• Solo • [Treth] Planting Day

[Tei'serin Nji'ryn]

41st Ashan, 717


Tei'serin stood before the small shrine she had created for Moseke. It would need to be renewed soon. The mint leaves would need to be replaced so they were fresh, and the water they were floating in should probably be replaced as well. But that was a task for another trial. This trial would be a very busy one. It would be even busier for the farmers living in and around Treth. It was the trial of the Plantation Festival, a trial anticipated by all farmers. Now that the weather was warmer, it was time to plant the crops. School had been canceled for the trial since most of the students would be needed at home to help their families with the Ashan planting. Tei'serin herself would be helping one of her neighbors.

Moseke, I know that Treth is not the home of your people. But please give us your blessing, and let this be the start of a good crop this arc. she prayed silently.

With that, it was time to go. Even by foot, the trip to her neighbor's farm seemed a short one. The forest was damp with rain, and the moisture made it humid, but still quite pleasant. When she arrived, she was greeted by a man she had seen many times in Treth, but had never met.

"Thanks for coming. You're the teacher, right? My Gabris will be old enough to attend school in another couple of arcs. He's a bright kid, but he's quite the handful when he wants to be."

Tei'serin grinned. Usually, a man standing this close to her would frighten her. But it was hard to be afraid of a man who was clearly a very proud parent wanting others to see his child as he himself did. Besides...she was the one coming to help him. He wasn't showing up at her home unannounced the way Thorin's men did. That didn't stop her from flinching a bit when a large, heavy hand clamped down on her shoulder in what was likely meant as a friendly gesture.

"I am, yes." Tei'serin said softly.

"My name is Tei'serin Nji'ryn." she added a few trills later.

"The name's Korbin. Come on. I'll show you what needs to be done."

Tei'serin nodded. She was happy to help her neighbor out in any way she could. It was a good opportunity to help one of her neighbors out, and start to join the community more. If she got to know Korbin and his family, it would make it easier for her to help them if they ever came to her for an herbal remedy. She also hoped that some of the things she learned while helping her neighbor plant his crops would readily translate into things that could help her with the herb garden that she wanted to plant this season.

[Tei'serin Nji'ryn]

Korbin led Tei'serin out to a distant field. Several people of varying ages were waiting for them when they arrived, and Korbin introduced them as his family. There were a lot of young saplings that had what appeared to be bags of some kind wrapped around their roots standing in lines along the edges of the field.

"Have you ever planted a tree before, Ms. Nji'ryn?"

Tei'serin shook her head.

"I'll help you get started then. I'm looking to add a few orchards this Ashan, so we have a lot of trees to plant today."

The man's statement gave her pause.

"You plant other crops besides fruit orchards, then?" she asked hesitantly.

She did too, for that matter. She had two orchards; one for peaches, and one for apples. Tei'serin also grew her wheat and corn crops. Or, rather, Sorin, and the family he was staying with did most of the work, and she helped as best she could when she had time. Thorin had set her up on her farm more as a way to keep her isolated than as a way for her to make a living. She knew little about growing crops, and had less time to work on her farm, what with being both a teacher, and an herbalist. As a result, she had no idea if the type of farm she had was a typical form, or not.

Korbin turned and regarded her for several bits before finally speaking.

"You...don't know much about farming, do you Ms. Nji'ryn? Can't say that's much of a surprise, what with you being both teacher, and working with herbs, and all. Still, it seems to me that if you're going to be teaching a bunch of farmers' kids, you should know something about what their families do to survive. If you don't mind listening to a simple man ramble while we work, I could teach you a few things about farming?" he offered.

"I would like that a lot." Tei'serin said with a shy smile.

"All right. I'll teach you how to plant a tree, and get this lot moving. Then we can talk farming."

The older man raised his voice as he addressed the others.

"Let's get to work! These trees aren't going to plant themselves!"

His words acted like magic, causing everyone to scatter as they got to work. Once Korbin was satisfied that they were working, he turned back to Tei'serin.

