Ohanabatake no Maousama

"The earth is never an immutable entity, especially the ones we can touch, which change the look of it unexpectedly."

Outside, Kudels came to the desolate field with Adelia, uttering such words. Sediment However, there is no barley, only the sediment that has been washed away by the flood.

"The best way to get to know the soil is to touch it first. Adelia-san, go into the field there. Try to poke the ground with your index finger." I invited you inside.

"I don't know what you want to do, but it probably makes sense." Adelia thrust her white, thin finger on the ground as she was told. However, the well-maintained nails stabbed lightly, and the ground rejected Adelia's fingers.

"Look here. The soil is so hard that it won't pierce inside? At best, the pressed area is lightly dented." "But isn't the soil like this?" Everything was like this. There is nothing particularly strange. But Kudels shook his head.

"No, no. The soil that is suitable for the field is so soft that if you stab your finger, it will be soft enough to go inside. You can do the same thing in the forest to try it out. Surprisingly, in any case, such hard soils do not allow plants to take root enough. "In other words, if you do not manage this soil, you will not be able to harvest crops." I shook my head.

"Yeah, so let's briefly tell you what soil is today." Kudels gently digs his finger into the ground and scoops the soil from the field. He showed the soil in his palm to Adelia.

"Look at this color." "Color? In ordinary reddish-brown soil?" But Kudels shakes his head.

"It's unusual. Soil is different in color depending on the rock from which it is made, and generally speaking, nutrient-rich soil is much darker." As he rolled the ground over the ground, Kudels began to speak in a gentle tone, dropping a compassionate glance at the ground.

"Fertilized soil is created by repeating the cycle of life, in which plants bud and then wither and return to the earth. That's the color of life poured into this land. "

And it doesn't take a short time. How long does it take for the withered leaves and stems to decay and turn black, which are broken into pieces by insects, and that the resulting products become higher and higher.

"Lastly, let the earth in your mouth." "The earth !?" Adelia could not hide her surprise in Kuders's words. Naturally, he recognized that soil was not food and was filthy.

"Yes, this is very important," he said, and Kuders's finger threw it into Adelia's slightly open mouth.

"Uhh ... pe, pe ... my mouth is shaking." "It's okay to exhale now. How about sour?"

Using her fingers and saliva to manage to spit out the soil, Adelia turned a grudgeless glance at Kuders. Such a lady's magical appearance is not very visible to her parents. But with such a grudged gaze, Kudels begins to talk about the meaning of his actions.

"Soil has a rough sourness and a bitter taste. I can't say in general, but basically these two soils have conflicting properties and cancel each other. Depending on what you choose, you may choose a soil with a strong acidity, or choose a soil without acidity. ''

"You said you didn't have good soil at first? Did the story tell you that the crops you grow in this village prefer non-sour soil?" "Yes. The crops are wheat and barley, which prefer non-sour soils. "

The acidity of the soil suitable for wheat germination is 6 to 6.5. Although it is almost neutral, it is a class generally called alkaline soil.

"I was curious, isn't there a plant that prefers bitter soil?" "Actually, bitter soil is very special. It used to be the sea. There are places and places with traces of volcanic activity. ''

It is a limestone zone and a soil called an ultrabasic weathered soil zone mainly composed of rocks called serpentine and olivine.

"Especially the latter is a harsh place for plants and the crops are very difficult to grow. As far as I know, most are desert-like wastelands. Many vegetation have properties and many can be herbs, but most of them have problems with fertility and growth speed, and many have poisons for self-defense. It would be safe not to take any steps. ''

In closing, Kudels moved on to the next topic.