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Economics of the Black Eagle Barony

by Sean Meaney

Rye & Ergot

As part of his Agricultural reforms, the Baron has some 17, 920 acres of Marsh farmed as rye crop.
The Rye is yielding 12 bushels of rye grain per acre.
12 x 17,920 = 215,040 bushels =
10,752,000lb grain
45,803,520lb Rye Thatch
This is tended by workers from Fort Doom. Under these marsh conditions the rye is supplying the Baron with 1/10 lb/acre of ergot.
The Baron makes good use of this ergot in various schemes to contaminate crops, grain shipments, and poison wells.
17,920 x 0.1lb = 1,792lb Ergot

He certainly has no problem feeding the tainted rye to his serfs after they have picked out the ergot by hand.

The Baron's Boars

The woods are off limits to peasants looking for fire wood. Timber felling here is very much illegal. It is here that eight families are employed to hunt boar for the Baron (and work as warden of the woods) when he is not doing so himself (although boar is not the only thing hunted here).
These woods yield 1 boar/ square mile per year.
4 x 56 square miles =224 boars per year

The Timber Plantations

Because of the Baron's management, the peasants of the Black Eagle Barony have a regular supply of fire wood.
112 square miles of farmland are used to produce the firewood fuel needs of the Barony. These Woodlots occupy the hill country in the north of the Barony.

112 x 640 x 20,000lb x0.63 = 903,168,000lb
903, 168,000lb/8,000lb = 112,896 cord
112,896/5 year re-growth = 2,579.6 cord

Four hundred families work these timber plantations year round. As a consequence each family of the Barony gets a ration of firewood (1 cord). Although this is only 1/5th of the firewood needs of a family, they must make due.

Fishing the Halag

Eighty Families fish the Gulf of Halag each producing one Cran of preserved fish per month.
80 families x 8 months x 4 firkin = 2,560 firkin of salted fish.
(16lb x 80 x 8)/200lb = 51 firkin of Surplus Salt

All fifty one firkin of Salt and some five hundred and sixty firkin of salted fish go to the Baron. The remaining Ration of fish provides the families of the Barony with the fish to take them over the winter.

Fort Doom, a town surrounded by Gardens

2,000 acres are available surrounding Fort Doom to provide each family with their own 1 acre vegetable.
2,000 acres x 25 ton x 0.63
= 70,560,000lb of vegetables each year.

Barley & Hay
112 square miles of prime agricultural land is farmed for Barley and Hay. Unfortunately none of it goes to the peasant farmers. Considering the Serfs get a good ration of untaxed Rye, a goodly share of salted fish, and firewood ration as well as the produce of their market gardens, the Baron looks on this as the Tax they didn't pay.
112 x 640 acres = 71, 680 acres
71,680/3 = 23,893 acres
Barley: 23,893 acres x 57 bushel x 0.63 = 857,997 bushels
857,997 x 50lb = 42,899,850lb grain
857,997 x 213lb chaff = 182,753,361lb barley chaff

Hay: 23,893 acres x 5 ton/ acre = 119,465 ton of Hay

Production Yield Incomes

Produce Baron Salt tax Church tithe
Barley Grain 12,869,955lb 3,677,130lb 1,838,565lb
Barley Chaff 54,826,008lb 15,664,573lb 7,832,286lb
Hay 83,625 ton, 23,893 ton, 11,946 ton
Ergot 1,792lb
Boars 224
Salted Fish 392 firkin 112 firkin 56 firkin
Salt 36 firkin 10 firkin 5 firkin
Wood (cord) 405 cord 116 cord 58.6 cord

Produce Farmers
Rye grain 10,752,000lb
Rye Thatch 45,803,520lb
Salted Fish 2,000 firkin
Wood (cord) 2,000 cord