Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796

Chapter 118 018 Belarus’ “Golden Garb”, rich in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium

Solovyov knew that Russia was very large and the products within its territory were also very rich, so he also paid attention to minerals that are very important to agriculture, that is, soluble potassium ore, which can be used to make potash fertilizer.

Most of the reserves of this thing are concentrated between 40° and 60° north latitude, with Canada and Russia having the largest reserves. It can be said that they are evenly matched. However, Russia’s production must be added to this part of Belarus, otherwise it will still be necessary. Canada is far behind.

But in this era before the Industrial Revolution, Canada was still very incompletely developed. Russia was still a developed and civilized country, no matter how it was in the "mudland", although it was always considered barbaric to these people in Western Europe.

Even this kind of environment is still full of vitality.

But recently, in some places in Peterhof, the leaves of flowers and plants have begun to show signs of yellowing.

In previous years, the gardeners had carefully pruned the flowers and cultivated these precious plants in the palace. Although the tropical plants did not have any problems, the temperate plants adapted to this climate did.

"It's weird, it hasn't been like this in years, I swear to God."

If the old gardener were in the Middle East, he might swear by his beard.

Such poor growth conditions are indeed worrying.

Regarding this issue, Tsar Paul consulted botanical experts in the palace. Their knowledge was not as accurate as that of future agriculturists, and they did not know the consequences of the lack of trace elements.

The Tsar also wanted to enjoy flowers in the garden, especially tulips native to the Netherlands. If the leaves were like this, the flowers would definitely not grow well.

With his temper, he will inevitably bring bad luck to some officials in the palace.

Solovyov often served as an officer on duty, but he did not often take care of the gardeners, because these people mainly took care of flowers, not fruits and vegetables.

He often wrote letters to Pavlovsk and his own village. The content of the communication was also about the growth status of the plants. He also sent copies of strawberry seedlings, which he took home and dissected. Look at the actual situation.

The growth is still very gratifying. This year, we should be able to produce very high quality strawberries. After using a certain amount of bone meal, coal fraction and potassium ore mixture, we can at least ensure that the strawberry and tomato seedlings grow very strong and can grow in the future. The time period for harvesting fruits is always longer than expected.

"Your Majesty, don't blame these gardeners and the palace chamberlains in charge of gardening for the tulips in the garden. I think it's probably because the soil is starting to lack nutrients."

"Oh? Solovyov, come and have a look."

Although Paul was moody, he was still able to listen to other people's opinions when he wanted to.

"Your Majesty, you can dig out some of these tulips that have not yet bloomed, as well as some seedlings of other flowers, and you will have an idea."

Paul immediately ordered the gardeners to dig out many of them, but they were still uprooted.

"That's true."

Paul looked at the tulip seedlings whose soil had been cleaned. The two well-grown tulip seedlings had well-developed root systems, and after being cut open, he could see that both the roots and the stems were very substantial inside.

Those with yellowing leaves generally have unstable roots, and some have symptoms of root rot. Generally speaking, these are fungal or bacterial diseases.

"Your Majesty, I can only say that the growing environment of plants is very important. If the nutrition is not balanced, this problem will occur."

Paul remembered that when he lived in Pavlovsk in the spring, he saw sisters Maria and Ekaterina dressed as village girls, working barefoot with Solovyov for three days. look like. Every night, the queen would push her into the bathroom to clean her thoroughly before putting her on the bed to sleep. At that time, the two girls were still enjoying it. In addition to planting strawberries and tomatoes, they also planted many flowers on the ground of a separate greenhouse. Seedlings soon appeared and will bloom soon.

"You can ask the gardeners in Pavlovsk how they are doing there."

Of course, Paul himself also attached great importance to this matter. After all, for Russia, civilians and serfs needed the food produced in the land to survive, and the nobles used these outputs to maintain their luxurious lives. The tsar himself and his ministers, The concern is the stability of the country.

In the UK, it might take a week first.

"If there is an agricultural disaster, the nutrients in the land will be taken away, which may lead to harvest failure."

"Your Majesty, if it is not a very destructive drought or flood, there are some remedies."

"These flowers in the garden are malnourished. Is there anything you can do?"

"As for nutritional supplements, the villages His Majesty gave me and in Pavlovsk use a mixed fertilizer. The main ingredients are a Belarusian ore, animal bones and urea. '."

"'Urea', what is that?"

"Your Majesty, it is a crystal extracted from the urine of humans or animals."

Although Paul was not afraid of this, Princess Anna Gagarina, who was listening next to her, had already begun to frown.

"Your Majesty, this was put into the ground, otherwise it would sound very delicious."

"Yes, Anya, but excrement always goes to the land, and you don't need to farm."

Paul couldn't say much about this young "spiritual partner" of his. In fact, Solovyov didn't like this frivolous woman very much. Although she was young, he didn't know what was in her mind.

It was still Her Highness Louisa who was more thirsty for knowledge. When he heard the maids gossiping while patrolling in the palace, he knew that Her Highness was going to buy books again, as well as music scores for her sister-in-law Maria and picture albums for her daughter Maria.

The girls' school of the Smolny Palace will need a female principal in the future. If Her Highness's status was not too high, she would be fully qualified, and even give lectures to the Imperial Village School.

And if she went there, seeing such a gentle teacher appear on the podium, even if her chest was not spectacular enough, it would be enough to attract the attention of others. In order to watch the game in a civilized manner, these young men had to listen to the lectures well.

