As Chen Lan watched Ming Wei, Ming Xuan, and her two younger brothers lead their classmates away, singing songs, the preparation of the beet fields by Lin Mai and Chun Cao was also nearing completion.
Chen Lan couldn't help but marvel at how quickly agricultural mechanization made farming work. Ten mu of land were finished in just over two hours.
What remained was to germinate the beet seeds. Because beet seeds have a hard shell, they wouldn't absorb water easily without pre-soaking, so artificial germination was necessary. Without this pretreatment, beet seeds would sprout with great difficulty.
Artificial germination typically involved soaking the seeds in warm water around fifty degrees Celsius, just warm enough to be slightly uncomfortable to the touch, while constantly stirring.
After soaking for twelve hours, the seeds would be removed, drained, and then sown using a seeder. When using a seeder, the spacing between rows and plants needed to be adjusted. Row spacing was generally between fifty and sixty centimeters, and plant spacing between twenty and thirty centimeters.
Then there was the issue of watering. This was a problem that somewhat troubled Chen Lan. The area on this side of the mountain was quite far from the main farming fields, and the irrigation wells were mostly dug over there. Running pipes a long distance to water would be inconvenient and not very practical. Moreover, water was also needed for irrigating the sugarcane sprouts and for cleaning the sheep and pigpens.
Chen Lan pondered. Beet seeds usually took about five to six days to germinate. If an irrigation well were dug now, it should be sufficient for irrigating both the beets and the sugarcane sprouts.
However, digging a well wasn't a decision to be made lightly. The location of the well needed careful consideration, as did whether to tap into groundwater or collect rainwater or snowmelt.
Chen Lan felt that although environmental pollution wasn't an issue at the moment, the severe pollution problems of her past life served as a stark reminder. She was still concerned that different water qualities might affect the crops, so she felt digging a well for irrigation would be more reliable. Collecting rainwater or snowmelt was only a preliminary consideration.
In the end, Chen Lan decided to return and discuss it thoroughly with Uncle De and Uncle Fu. They would dig a larger well on this side for both drinking water and irrigation.
If there were an irrigation well on this side, drip irrigation tape could be used for watering the beets, which would not only save water but also make it easier for Lin Mai and Chun Cao to manage, killing two birds with one stone.
Chen Lan, having been reborn from modern times, knew that beets were an economically important crop that was grown on a large scale in Northeast China in her previous life, forming an integrated "seed-production-sales" industry chain and serving as a pillar industry for rural poverty alleviation and prosperity.
Although the idea of using drip irrigation tape was perhaps too advanced for the current stage of cultivation technology, and the amount of sugarcane and beets being trialed this year wasn't large, and laying the irrigation tape might also consume considerable manpower and resources, once this irrigation facility was established, these two economic crops could be cultivated on a large scale in the future.
Of course, they wouldn't expect to use it to make sugar for money in the valley. However, once processed into sugar, it would be much more convenient for the people in the valley to consume themselves.
Furthermore, leaving land idle was a waste of resources. They would only be wasting a little money on seeds. The time required for early planting and later management could be squeezed in by everyone.
This method of irrigation would be both time-saving and labor-saving, making it much simpler and more convenient for Lin Mai and Chun Cao to manage the sugarcane and beet fields here.
Chen Lan had just checked the field where the beets were planted; the soil was still quite moist and the water content should be relatively high. After the beet seeds were sown, there would be no need to water the beet field for the time being. After the beet seeds germinated, they would water them appropriately based on the actual situation.
Chen Lan called Lin Mai and Chun Cao over and stated directly, "Sister Chun Cao, Mai Zi, the important task of managing these ten mu of beet fields and two mu of sugarcane fields will be entrusted to you. After the beet seeds are planted in a few days, you two can take some time every few days to check on the growth of the sugarcane and beets."
After speaking, she glanced at the two who had remained silent and continued, "Here are the specific planting methods for beets and sugarcane. You two should keep these safe and study them carefully when you get back. Remember to read and understand them thoroughly today, and wake up early tomorrow morning to germinate the beet seeds according to the method described on the paper."
She then handed each of them two sheets of instructions for planting sugarcane and beets and pointed to the black bags placed on the ground.
The two took the instructions, looking bewildered and somewhat disbelieving.
Chen Lan looked up at their doubtful expressions and smiled, saying, "Don't worry, you two. The instructions clearly explain how to plant, how to manage, how to fertilize, how to water, when to water, how much to water, and how many times to water. You will know how to operate once you read the instructions carefully."
She paused, seeing their still blank expressions, and continued, "You two don't need to worry about the watering problem either. Tomorrow, I will have Uncle De and Uncle Fu bring people to dig a large well for both irrigation and domestic use. The irrigation of the beet fields will also use the method described in the instructions, watering with drip irrigation tape. This will make watering very simple and convenient for you."
Lin Mai and Chun Cao's faces turned red. The young girl Lin Mai was shy and lowered her head without speaking. Chun Cao said softly, embarrassed, "Xiao Lan! It's not that we're unwilling to take on this job. It's just that there are so many characters on these instructions, and we don't recognize many of them!"
Chen Lan continued to smile and said, "It's okay if you don't recognize them. You can ask those who know, or you can learn! In short, you two must continue to read the books in the reading club, and you must also manage the sugarcane and beet fields here for me. Alright! Stop hesitating, you two should quickly take the beet seeds and go prepare."
Watching Lin Mai and Chun Cao drive away, Chen Lan felt a bit conflicted about whether she was pushing them too hard.
But thinking about her past life, she hadn't been as fortunate as they were now, with someone providing such a good living and learning environment for free. If she hadn't forced herself to learn and progress back then, she wouldn't have achieved even a little success later.
If she didn't play the villain now and push them a little harder, allowing them to learn useful skills while they were young, how could they ever step out of their comfort zone?