Be a small county magistrate in ancient times

Chapter 252 Castor Seeds
Happo scratched his head, "Should I remember?"

"These are castor seeds." Meng Changqing said, "They were sent from the south two years ago. I originally wanted to try to grow them in Huangzhuang next year, but before I could try, I came to Beishan County.

You were right next to me when I collected it, and you held it in your hand and looked at it, just like you are doing now."

Bafang said embarrassedly: “Then I should remember it.

Master, how do you grow this? Is it the same as beans? "

"I'm not sure either." Meng Changqing said cautiously, after all, she had never planted this plant herself. "I remember there were quite a few castor seeds. We can try different planting methods this year to see which one grows better."

Bafang said, "I searched the entire storehouse, and only found that one bag. That's not a lot, right?"

"After all, these seeds are from the south and have never been grown here. They are also poisonous. When we try to plant them, we don't need to plant them on a large scale, so that bag is enough."

"Is the juice poisonous?" asked Bafang.

"The seeds are poisonous." Meng Changqing turned and looked at him. "A normal person would die if he ate more than a dozen seeds."

"Are you kidding?" Bafang couldn't hold the things in his hands anymore.

When Chu Mufeng and Qi Renli heard this, they stopped what they were doing and looked towards the seed.

"I'm not kidding." Meng Changqing said: "Although this thing is poisonous, if it is developed well, it will have high economic value."

After hearing this, Qi Renli could no longer sit still. He had been in contact with Meng Changqing for a long time and could understand what she meant.

If you use this thing well, you can make a lot of money!
Qi Renli ran to the desk in three steps, took the seeds in Bafang's hand and looked at them carefully, "Sir, how can you make money with this poisonous thing?"

"The seeds can be used to extract oil, and the remaining oil cake can be used as fertilizer. I heard that the plant grows very fast, the rhizomes can be used to make paper, and the leaves can be used to feed silkworms."

Qi Renli became happier the more he listened. "I have always thought that it is impossible to raise silkworms in a place like Liangzhou. If silkworms can eat its leaves, then it is not impossible to raise silkworms in a greenhouse."

If you raise silkworms, you will get silk, which can be made into silk. Doesn’t that make you rich?
Qi Renli thought he had found a way to make money.

Speaking of raising silkworms, Meng Changqing remembered that there are also silkworms in the north, but unlike mulberry silkworms, they mostly feed on oak leaves and are raised in the mountains.

There are long mountains on the east and west sides of Beishan County, and there might be silkworms living on those mountains.

"Silkworms from the south may not be used to it when transported to the north, but you can give it a try." Meng Changqing added, "You can also send people to the mountains to look for silkworms. There may be silkworms there, but they don't eat mulberry leaves. Also, ask people to visit surrounding areas. There may be people raising silkworms in the north. It will be easier to introduce silkworm raising technology from nearby areas."

Qi Renli kept nodding his head as he listened. Now he had something to do, and if he succeeded, it would definitely benefit the people.

Qi Renli looked at the thing in his hand again. This was really a great treasure. Regardless of its own value, just looking at its leaves, which extended out, he discovered a way to make money.

"I wonder what the production volume of this thing is." Qi Renli began to think about this question.

But Chu Mufeng, who had been listening to what was said so far, had other questions to ask: "Master Meng, the seeds are poisonous, so is the oil extracted from them non-toxic?"

"It's also poisonous," said Meng Changqing.

"What!" Qi Renli, who was in the midst of excitement, shuddered, "Can we still eat it?"

"No." Meng Changqing stood up, picked up the teapot next to him, and poured tea for the people at the desk. "It shouldn't be allowed. But it is said that a small amount of this oil can have a laxative effect. I haven't seen a doctor use it myself, so I'm not sure how effective it is.

But castor oil has a lubricating effect and can also be used in making ink. Some people even try to add castor oil when washing their hair, which is said to be good for hair. This plant has been cultivated in the south for many years. Mr. Qi, as a southerner, you should be more likely to come into contact with it than I am. "

Qi Renli returned the seeds to Bafang and said, "To be honest, this is the first time I've heard of it, and it's also the first time I've seen it."

"That's normal." Meng Changqing thought that Qi Renli had some understanding of the four treasures of the study, but his understanding was not as deep as hers, so it was impossible for him to know which oils were better for making Indonesian.

His family is well off and has better oils for food and daily use, so he would not try oil extracted from poisonous substances.

In addition, he had been preparing for scientific research since he was young, so his knowledge of other things was very limited.

Meng Changqing said: "This thing didn't grow in Daliang's land, and no one knows when and by whom it was introduced to southern cities in my country. Although crops grow well in the south, it has never been planted on a large scale because it is poisonous. Most people only plant a few plants in front of or behind their houses.

As for its future use in Beishan County, I will have to wait until I grow the plants first."

Meng Changqing said to Bafang: "You can try to use warm water to germinate castor seeds, but the temperature is too low now. Even if you want to germinate, it will take some time, so put it away first.

I will try sowing seeds directly later and compare the effects of the two methods. "

Seeing that Bafang had finished his cup of tea, Meng Changqing said, "Why don't you go back? Sister Jiang and the others must have been waiting for you."

"Oh, yes!" Bafang put down the cup and ran, bumping into Cheng Guang at the door.

Cheng Guang was hit unexpectedly. He covered his arm and looked at who it was. "Baifang? What's the urgent matter?"

"Brother Cheng, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, there's something unfinished in the breeding room." He ran away while speaking.

Cheng Guang looked at the open study door and knocked on it while standing outside.

"Brother Cheng." Meng Changqing came out from the inner room to greet him, "Come in and talk."

"Sir." As Cheng Guang walked in, he began to report: "The captain asked me to tell you that among the newcomers, there are many women who came alone, so please be careful.

Also, there are not many houses left for the people to temporarily live in. There are only two rows left, which can only accommodate more than 70 families at most. "

"I understand." Meng Changqing said, "Record the information of those people separately and mark them for me. As for the problem of insufficient houses, I will find someone to speed up the construction."

When the resettlement housing was built, Meng Changqing also allocated a large area and built a total of seven rows, with 38 houses in each row, which could temporarily accommodate more than 260 families.

At that time, she thought these houses were enough. After all, it was the first year, and most people wanted to see how others experienced Beishan County before making a decision.

With the covert obstruction from other counties, it would be great if these houses could be filled.

However, he did not expect that Mao Chunfang would blatantly obstruct him, nor did he anticipate that he would resort to such a shameless trick.

After fighting back and forth, more people came over.

Meng Changqing is happy to see this happen.

"Yes! I'll get back to work."

"Thank you very much."