"Okay, here are the basics. The first thing that you need to know is that there are three different sizes that fruit trees can be. Standard trees will reach 18'-25' tall by the time they reach their full growth. There are exceptions to this. Some, like standard sized peach and nectarine trees are exceptions, and will only reach 12'-15' tall. With trees, and really, any kind of plants, there are always exceptions to the rule. The second type of fruit tree is the semi-dwarf fruit tree. Those normally grow to 12'-15' tall. But the semi-dwarf sweet cherry trees are taller, and will reach 15'-18' tall when they hit their full growth. Finally, you have the dwarf fruit trees. When they reach their full, mature growth, they are 8'-10' tall. Knowing what type of fruit tree you have is important, because the size of the tree is one of the factors that determines how far apart the trees need to be planted with some kinds of fruit. Apple trees, and pear trees are good examples of this."

Tei'serin realized that she had no idea what kind of peach trees, and apple trees she had. But her orchards did well enough over the arcs, so they must have been planted correctly. Did other types of trees such as maple, oak, willow, and slippery elm have different sizes. too? Perhaps it didn't matter one way or the other since people didn't have willow orchards the way they had apple orchards.

"Another factor is the type of fruit tree that you want to plant. Take apple trees, for example. Standard sized apple trees should be planted 30'-35' apart. Semi-dwarf apple trees should be planted 15' apart, and dwarf apple trees need to be planted 10' apart. For pear trees, it's different. Standard sized pear trees need to be planted 20' apart, and the semi-dwarf ones need to be 15' apart. And, before you ask, I've never seen a dwarf pear tree before. I don't even know if such a thing exists."

Tei'serin thought about what she had been told for several bits before speaking.

"So the smaller a tree is, the closer it can be planted to other trees without problems?" she asked at last.

Korbin nodded.

"That is the general rule, yes. At least with the kinds of fruit trees that come in different sizes. Not all do. Peach trees, plum trees, cherry trees, citrus trees, and fig trees are all examples of fruit trees that don't."

Tei'serin frowned.

"Citrus as in...orange trees?"

"That's right. But lemons, limes, grapefruit, and tangerines are all citrus fruits, too. Some of the trees I need to plant this trial are orange trees. They, like all citrus trees will need to be planted 8' apart."

"What about peach trees? I have a peach orchard at home."

"Peach trees should be planted 20' apart. So should apricot trees, for that matter."

Tei'serin wondered how much space there was between the peach trees in her orchard. Then she decided it had to be the right amount, or her orchard wouldn't have produced a lot of fruit over the arcs. She glanced at the trees that lined the field.

"What kind of trees are those?" she asked curiously.

"Cherry trees. I plan to grow both sweet cherries, and sour ones in alternating rows within the same orchard. The sweet cherry trees need to be planted 30' apart, while the sour ones can be planted 20' apart. They're a bit strange in that it matters if you are planting sweet or sour cherries. If you were planting apple trees, it wouldn't matter of you were planting red apples, green apples, or yellow apples. With them, it's the size of the tree that matters."

Tei'serin nodded, trying to keep everything she was being told straight in her mind.

"What about the other two you mentioned? Plum trees, and fig trees?"

"Plum trees should be planted 15' apart. Fig trees need more space. They need to be planted a good 20'-30' apart. And they need to be planted in a sunny area. If they aren't, they won't grow right."

Korbin paused for a bit.

"Oh, and there's another thing. Planting an orchard is different than planting a hedgerow, so what you want the trees for also is also a factor in how far apart they need to be planted."

"What is a hedgerow?" Tei'serin wanted to know.

"A hedgerow is a line of trees or shrubs that are planted closely together, and trained to form a barrier. They can be used to mark the edge of a property. This can be done to give the owner a sense of privacy. Hedgerows can also be used to separate one field from another on a farm. They can also offer protection from the wind when they are used to line the edges of a field full of delicate crops. If you are using fruit trees to form a hedgerow, they only need to be spaced 2'-3' apart."

Tei'serin liked the idea of extra privacy. She liked the idea of being surrounded by trees even more. It didn't take her long to decide to ask Sorin if he thought it might be possible for them to plant hedgerows around her house and farm.

[Tei'serin Nji'ryn]

Tei'serin watched the others as they worked for a few bits.

"Okay, I know that these trees will need to be planted either 20', or 30' apart depending on whether they are sweet cherries, or sour ones. And that you want alternation rows of sweet cherry trees, and sour ones. But how do you plant them?" she asked at last.

