Farming notes, compiled by Eli Fenton from various posts to
rec.games.frp.dnd.
This document can be found on http://www.zioth.com/roleplay

I realize this isn't yet well-organized or well-formatted. Maybe I'll
fix it in the future.



One idea: an acre under normal conditions produces 1d8+8 months of
food per month. Large animals require twice that (so little because
some things (wheet) leave a lot of fodder, and a lot of the land lies
fallow for extra grazing).

Swine ran free gaining weight on mast and whatever else they could
find. They eat snakes (including poisonous ones).

Cows:   10:1 grain:meat
Pigs:    9:2
Poultry: 5:2

Corn is the best cow-food, but it's the greatest drain on soil
nutrients. Forrage gives less protein than grains, so must have a
lot of forrage land to support a cow.



Modern farming:
40,000 lb potatoes or 6Klb corn or 3Klb beans or 250lb beaf per acre of
prime land per year.


Cold climates: tight clustered buildings for shelter from wind.
Warm climates: large gaps for air flow.
Mountainous: Spiderweb pattern up the hollow and valleys. Houses dot
 the hillsides.
Farm: Tight core, and loose circle of homes around it.

2 acres per person, because 1/3-2/3 of land left fallow. Or 3-4 acres
per family? I don't know exactly, but those are some people's ideas.
One person says you till a half-virgate (12-16 acres). A wealthy
peasant might hold 40-100 acres.

Village in center, with fields surrounding it. No one too far from a
water source.

Average family was 5 people.


Horses             1 per acre
Oxen & Cattle      1 per acre
Sheep & Goats      6 per acre
Pigs               allowed to forage in the forest
Chickens           forage around the village