?"

"300 francs, isn’t it very cheap?" Shewan immediately added, "The Pakaha government will provide loans, signing an agreement through the village, so you don’t have to pay a single Danny to get it."

These second-hand machines only cost 140 francs in France, but being transported thousands of miles to Louisiana, and smuggled by boat, the price naturally shoots up.

Without waiting for the Indians to continue questioning, Shewan skillfully attached the machine behind an ox, then held the frame tightly, signaling the assistant to drive the ox.

As the ox slowly moved forward, the wedge-shaped opener at the front of the seed drill deeply pierced the soil, immediately gouging out a row of small pits.

Then the seeds from the seed box flowed through the rotating tube onto the grooves of the metering wheel, falling into the small pits on the ground as the metering wheel rotated.

Finally, several pieces of arc-shaped thin iron teeth snugly adhered to the sides of the grooves, scraping back the loose soil from both sides to cover the seeds in the grooves, and with small iron wheels, compacting the soil.

In just a moment, the ox had walked more than ten meters, and over a hundred seeds were sown behind it.

And not only is the speed fast, but the spacing and depth of the sowing are extremely standard; even a skilled farmer with decades of experience would find it hard to achieve.

Shewan patted the seed drill and loudly said, "The spacing and depth of the sowing can all be adjusted through the gears; wheat, corn, beans, and radishes can all be planted using it."

He looked at the Indian elder who kept asking questions, "How much farmland does our village have?"

"68 hectares, Mr. Shewan."

"Having two seed drills can barely complete the sowing work for the entire village. Of course, using one can also save a lot of manpower..."

However, the Indian elder frowned, "We have many young people and women who can help with the sowing, why spend all this extra money?"

Shewan smiled and pointed to the vast plain in the distance, "If we use the seed drill for sowing, the villagers’ hands will be freed to clear more land or hunt wild buffalo.

"I dare bet that within a year, the money spent on it will be earned back several times over."

The surrounding Indians immediately began whispering among themselves.

This kind of seed drill requires three to four people to operate. This means, at most 8 people working with two seed drills can complete the village’s sowing.

This can free up over a hundred people. Catching 500 wild buffalo in a sowing season is no problem.

Or expand the cultivated area. Using the seed drill along with the tribespeople, hundreds of hectares of land can be managed, and the harvest every year will increase by more than 30% as a result!

Either way, it’s definitely more than 600 francs.

Shewan finally threw out his biggest persuasive offer: "You can use these machines for free initially, and if unsatisfied, you can cancel the purchase agreement within six months."

Several elders of the Indian tribes all turned to Priest Fermin in the village—things they did not understand or were unsure of, they would always consult him.

Fermin naturally stood on Shewan’s side. He had heard that this agricultural technology promotion plan was personally devised by the Regent King.

Seeing the Indians showing a favorable attitude towards the seed drill, Shewan signaled his assistant to open another wooden box, pointing to the machine inside: "Next, I’ll introduce this cultivator to everyone!

"It can quickly remove weeds without harming the crops, and it also has soil loosening and hilling functions.

"According to tests by the Ministry of Agriculture, using it can increase corn and wheat yields by 9%, and cotton can even reach 12%!

"Moreover, it is much cheaper than a seed drill, each only costs 120 francs..."

Martha and Harper’s mouths were agape at this moment, their minds filled with shock.

They were still using hoes to break the ground, while the Indians across the Mississippi river were already using these miraculous machines.

If they had these, they could cultivate twice as much land, or even more!

Then within just one year, they could pay off all their debts and then live a prosperous life.

"This, this is unbelievable," Harper swallowed.

Martha nodded, gazing at the seed drill in a daze: "Perhaps, without going to California, we could still have a good life..."

Yes, this was precisely Joseph’s purpose in letting them witness the agricultural consulting company’s promotion of new farm implements.

He was well aware that there would definitely be many Americans who would hesitate for various reasons on their way to California.

And what Louisiana lacked most at the moment was people.

Even attracting a fifth of the Gold Seekers would be enormously beneficial to the development of the colony.

As for concerns about too many Americans shaking the control of the colonial government?

There’s no need to worry.

Disperse them into the villages of the colony, conduct strict identity registrations, and mandate learning French—those who can’t learn it within three years will be sent back to the United States.

This way, at most a decade later, they will all be genuine Louisianians.

Of course, he would also let the colonial authorities control the influx of Americans, at least ensuring they don’t outnumber the combined French and Spanish populations.

The next day, the Harper couple listened to Shewan lecture the Indian villagers about composting methods and using gypsum to improve soil quality.

When they left the village, embarking on the road to California, they unexpectedly felt a bit reluctant.

"If only this were our village," the two thought to themselves.

Half a month later, they arrived in Saint Louis with over 70 Gold Seekers.

After signing the agreement with the California offices, they boarded a freighter heading west along the Missouri River.