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Chapter 249 Sweet potato cuttings

There were footsteps outside the garden. When Li Xiu looked up, he happened to see Princess Pingyang, Yi Niang, and Qu Yi and the other three walked in together. When Princess Pingyang saw Li Chengdao and Li Chengqian who were listening to the class there, she showed a surprise expression and walked a few steps: "Chengdao and Chengqian, you are finally here to go to class!"

"Greetings to my aunt!" When Li Chengdao and Li Chengqian saw Princess Pingyang, they both stood up and saluted. However, before the ceremony was finished, Princess Pingyang pulled up one by one, and then talked to their brothers very intimately, and even Li Xiu didn't have time to pay attention to it.

Taking advantage of their aunt and nephew's talk, the lady in the clothes stepped to Li Xiu and whispered: "The princess just came to you and said she had any happy events to tell you. I heard that you were in class here, so we came together."

Li Xiu nodded after hearing this. At this time, Princess Pingyang finally finished talking to her two nephews, then stood up and said to Li Xiu: "Li Xiu, the cabbage seeds we planted have matured. The greenhouse manager said that it can be harvested. Do you think you want to harvest today?"

"It's great. Since it's mature, then harvest it early, and then find a good place to plant it. Maybe you can grow cabbage early!" Li Xiu immediately said excitedly when he heard this. He had been waiting for this cabbage for too long.

"Sir, is it the cabbage we used to artificially pollinate last time?" Li Chengdao also shouted excitedly. The last artificial pollination was not only done by them, but also made them understand how plants reproduce. It can be said that they have gained a lot. Now they are finally going to see the results.

"That's right, since it's the seeds we have produced by pollinating ourselves, it's better to pick them by ourselves and then plant them by ourselves. After a few months, you will see a result that you have created by yourself to benefit the country and the people!" Li Xiu also smiled and suggested that letting these children participate in this matter can increase their knowledge and cultivate their sense of accomplishment. As long as they see others eating cabbage in the future, they will definitely feel very proud.

Li Xiu's proposal was immediately approved by Li Chengdao and Qi Niang, and he immediately threw down the paper and pen in his hand and clamored to pick the cabbage seeds. In addition, the girl in Yun had heard of this cabbage for a long time, but she had never seen it before, so she also expressed her desire to go. As for Qu Yi, although she was pregnant, she was a curious baby. When she heard that the girl in Yun was going, she also clamored to go. As a result, Li Xiu had to bring everyone with her.

When Li Xiu and the others came to the greenhouse, they saw that the thin silk on the greenhouse had been uncovered, revealing the green vegetables inside. When Li Xiu entered the cabbage greenhouse, they saw that the cabbage and kohlrabi inside were indeed full of mature seeds, which made Li Chengdao and the children cheered and walked up to pick them with a small basket.

However, Li Xiu stepped forward to stop them and began to divide the people into two types. One group only picked the seeds on the cabbage, and the other group picked the seeds on the kohlrabi. Because he didn't know which seeds could grow the cabbage, it was best to separate them and plant them separately to see the effect.

It is easy to do things. In a short while, all the seeds were picked. Then Li Xiu called the manager here and told him to find two best lands to plant them. It is estimated that after a few months, the results will be seen.

After picking the cabbage seeds, Li Xiu and the others came to the greenhouse where sweet potatoes were planted. As soon as they arrived here, Qu Yi ran over cheerfully. This was a plant in her hometown, so naturally she could recognize it at a glance. However, sweet potatoes are not the main food of the Mayans. They mainly eat corn as the main food. There are not many sweet potatoes growing, but this is enough to make Qu Yi excited.

Li Xiu squatted down and carefully observed the growth of these sweet potatoes. He saw that the sweet potato vines had grown very long, and some had forked. The entire greenhouse was covered with sweet potato vines, and some even grew outside. The whole ground was green and looked like a layer of green carpet was laid.

"It's OK!" Li Xiu looked at the long sweet potato vine in his hand, then nodded.

"What's OK?" Princess Pingyang asked strangely when she heard this.

"You can start planting sweet potatoes!" Li Xiu explained with a smile.

"This... hasn't this been planted?" Princess Pingyang asked even more strangely when she heard this. These sweet potato vines grew so vigorously that she had never seen a plant grow so fast in just two months.

"This is not possible. If you want to promote sweet potatoes quickly, you must let them reproduce quickly, so we need another way to help them reproduce. Do you still remember how jasmine blossoms reproduce?" Li Xiu smiled at this time, and then he turned around and took a pair of scissors, preparing to cut these sweet potato vines into small pieces for cutting.

"What are fish doing?" Before Li Xiu could cut off the sweet potato vine, he heard a woman shouting in an angry voice. As soon as he heard this special accent, he could know that the person who spoke must be Qu Yi.

