Re: Magic to aid farming in space

<I haven't been able to find a real number directly related to renaissance
farming productivity, but found these things.>

Here are some figures dating c. 1480...

On one north European manor, there were approximately 180 acres, of which
over half were given over to pasture or lying fallow.  30 workers farmed the land
from 11 families.  There was nearly 100 livestock (pigs predominant).  Over
500 bushels of food was grown in one year (mostly barley) and some flax and
beans.  11 families can consume nearly the whole of the 500 bushels (depending on
the size of those families, of course), so there is very little surplus.
Seemingly, any excess agriculture comes from labor owed by the peasants to the
landlords, who themselves sell any excess for their profit.  I have more precise
numbers if anyone needs them.

As far as crafts go, this same farm would spend some of its nights cleaning
and processing flax and wool, and spinning it into yarn.  Every 8 such families
could keep one town-based weaver busy making cloth.  Most crafts follow this
sort of cottage industry....except of course, mining and all the smithing that
goes with it.  The iron industry was always heavily regulated, mostly because
the crown or state was the major consumer of that industry (armor, weapons,
cannon, construction material, etc.).

And let's not think that technology stood still during this time.  New foods
were constantly being improved that could grow in a more northern climate, or
new breeds introduced to produce more wool or dairy products.  These were very
real advances, if not spectacular on the pages of history.

I'm saying there are problems with most RPG population models, I guess.
Cities seem too large for their rural agriculture base.  This is really not a
problem, because many historical cities existed in this fashion....they just
require regular imports of food...which is why I originally suggested there was
more spelljamer traffic than some people seem to believe....there is a necessity
for many spelljamming vessels to carry food imports to any space city.