"Easily enough. Do you see how the roots are balled up, and surrounded by a burlap bag?"

Tei'serin nodded.

"That's called a balled tree, as opposed to a container tree, which is one that began life in a pot, or a bare rooted tree. There is a slightly different way for planting each type. Balled trees like these should be planted as soon as you can. But if necessary, they can be stored for a while so long as you keep the ball moist, and the tree stored in a shady area. The same thing goes for a container tree. But if you have a bare rooted tree, it needs to be planted immediately. That's because with a balled tree, the roots are covered by some of the soil the tree grew in originally. If the roots are bare, they will dry out, and die quickly. When that happens, the tree will die."

Tei'serin nodded to show that she understood what Korbin was telling her.

"Now, someone who isn't a farmer, will tell you that all you need to do is dig a hole, drop the tree in, and fill it back up again. A farmer that has no experience working with orchards will know that it isn't that simple, but they won't know much more than that; they'll just know that they'll need to work with someone who knows what they're doing when planting an orchard for the first time if they want their trees to survive."

Tei'serin nodded again, this time blushing slightly. She had thought it was as simple as digging a hole.

"What you want is a hole that is two or three times as wide as the diameter of the root ball, or container your tree is in. If you have a bare roots tree, it is harder to judge, but you want a hole that is two or three times wider than the spread of the roots of the tree. And while two times bigger than the root ball, container, or root spread is acceptable, three times bigger is better. If the hole is too narrow, the roots can't spread enough to nourish, and anchor the tree properly. Even if it clings to life without getting the nutrients it needs, a good strong wind will tear it right out of the ground. You don't want a hole that is too deep, either. That will prevent the roots from getting enough air. What you want is a hole that is no deeper than the height of the root ball. Like with most things, the best way to learn how to plant a tree properly is to do it. Go get one of the trees over there. Then come join me. I'll be waiting at the spot where I want it to be planted. The sweet cherry trees are on the right side of the field, and the sour ones are to the left. We'll start with a row of sweet cherry trees."

Tei'serin was quick to obey. She ran over to the edge of the field, and grabbed the trunk of the first tree she reached.

"No, not like that!"

Tei'serin froze in her tracks, and looked back at Korbin uncertainly.

"You never lift a balled tree by the trunk like that. Always lift it by the ball!"

Tei'serin corrected herself, and carefully carried the tree over to where Korbin was waiting for her with a shovel. She set the tree down where the other man directed her to do so, then took the shovel he offered her.

"What do I do now?" she asked softly.

"Now, you dig."

The work was both harder, and easier than she had expected it to be. As an herbalist, she was used to digging in the ground. She had to do it any time she needed the roots of a particular herb. The delicate work of carefully easing the desired roots out of the ground without losing, or damaging any of them required far more finesse than simply digging a large hole did. So in that sense, this was the easier task. But the hole that Tei'serin needed to plant the tree was a lot bigger than the ones she made while digging up roots. The ground was hard, and the dirt heavy, making it a backbreaking task that seemed endless. And in that sense, this task was more difficult than what she was used to.

But Tei'serin was no quitter, and sheer determination served her where physical strength was lacking. As she worked, she kept one eye on the ball of the tree so she would know how wide and deep the hole needed to be. It took her longer than she expected it to, and she knew she was slower than Korbin's family were, but after nearly twenty bits of hard labor, she had her hole.

"Is this okay?" she asked hopefully.

Korbin inspected her work critically for several bits, then nodded.

"You're slower than molasses when it comes to digging, but I suspect you're used to having to dig slowly when you're hunting for roots, and such?" he asked at last.

Tei'serin nodded.

"Then for a first attempt, it's pretty good." he said with a slow smile.

Tei'serin grinned at him.

"What do I do next?"

"Put the ball in the center of your hole."

Tei'serin was quick to obey.

"Now if this was a bare roots tree, you'd have to build a cone of dirt in the center of your hole for the roots to drape over, first. Then you'd have to balance the tree on the cone while you were filling the hole in. Balled trees like these are easier to work with."

Korbin inspected the way Tei'serin had placed the tree. After a few bits, he nudged it slightly to one side, shifting it so it was in the exact center of the hole.

