Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 449 Qiongjiang River Valley (Part 3)

On December 26, 1640, a cold wind swept across the Qiongjiang River Valley, and the walls of Yongping Fort (now Salem, Oregon) gleamed coldly in the winter sun.

As a key agricultural development area in Xinhua, the unique Mediterranean climate of the Qiongjiang River Valley has brought unparalleled agricultural advantages to this land, and has also filled the immigrants who have settled here with expectations for the future.

The most notable features of this climate are mild and rainy winters, dry and little rainy summers, and abundant sunshine throughout the year.

This combination of climates is a gift from nature for agricultural production, bringing three invaluable advantages.

Firstly, the abundant and long-lasting rainfall in winter nourishes the land like sweet rain, allowing the soil to accumulate sufficient moisture during the dormant winter months and ensuring good soil moisture.

This greatly reduces the irrigation needs during the spring planting season of the following year, saving agricultural production a significant amount of manpower and material costs.

Secondly, the dry and rainless weather in summer effectively inhibits the breeding and spread of pests and diseases, reducing the risk of crop diseases and pests.

At the same time, the dry climate extends the crop production period, allowing crops to photosynthesize under sufficient sunlight and accumulate more nutrients.

Third, the large temperature difference between day and night in summer is key to improving the quality of crops.

Ample sunlight during the day allows crops to grow efficiently, while the low temperatures at night reduce nutrient consumption, which is conducive to the accumulation of sugar and the synthesis of flavor compounds in the fruits, resulting in crops with better taste and higher quality.

The thousands of tons of wheat harvested last year and this year are slightly better in taste than those produced in the Jinchuan River region (now the Fraser Valley), which is strong evidence of the climate advantage of the Qiongjiang River Valley.

In contrast, the Jinchuan River Valley and Qiming Island have a typical temperate maritime climate. Although it is humid all year round, providing continuous moisture for crop production, the cool summer temperatures limit the maturity of many warm-weather crops, which affects the quality and yield of some crops.

The soil conditions in the Qiongjiang River Valley are also exceptional, as the soil here is mainly composed of volcanic ash-derived soil.

This type of soil has high porosity and excellent water retention, which can effectively regulate the moisture content in the soil, preventing crops from withering due to lack of water or rotting roots due to waterlogging.

More importantly, the weathering of volcanic rocks such as basalt releases large amounts of elements such as iron, potassium, and magnesium, adding natural fertility to the soil and allowing crops to absorb abundant nutrients during their growth.

However, soil conditions in other areas within Xinhua's territory have their own limitations.

For example, although the alluvial soil in the Jinchuan River Valley is fertile, it has a high clay content, which easily leads to waterlogging during the rainy season, thus restricting the root development of crops and affecting their normal growth.

For example, the soil on Qiming Island is mainly composed of gravel and limestone, which has poor fertilizer retention capacity. Moreover, some areas are severely salinized due to the influence of sea winds, requiring continuous application of bird droppings or artificial manure to provide the nutrients needed for crop growth and promote their healthy growth.

As for the Xinhua Bay area (Puget Bay, where Seattle is now located), it is mainly composed of glacial sedimentary soil. The soil layer is relatively thin and lacks deep nutrients, so continuous artificial fertilization is needed to improve soil fertility and ensure crop yields.

In addition, the Qiongjiang River Valley also has very favorable topographical conditions.

This area has a vast plain, with the entire river valley being about 50 kilometers wide and 300 kilometers long, and arable land exceeding two million hectares. It is the largest contiguous agricultural reclamation area in Xinhua.

Such a vast expanse of contiguous land provides an excellent foundation for large-scale agricultural development, facilitating unified planning and management, and also promoting the mechanization of agriculture.

In contrast, while the Jinchuan River Valley boasts vast plains, the mountainous terrain on both sides results in fragmented arable land. Furthermore, the region faces the threat of periodic flooding, placing extremely high demands on water conservancy infrastructure and increasing the difficulty and cost of agricultural development. Qiming Island and Xinhua Bay are predominantly hilly, with scattered and small areas of arable land, limiting large-scale agricultural development.