"I want a variety of sweet potatoes, so I need to cut off their vines before planting them!" Li Xiu explained patiently at this time, but he was also a little surprised at this time. The sweet potatoes were transmitted from America. Doesn't Qu Yi know the way to plant them?

"This is impossible. If the fish cut them off, they will die!" Qu Yi shook her head in shock. She had never heard of Li Xiu's cultivation method, but her Chinese language was getting better and better.

"Don't worry, they won't die. Sweet potatoes have strong vitality. After cutting them, just plant them and water them, and they can grow into new sweet potatoes soon!" Li Xiu smiled and explained again when he heard this. It seems that these Mayans don't know much about sweet potatoes. No wonder they have always used corn as their staple food.

After Li Xiu finished speaking, he stopped explaining anything to Qu Yi. He bent down and started to cut these sweet potato vines. Princess Pingyang and Yi Niang also used scissors to help. However, Qu Yi obviously didn't believe Li Xiu's words. He tried to stop them several times but failed. In the end, he stood aside and refused to help. He was full of a childish temper.

There are not many sweet potatoes. When Qiuyan came back from America this time, he also brought some sweet potatoes, but his sweet potatoes also sprouted and are now planted on an island in the south. After learning that Zhang Shiyi had brought the sweet potatoes to Li Xiu, he did not bring the sweet potatoes.

When it was almost noon, Li Xiu and the others harvested dozens of bundles of sweet potato vines. Then he again ordered the manager here to plant all the sweet potato vines. As he said, these sweet potatoes have very strong vitality and there is nothing to pay attention to when planting them. Just plant them in the soil and water them.

"Sir, what kind of crop is this sweet potato? Why have I never seen it before?" At this time, Li Chengdao asked Li Xiu curiously. He just saw that Li Xiu seemed to pay more attention to sweet potatoes than cabbage, so he was a little curious.

"This sweet potato is a very high-yield crop. If it is promoted in the future, then our Tang Dynasty will no longer have to worry about food shortage!" Li Xiu explained with a smile. He had told Li Chengdao some things about America before, but he only briefly explained it, not in detail. He did not know about high-yield crops such as sweet potatoes and corn.

"High yield? Then how much grain can it produce per acre? Is it higher than the yield of wheat and rice?" Li Chengdao likes to ask the whole thing, and he will not give up without asking clearly about the doubts in his heart.

"Of course, I have never calculated the per mu of sweet potato yield, but a per mu can harvest at least a thousand kilograms of grain!" Li Xiu explained patiently. In fact, the data of per mu of thousands of kilograms is already very conservative. If it were placed in later generations, some varieties of sweet potatoes can even reach tens of thousands of kilograms. Of course, it is wet weight, but even if it is dried, it is at least a few thousand kilograms. The varieties of these sweet potatoes in front of us may not be as good as those in later generations, and there are no fertilizers. However, if it is fertile land, it is not impossible to produce a few thousand kilograms per mu.

"This... how is this possible? You must know that the yield per mu of wheat and rice is only two or three hundred kilograms, or even lower!" When Li Chengdao heard Li Xiu say the four words "a thousand kilograms per mu", he couldn't help but shouted in shock. He thought that even if the yield of sweet potatoes was higher, it was still limited, but he never expected that it was four or five times higher than that of wheat and rice. If this was not what Li Xiu said, he would probably not believe it at all.

"Chengdao, the yield of sweet potatoes is indeed a bit too amazing in the eyes of the Tang people. But you have to understand that this world is very big, with many magical animals and plants. Sweet potatoes are one of them. Not only does the yield be ridiculously high, but it is also not picky about the land. For example, those saline-alkali lands where wheat cannot grow, barren mountainous lands, etc., sweet potatoes can grow. Of course, the yield will be lower, but no matter how low the yield is, it is better than nothing." Li Xiu patted Li Chengdao's shoulder earnestly at this time.

After hearing Li Xiu's words, Li Chengdao couldn't help feeling a little dazed, as if he was having an incredible dream. He believed that Li Xiu would not deceive him, but the yield and advantages of sweet potatoes made him a little unacceptable. Although Li Chengqian and Qi Niang next to him also heard Li Xiu's words, they were too young and didn't understand what a thousand pounds per mu mean, so they didn't feel much.

Perhaps because he was scared by the production of sweet potatoes, Li Chengdao was a little absent-minded and even ran away during class. This was something he had never seen before. He said goodbye to Li Chengqian and left, but after leaving the door, Li Chengqian did not leave with him, but was protected by a group of guards from the Qin Palace.

Li Chengdao didn't even notice this situation, but rode back to the palace in a daze. He should have returned to the East Palace for dinner, but after entering the palace, he suddenly woke up, stood in front of the palace gate and thought for a moment, and finally gritted his teeth and walked towards the Ganlu Palace where his grandfather Li Yuan lived! (To be continued.)
Chapter completed!
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