"That's good. Now you've got to cut the burlap bag off of the roots. If there's any string, or twine holding the bag in place, you've got to cut that loose as well. And be very careful when you're cutting stuff. You don't want to cut the roots of the tree by mistake." he cautioned her, as he offered her a small knife.

Tei'serin nodded, then got to work once more. She was no stranger to the need for precise cutting. Cutting the roots she needed for a remedy to the exact length she needed both prevented the risk of giving her patient too strong a dose of medicine, and allowed her to get as many doses as she possibly could out of each herb she used. With a little trial and error to get a feel for how deeply she needed to cut in order to get through the burlap bag without damaging the roots, she put her experience to work for her. Before long, she was ready for the next step.

As she was about to start filling the hole with the dirt she had dug up while digging the hole, Korbin stopped her. To her surprise, he ran off and brought back a wheelbarrow filled with...more dirt. Tei'serin looked up at him in hesitant confusion.

"I like to use a mixture of the soil the tree will be growing in, and some stuff that will help the tree grow better. This here is a mix of peat moss, composted manure, and topsoil. If you alternate shovel fulls of this stuff, and the dirt you just dug up, it gives you a nice balance. And when you fill the hole, make sure you pack the dirt very lightly. Loose soil is important because if you compress it too tightly, it will prevent water from reaching the roots, and the roots won't be able to extend beyond the root ball as they grow."

Tei'serin nodded, committing the new information to memory. As she worked, she was careful to keep what Korbin had told her in mind, and made sure the soil was packed loosely around the tree. When she was finished, the older man inspected her work by sticking a finger into the dirt beside the newly planted tree to test if it was loose enough.

"Not bad." he told her, much to her relief.

Korbin left once more, this time returning with a large wooden stake he had grabbed from a pile at the edge of the field, some string, and two buckets filled with water.

"Now you want to stake the tree. This will give it the added support it needs so it won't shift sideways, or be torn out of the ground in a strong wind before its roots really have a chance to take hold. You want to drive the stake deep enough that it goes through the root ball, and into the ground beneath it. One and a half feet should be deep enough. Then you'll use the string to tie the tree to the stake. It can't be too tight because the tree needs to be able to sway with the wind. But it can't be too loose either, because if it rubs against the stake, it could damage the bark. If you were doing this with your own trees, you would want to make sure to leave the stake in place only as long as it was needed to stabilize the tree. Once the roots have taken a firm hold in their new home, you want to remove the stake. Oh, and if the trees you want to plant are much bigger than these are, you might need two, or even three stakes to keep them standing upright. But for these ones, one will do."

Tei'serin glanced at the stake, measuring out a foot and a half with her eyes. Then she braced herself as she drove the stake as deep into the ground as she could. It went deeper than she was expecting it to, and she had to pull several inches of the stake out before tying it to the tree with the string. It took her several attempts before she thought she had it right, but her efforts paid off. When she showed her work to Korbin, he smiled, and nodded.

"The last thing you want to do is to water the newly planted tree." Korbin told her, gesturing at the buckets of water.

"Until the roots have a chance to grow into the surrounding soil, it will need to be watered each trial, unless it rains. Once the roots do grow into the surrounding soil, you can slowly start cutting back on how often you water the tree until you stretch it out til once a week. You'll need to water it that often for the first growing season. And in Saun when the heat gets really bad, it will need watering more than that. But you need to be careful not to over water it, because that will drown the roots."

Tei'serin nodded to show that she understood. She really appreciated the way Korbin was teaching her as if the trees were hers. Although she would only be helping him for the trial, but the things he was teaching her could be applied to her own orchards if she ever wanted to expand them.

"How much water does the tree need?" she asked.

"A lot." Korbin replied with a grin.

"You want the moisture to extend down a good twelve to eighteen inches below the soil to encourage root growth. A good way to determine if a tree needs more water is by digging six to eight inches down at the edge of your planting hole. If the soil down there feels powdery, or crumbly, then it needs more water. Properly moist soil will form a ball when you squeeze it."

Tei'serin wanted to get the job done right, so she added the water Korbin had supplied a little at a time. Every so often, she would dig down and feel the soil to see if it needed more. ut she really should have just trusted the man to bring her what she needed. By the time all of the water from both buckets had been used, the soil was moist enough.

