Chapter 92: Tenant Farmers and the Estate

Eddard originally wanted to support the farmers in tilling the land, but in the end, he was still defeated by productivity.

In Westeros, farmers only have the right to lease land; the land belongs to the lord. The lord leases the land to the farmers, and in addition to receiving rent, he can also obtain the farmers' labor. Under normal circumstances, a farmer must work on the lord's fields for one-third of their time, and during busy farming seasons, they must also prioritize harvesting the grain from the lord's estate.

To attract the hidden population of the North to gather in Winterfell, Eddard sold houses and land in Winter Town at low prices and promised that the land reclaimed by farmers would grant them land-use rights after five consecutive years of cultivation; this is considered very generous in Westeros.

Eddard thought he would attract many farmers to reclaim wasteland and that the wilderness around Winterfell would turn into patches of farmland, but in the end, very little land was reclaimed.

Trapped by the problem of productivity, many families of farmers in Winter Town need to pool livestock and farm tools together to complete plowing and sowing, and they feel powerless regarding land reclamation.

On the other hand, once farmers reclaim wasteland, their rent and taxes increase accordingly. If the reclaimed land is left fallow, Winterfell will not reduce the taxes and rent, which makes farmers more cautious when reclaiming wasteland; otherwise, there is a risk of losing money from farming.

In the breeding farm, Eddard looked at the weather-beaten face of the farmer Daron before him, pondering how to help this old man.

In the breeding farm, Daron suddenly became agitated. He gripped Eddard's hand, "Lord Eddard, how about this: I won't borrow the ox anymore. I am willing to hand over the ox, the farm tools, my land, and my house to Winterfell, if only you would let me join the Stark Estate and become a tenant farmer of the Stark Estate. That way, I won't have to worry about farm tools and livestock."

Breeding Farm Overseer Givon said, "Lord Eddard, there are indeed many farmers requesting to join the Stark Estate and become tenant farmers. The taxes for tenant farmers are higher, but they have more security, and they can use the farm tools and livestock of Winterfell."

Eddard placed his hand on Daron's hand, "Daron, you may become a tenant farmer of the Stark Estate."

Daron knelt happily before Eddard, kowtowed in thanks, and left.

Watching Daron's back, Eddard said to the financial advisor Klar standing to the side, "Winterfell needs to achieve closer cooperation with the farmers. I think it should be like this: we will issue a notice to inform the residents of Winter Town that people can freely choose to join the Stark Estate and become tenant farmers."

"Once they become tenant farmers of the estate, they can use the plow horses, oxen, and farm tools of Winterfell. These tenant farmers can enjoy the medical services provided by Winterfell. Winterfell will prioritize hiring the family members of tenant farmers to work in the workshops of Winterfell, and their children will have the opportunity to learn crafts such as smithing, carpentry, masonry, and weaving."

Financial advisor Klar said excitedly, "Lord Eddard, many farmers have been bound to the land for generations, and their children have very slim chances of even becoming craftsmen. Now that Lord Eddard has opened the door for them, I believe many farmers will definitely join the estate and become tenant farmers."

Breeding Farm Overseer Givon clapped and cheered, "The oxen in our ox pens and the plow horses in the stables will plow for the estate, and the tenant farmers can also work in the stables and the breeding farm. The estate will attract many farmers to join, and in this way, the breeding farm, the workshops, and Winterfell will not lack manpower."

Givon led Eddard and Klar to the front of the unicorn, which was lying on the ground basking in the sun, chewing on beast-grass in its mouth.

This unicorn cub was a gift to Eddard from the Rockborn of Skagos, and the beast-grass was also brought back by Eddard from Skagos.

"Givon, how much of this beast-grass have we planted?"

Givon said happily, "We planted more than ten acres. Lord Eddard, this beast-grass grows very fast, and the cattle, sheep, and pigs all like to eat it. Can this grass really grow in winter?"

Eddard nodded, "The Rockborn told me that beast-grass can grow on the high mountains of Skagos, which are colder and higher in altitude than Winterfell, and the beast-grass does not freeze to death in winter."

Givon was extremely excited, "This is good stuff. With the beast-grass, our pigs, cattle, sheep, chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits in the breeding farm, and the horses in the stables will all have food to eat in winter."

"In winter, there is insufficient sunlight; the beast-grass won't freeze to death, but it grows very slowly." Eddard reminded Givon, "We should plant beast-grass on a large scale in the summer and store it in the warehouse as fodder after harvesting."

Animal husbandry occupies an important position in the North. During the long years of winter, heavy snow freezes the land and farmland cannot be harvested, but as long as poultry and livestock have sufficient food and are kept warm, they can still provide meat, eggs, and dairy products for the North.

After Winterfell issued the notice for recruiting tenant farmers for the Stark Estate, the residents of Winter Town signed up enthusiastically, and more than two thousand households signed up on the first day alone.

After becoming tenant farmers, they can use the livestock and farm tools provided by Winterfell, enjoy the medical services provided by Winterfell, and their family members have the opportunity to work in the workshops of Winterfell or in Winterfell to subsidize their household expenses.

The children of tenant farmers can go to the forge, stables, shipyard, toy workshop, wool weaving workshop, etc., to become apprentices and learn skills, which is very attractive to farmers.

The Stark Estate gained more labor and large tracts of land, and the Stark Estate can organize production and reclaim more land in an orderly manner.

This morning, Eddard and Maester Luwin came to the estate together and saw a group of farmers using plow horses to pull heavy plows to till the land.

The heavy plow was very cumbersome. Eddard saw three farmers driving five plow horses to pull the heavy plow, and Eddard frowned, "Isn't the heavy plow too cumbersome?"

Maester Luwin touched the chain around his neck, "Lord Eddard, the heavy plow is a great invention of the ancestors of Westeros! Some say the First Men invented the heavy plow, but I think it's unlikely. The First Men used bronze weapons and armor back then, and the heavy plow requires strong iron-smelting technology."

"I believe it was the Andals or the Rhoynar who brought the heavy plow to Westeros. Regardless of who invented the heavy plow, this is a great invention."

Maester Luwin led Eddard to an idle heavy plow and introduced, "Lord Eddard, please look: the plowshare cuts the land horizontally, and the coulter cuts the soil vertically. The heavy plow can turn the land over and cut off weeds; in this process, it mixes manure into the land to increase the fertility of the land. The resulting furrows also help with irrigation and drainage."

"The land in The Reach, the Riverlands, and the Crownlands is softer, and plowing is easier. Our land in the North is all cold, hard black soil; if there were no heavy plow, more people in the North would starve to death in winter."

"The shortcomings of the heavy plow are also very obvious." Eddard pointed out, "The structure is unreasonable and too cumbersome. Look at the gap between this moldboard and the plowshare; it's too large, the resistance is too great, and it's strenuous even with so many plow horses pulling the heavy plow."

Eddard took a blueprint out of his sleeve, "Maester Luwin, building this kind of plow according to my blueprint will definitely be easier to use than the heavy plow."

Maester Luwin widened his eyes, "A curved plow?"

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(End of this chapter)