琼江河谷大部分区域海拔都低于两百米，充足的光照条件让该地区无霜期长达200-240天，远超金川河谷（160-180天）和启明岛（160-190天）。

This long frost-free period allows almost all types of crops to be grown here, from warm-weather crops like corn and rice to cold-resistant crops like wheat and potatoes, all of which can find a suitable growing environment.

Thanks to these superior geographical environment and agricultural conditions, the Xinhua government designated it as a key national agricultural development area and provided strong support in terms of policy and material resources, providing manpower and funding to ensure that the large number of immigrants could have enough to eat.

Since the start of colonization in 1637, in just four years, the Immigration and Colonization Department has sent more than 21,000 immigrants to the Ziwu River Special District, of which more than 80 percent were concentrated in the Qiongjiang River Valley.

By November 1640, 280,000 mu of arable land had been reclaimed in the entire valley region, with a total grain output of over 90,000 tons, of which more than 60% were corn and potatoes, providing a strong guarantee for Xinhua's food security.

With the continuous advancement of agricultural development in the Qiongjiang River Valley, four counties were successively established in the region for better management.

Huichuan County (now Portland City), as one of the earliest established counties, was located in the lower reaches of the river valley. With convenient transportation, commerce gradually flourished, and it became the political and economic center of the Ziwu River Special District.

Although Muyang County (now Vancouver, Washington) is not located in the Qiongjiang River Valley, it plays an important role in the transshipment of goods and trade due to its advantageous geographical location on the north bank of the Ziwu River.

Quwo County (now Oregon City), which is adjacent to Huichuan, has a solid agricultural foundation after three years of development and is an important area for grain production.

The Huai'an County (now McMinnville), which was just established in August of this year, was set up to meet the needs of rapid immigration and agricultural development in the middle section of the Qiongjiang River Valley.

Yongping Fort is the southernmost settlement in the Qiongjiang River Valley. Although it was established not long ago, it has developed rapidly thanks to the superior agricultural conditions and the hard work of many immigrants.

"The work of Yongping Colonization Zone in the coming year will still be to continue reclamation and expand the scale of newly cultivated land." Ye Qing tapped the colonization zone map hanging on the wall of the council hall and glanced at the colonization officials present: "It is currently the winter off-season, but none of us can be idle."

"The primary task is to dredge the existing main irrigation canals and expand the branch canals for newly reclaimed fields. Each village needs to organize labor to clear silt and deepen the canals to ensure that water can flow smoothly into all fields. Anmin and Xingnong villages should take the lead in building a cross-village irrigation canal to solve the water shortage problem of thousands of acres of farmland in the eastern highlands."

He pointed to the south side of Yongping Fort: "Several villages, including Guangji, Fengyu, Shitan, and Mugou, need to lead new immigrants to reclaim wasteland on the south bank of the Qingxi River and complete the measurement and planning of 4,000 mu of new arable land and land leveling by the end of March next year."

"After the spring, priority will be given to planting cold-resistant potatoes and corn to increase grain production in the reclaimed areas. Each village will be assigned reclamation tasks based on the number of people, and rewards and penalties will be based on the yield at the autumn harvest."

"In terms of supplies, in addition to coordinating the allocation of 160 iron plows from the special zone, there are also 20 draft horses and 50 oxen, which will be delivered in batches over the next three months."

In closing, Ye Qing added, "Each village should establish a registration system for the use of farm tools and livestock, with designated personnel responsible for management and maintenance to prevent unnecessary damage. In addition, it is necessary to organize lectures and outreach on agricultural production knowledge for the settlers to ensure that everyone understands some basic farming techniques."

"Our goal for next year is to expand our existing cultivated land to more than 20,000 mu, and strive to achieve a total grain output of... 4,000 tons!"

"Sir, are all the cultivated farmland planted with corn and potatoes?" a village headman asked with a frown.

"The newly reclaimed land is mainly planted with potatoes and corn, in a ratio of 3:7," Ye Qing said. "The farmland reclaimed last year and this year is planted with wheat and corn in a ratio of 4:6."

"In the short term, the Yongping Colonization Zone needs to solve the problem of whether we can have enough to eat and how many new immigrants we can accommodate. After three to five years, when the cultivated land area has reached a certain scale, we will then consider the problem of whether we can eat well."
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(End of this chapter)