"Do you think you're ready to try planting one on your own now?"

Tei'serin nodded, grinning eagerly at the challenge in the man's eyes. Korbin laughed at her enthusiasm.

"Then let's get to work!"

[Tei'serin Nji'ryn]

Tei'serin walked over to the edge of the field to get another sweet cherry tree. True to Korbin's word, he watched her silently as she did all of the work by herself. He stayed beside her in case she had any questions, but it was clear that unless she asked for help, she was on her own for this one. Fortunately, a good memory ensured that she didn't need much help. Aside from a few requests to make certain she had done something correctly, she worked in silence. And while it took her at least twice as long as it would have taken someone with more experience, she had done it right.

Satisfied that she knew what she was doing, and when to ask for help if she needed it, Korbin got a tree of his own to work with when Tei'serin went to get her third tree. They worked in companionable silence for a while, but when she was ready to fill in the hole she'd placed her third tree in, she turned to him.

"You offered to teach me a few things about farming?" she asked shyly.

Korbin chuckled.

"So I did. Okay, the first thing to know is that there are tow main types of farmers. Those that raise animals, and the ones who grow crops."

Tei'serin nodded as she checked the soil to see if she had given the newly planted tree enough water. It was good, and moist, so she went to get another tree. They had reached the end of their row, so she went to the other side of the field, and got one of the sour cherry trees. Korbin finished with his own tree, and followed her.

"Animal farmers, and crop farmers?" Tei'serin asked as she started digging the hole for her fourth tree.

"That's right. Those are the two main types of farms. But there are several kinds of each type of farm."

Tei'serin paused in her work, and looked at Korbin with interest before she went back to digging.

"Take animal farmers, for example. You have those who raise animals for their meat. Those farmers tend to raise pigs, cattle, chickens, sheep, and ducks primarily. But you also have animal farmers who raise animals for a variety of products. Chickens and ducks, even geese for their eggs. Sheep for their wool, primarily, but also for their milk. Cows for their milk. Even llamas and alpacas for their wool and fleece respectively. In some ways, the task that these farmers have is harder, because they have to keep their animals alive and healthy throughout their entire lives rather raising them to be slaughtered for their meat. Then there are the animal breeders."

"Animal breeders?"

Tei'serin began removing the burlap bag from the tree she was working on.

"Yes. There is a good amount of debate as to whether they are truly farmers, or not."

"Do you think they are?" Tei'serin asked curiously as she began filling in the hole.

"To be honest. I'm kind of on the fence about it. I suppose it depends on what they are breeding the animals for, and to some extent, what they are breeding."

Korbin paused to go get another tree. While he did, Tei'serin finished filling in her hole, and checked to make sure that she hadn't packed the soil too tightly. Then she went to fetch some water. By the time she came back with two buckets filled with water, Korbin was nearly half way to getting his hole dug. He waited for her to finish watering her tree, and get another one before continuing.

"See, it's like this. Some people breed a specific kind of animal, like horses. They might even breed them for one particular purpose, like race horses, or war horses. Other people choose to breed cats, dogs, or foxes as hunting companions. I would consider people who breed animals for a specific purpose like that to be animal breeders, not farmers. But you also have people who breed one or more different kinds of animals with the intent to sell their livestock to farmers. If a farmer decides they want to raise sheep for their wool, they go to breeders like these people. If a cattle farmer loses half of his stock to illness, he goes to them to replenish his herd. It's this latter group of breeders that I would consider to be farmers. It's a fine line, but it's what I believe, and there are a lot of farmers who agree with me."

[Tei'serin Nji'ryn]

They worked in companionable silence for a while, giving Tei'serin time to think about what Korbin had told her. During the time it took for her to finish planting the tree she was working on, Korbin had planted two more. With help from some of Korbin's family, they had come to the end of the row. When Tei'serin got a sixth tree to plant, it was one of the sweet cherry trees.

"Are there different kinds of crop farmers, too?" she asked after a while.