That prince would not dislike this, and would even always take care of the children himself, which was different from the princess who had no experience as a mother.

Children of this age start to grow teeth, which is the first dangerous stage in their lives. Even healthy children may die prematurely due to "infection" and other diseases at this stage.

The Tsar himself is now concerned about saving these flowers in Peterhof Palace.

"Soloviev, I will do it according to your method of growing strawberries. The formula may be a little different, but I believe you can do it well."

Even if there is no bounty, Soloviev is willing to do it. This kind of face-saving work is actually a preparation for agricultural work.

He mixed these things together, especially many raw materials came from Belarus, and the potassium content was there.

It is rich in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. It can be said to be the "Golden Ke La" of Russia. At this time, Santiago is still a colony of Spain.

The story that emerged in his mind was probably the memory of the brick hitting him before.

And let the flowers in the palace bloom. This environment is good for everyone. It is best to be happy physically and mentally.

After the topdressing, Solovyov originally expected that it would take about half a month to see the effect, but the symptoms of potassium deficiency in these leaves were soon alleviated.

However, it was not possible not to bloom, so he got borax and calcined shells, ground them into powder, and then prepared some zinc salt to add.

This rough method is correct in terms of elements, and no matter how poisonous borax is, flowers are for viewing and not for eating, so there will not be any big problems.

Solovyov also paid close attention to these tulips. In addition to tulips, there are roses and various flowers. These young ladies like flowers very much, especially the two who are about to give birth. One likes poetry and the other likes painting. Sometimes they need maids to help them walk around in the garden.

Alexandra and Elena, although they are one year apart, they have been inseparable since childhood. In family paintings, they have always appeared in the same area, including the family portrait that the Tsar has always planned. The two of them appear on the right side of the picture, wearing loose long skirts.

Solovyov was taking care of the flowers in the flowerbed, including his favorite Madeira white jasmine. The Tsar promised him that he could add some new flowers to the greenhouse and flowerbed, so he got this one.

"Misha, what are you doing here?"

Elena always communicated with him as a "good sister", and there was nothing dangerous in the letters. Frederick Ludwig knew that his little wife had such a "know-it-all" friend.

"Your Highness, I am taking care of the tulips in the flowerbed, and of course there is Madeira jasmine."

"No wonder it smells so good here, this is a precious ornamental flower."

"Yes, this is the greenhouse, it was transplanted last year, but I have the order of Count Storoganov to help manage these flowers in the palace."

"Aren't you an officer? Why do you like flowers so much?"

"Because they smell good, the fragrance of fresh flowers is always so tempting, otherwise His Majesty can't always let the two princes come out and walk together."

"Yes, it's good for health here."

"But I have always wondered about one thing, Your Highness."

Elena nodded, motioning him to continue.

"Your Highness, you two are obviously one year apart, but you two are like twins. After I joined the Grenadiers, I often saw you two. You are often together and rarely separated."

Even the two of them are still holding hands now, but the little hands are a little fatter than usual, but there is no sign of swelling on the feet.

To distinguish the two of them, we may still have to look at Alexandra's great heart.

However, at this moment, Alexandra, who has always been more reserved, took Elena's hand and said: "The time of our pregnancy is close, and I am afraid we will have babies on the same day."

When she said this, Elena and her "heart connected", which was nothing, but Solovyov embarrassedly smashed his boots on the floor.

However, their movements were highly consistent, so this thing is not certain. Didn't you see that Julie also gave birth to this French girl these days.

You girls, your menstrual cycles are very close, and you get married on the same day. Many things are not strange, and even people are used to it.

"We are in St. Petersburg, and it will be difficult to see each other again when we return home with our husbands."

"My Highness Alexandra, I don't think so. Life is always wonderful. We may meet again someday. Your Highnesses are so close on weekdays. When you can't see each other, you should communicate. If you miss each other, you can find a place in Germany to meet."

This is a solution. After all, the Mecklenburg families are relatives of Prussia. In the past, many princes of Württemberg went to Berlin to work. It is not impossible to meet, and this distance is much closer than returning to St. Petersburg.

However, what will happen to the world?

Württemberg is still under the control of France. William and Alexandra cannot return to Stuttgart for a while. The date of their return home depends on the results of the negotiations between France and Russia.

At the same time, Baden is actually controlled by the French, which will also be put on the agenda.

"I think that's fine. When the French return to their own country, we can meet often."

The relationship between the sisters is really good. They hold hands and touch each other's belly. Nothing they do will surprise people.

As for the original theme of flower appreciation, they almost ignored it, and their faces were filled with happy smiles.

Petersburg is so warm at this time, and the first ruler who rode a mule across the Alps some time ago is seeking a decisive battle with the Austrian army. He has just been blown by the cold wind at the mountain pass.

Soloviev knows the approximate result. He can't lose Desaix's life in Marengo and then lose the battle, right?

In that case, the Russians don't have to go out in the future, and they can live at home peacefully.

But some people, as if they were destined, persisted in Marengo until the main force arrived and finally won. The Austrian veteran Melas can really write a book "Lost Victory", after all, he is an old comrade who almost defeated Napoleon.

Being able to save all the dying flowers and plants felt like a battle. Tsar Paul was very happy because Solovyov cured a large number of flower and plant root rot diseases. However, according to the agreement, he did not give any special rewards. He only allowed Solovyov to introduce some flowers and plant them in the greenhouse according to his ideas.