"Yes, of course. Some of us focus on one or two crops. Most farmers do. There are farmers who grow food staples like corn, wheat, oats, and soy beans. You won't find them here as much since the climate doesn't really support it. But in other areas, you'll find rice farmers whose farms of rice paddies look more like marshes than the farms you'll see around here. Then you have your vegetable farmers. Cucumbers, peas, peppers, you name it. Fruit farmers, too. Watermelons, strawberries, blueberries. Some of us grow orchards, instead. Others grow cotton, flax, and other crops that can be used to make clothing."

"Like this one?" Tei'serin asked with a smile.

Korbin grinned back.

"Exactly."

Tei'serin's muscles burned with her efforts. She knew she was going to feel it in the morning. But she was also very stubborn. She had come to help her neighbor plant his orchard, and she was going to do just that. Repeated efforts had her growing accustomed to the work involved in planting trees. And she was starting to be able to judge the size of the hole she would need to dig more accurately. But she was still no match for any of the real farmers. For every tree she planted, the others were planting two or even three. Still, she was making progress, and she was able to plant a tree faster now that she had when she first started.

"Finally, you have what, for a want of a better name, I call mixed farmers."

"Mixed farmers?"

"Yes. Some, like me, will plant vastly different crops. For example, they might grow an apple orchard, strawberries, and wheat. Some might even grow crops, and raise animals. Farmers who don't focus on one particular thing often have a difficult time of it because of the vastly different things they need to know. On the other hand, if something goes wrong, like a drought causing their crops to fail, or a plague of insects wiping out one type of crop, they still have something to fall back on. And with luck, it will be enough to keep them afloat during a bad arc."

Tei'serin nodded. It was fascinating to learn about farming like this. Better yet, it gave her an insight into what the lives of many of her students were like, at least a little bit. Just from her efforts this trial, she could see how much work went into being a farmer. That, in turn helped her to understand her students better; something that would help her to become a better teacher. By the time she had finished watering her sixth tree, her muscles were screaming in protest. She was no stranger to hard work, but this endless digging, and lugging heavy buckets of water was exhausting work. Korbin saw her difficulties, and chuckled.

"Getting tired, are you?"

She simply nodded. There was no use in denying what must be painfully obvious.

"Well, it's not your fault. You didn't grow up with this kind of work the way I did, or my father did, or his father did before him. It's in my family's blood. You, on the other hand, are a fine teacher from what I hear. Riding herd on a pack of unruly kids, and cramming knowledge into their heads when all they want is to be out goofing off seems to me to be plenty difficult a task. Me, I'd rather be a farmer than deal with what you have to put up with."

It was Tei'serin's turn to laugh.

"Well, it's not easy. But I love it. Teaching is a very rewarding job."

"I'll have to take your word for that. How about you plant one more tree, and then we can call it a trial. The boys can finish the rest."

Tei'serin nodded, and made her way to the edge of the field to get her seventh tree. By the time she came back, she found that Korbin had taken pity on her, and had already started digging the hole for it. She set the tree down, and joined in. Between the two of them, it didn't take long for them to get the tree planted.

"I want to thank you for helping us out today." Korbin said sincerely once they had finished.

Tei'serin blushed, both happy, and embarrassed by the unexpected praise.

"You and your family did a lot more work than I did."

"Yes, but we've been doing this sort of thing our whole lives. For someone who hasn't, you put in a good trial's work. Planting seven trees is no small task, and you never complained once. So thank you for your help."

Tei'serin wasn't sure what else to say, so she just told him that he was welcome. His wife wanted to thank her as well, and insisted that she have a good long rest and some water from their well before she was allowed to head home.

Off Topic

Bonus experience approved by Jade, to be given to the following character(s) involved in this thread, only upon the completion of the review, where the character(s) demonstrated celebration of the holiday, Plantation Festival, on Ashan 41st, Arc 717. The details of this this holiday include: As the season reaches the warmer periods, this festival is held to plant crops and start the production of plants again. Farmers will prepare a trial or two before, then start work on the 41st Trial of Ashan - with the goal of planting all the crops they can.

Bonus Experience Upon Review Completion:
Knowledge
Ne'haer Holiday: Plantation Festival
+2 Bonus Skill Points
Free Item: 1/3 Acre of land for harvesting crops or caring for farm animals given to you by the farmer you help, should you wish to use it now or later. This land cannot be sold or given away and may only be used for agricultural purposes.

[Quio]

Overview

Comments: What a lovely thread. ^_^ I really enjoy solos and this was a good one, packed full of practical information that I hope Tei'serin will be able to put to good use. I really liked Korbin, he seemed like a nice guy and a good farmer and teacher and Tei'serin seemed to get along well with him, so I hope sometime we might see him again. A pretty straight-forward thread, it was interesting to see into the mechanics of farming, specifically when it came to fruit trees. You put a lot of detail in and it's obvious you did a lot of research into the topic. Who knew planting trees was so particular!

Structure: I didn't see any mistakes in spelling, grammar, or punctuation. The thread was easy to read and the writing clear and enjoyable. Didn't even notice any typos. Great job.

Note that I gave knowledge in medicine, not herbalism. If you prefer those couple of knowledges to be in herbalism instead, feel free to claim them as such.

Note also that in the rewards below, anything bolded was part of the bonus rewards for participating in a festival in Ne'haer. Enjoy!

TEI'SERIN NJI'RYN

CS: CS is approved and up-to-date.

Knowledge:
Agriculture: Standard sized fruit trees grow to 18' - 25' with some exceptions like peach and nectarine
Agriculture: Semi-dwarf sized fruit trees grow to 12' - 15' with some exceptions like sweet cherry trees
Agriculture: Dwarf sized fruit trees grow to 8' - 10'
Agriculture: The size of the tree determines how far apart they need to be planted
Agriculture: There are standard and semi-dwarf but no dwarf pear trees
Agriculture: Some trees do not come in different sizes like peach, plum, cherry, citrus, and fig
Agriculture: Citrus refers to oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit, and tangerines
Agriculture: Alternate rows of sweet and sour cherries in an orchard
Agriculture: Fig trees are planted in a sunny area
Agriculture: Uses for a hedgerow
Agriculture: Fruit trees in a hedgerow can be planted 2' - 3' apart
Agriculture: Planting balled, container, and bare root trees
Agriculture: If a tree's roots are cut or dried the tree will be damaged or die
Agriculture: The size of the tree's roots determines the size of the hole it needs to be planted in
Agriculture: Fertilizer and soil loosely packed help trees grow
Agriculture: Staking trees to help them stand
Agriculture: Watering trees
Agriculture: The types of farms and farmers
Agriculture: Animals can be farmed for a variety of purposes (sheep for wool and milk or ducks for eggs and meat, etc)
Agriculture: The type of farm depends on the climate and land
Agriculture: Having a variety of crops has its pros and cons
Animal Husbandry: Breeding animals to sell to farms
Appraisal: Checking the soil to see if a tree has enough water
Detection: Rain causes humidity
Discipline: If at first you don't succeed, try try again
Endurance: Digging a hole
Endurance: Sore muscles
Endurance: Practice makes perfect
Endurance: Hauling buckets of water
Flora: Sweet cherry trees
Flora: Sour cherry trees
Korbin: A farmer and neighbor in Treth
Logistics: Well planted trees produce more fruit
Medicine: Knowing a patient helps you treat them
Medicine: Cutting roots precisely saves patients and supplies
Ne'haer Holiday: Plantation Festival
Ne'haer NPC: Korbin
Plantation Festival: 41st of Ashan
Strength: Determination aids in acts of strength
Teaching: Knowing your students helps you teach them
Teaching: Being a good student means asking follow-up questions
Teaching: Look for cues that mean your students understand, like nodding
Teaching: Learning is doing

Loot: +2 bonus points to be added to the awarded points for story, collaboration, and structure. 1/3 acre of land in Treth, gifted to Tei'serin from Korbin. As noted in the festival description, "This land cannot be sold or given away and may only be used for agricultural purposes."
Injuries: Sore muscles which should go away within a day or two.
Fame: +5 for general good deeds (helping out your neighbor, putting in a hard day's worth of honest labor, etc.).
Devotion: +5 for praying to Moseke within a temple/shrine, +1 for participating in a festival, +2 for planting a tree x 7 = +14 for planting trees. TOTAL = +20 fame for Moseke.

Story: 5/5
Collaboration: 0/5
Structure: 5/5
Magic: You CANNOT use the XP awarded for magic.

Feel free to PM if you have any comments, questions, or concerns!