The breed of pigs brought by the Spaniards from the native land became famous in later generations. Of course, it's not this kind of pig that is famous, it's the delicacy made from this pig - Iberian ham is very famous.

This native pig from Spain is called the Iberian black-hoofed pig, which is not very large in size and does not have much reproductive ability. However, it is the closest breed of European domestic pigs to wild boars, so after being released into the mountains and forests, its character is more ferocious than that of ordinary wild domestic pigs.

Its meat is not tender enough and is a bit rough. However, it is excellent for curing ham. Moreover, this domestic pig is also raised in a peculiar way in Spanish soil - it is free-range.

In general, Spaniards release Iberian black-hoofed pigs to 10 months of age into the wild. Of course, not in the wild, but specifically in the oak forest. From 10 to 24 months, these Iberian black-hoofed pigs feed on acorns and weeds that fall from the oak forest. Because they are so energetic in the woods, they are full of muscles, and there is no fat. If you eat it boiled, or make braised pork or something, it's not suitable. However, when used to make ham, it is a must.

Of course, there is a problem with the Iberian black-hoofed pigs that are raised on the island of Haiti, and the main problem is that none of these pigs are castrated......

Pigs that are not castrated will inevitably have a fishy smell. Only underage piglets and suckling pigs don't have those weird smells. Therefore, roast suckling pig has been popular in Europe for a long time. But you really have to eat adult pork, especially uncastrated male pork...... That's it......

Fortunately, curing ham and sausages requires the use of spices, which mask these odors. Of course, the smell of adult male pork is still more difficult to cover, and the sow is okay. However, if you put enough spices, you can cover up the odor, but you can't eat the original taste of pork.

Marin plans to send people to dig traps and set traps to catch these wild boars. Then, kill it too ferociously. The rest, except for those that were retained, were castrated and re-released into the woods. Then, send someone to Spain to learn ham-making techniques and make a replica of Iberian ham.

As for horses and cattle, including goats, they were naturally all brought back to be raised and served. It is said that the famous American flower horse and Texas longhorn cattle in later generations were originally raised by cattle and horses after Spain gave up its colony in Texas, and finally became wild horses and bison. Then, it was used by the local Indians for capture. The famous Indian cavalry was developed by picking up horses from abandoned Spanish colonies, mainly near the U.S.-Mexico border.

And the same goes for Texas longhorns, which breed quickly in the Texas region. By the time of the American Civil War, it had bred to the size of 5 million cattle.

The emergence of the American cowboy has a lot to do with the Texas longhorn. At that time, after the end of the American Civil War, the northern industry was greatly developed, but there was no shortage of products and grain in the northern industry, except for the lack of livestock, especially cattle.

In Chicago, a cow sold for $40 (at the time a dollar was equivalent to 1.6 grams of gold or 24 grams of silver, the equivalent of an ocean), and demand outstripped supply. In Texas, the population was only a few hundred thousand at the time, but there were more than 5 million cattle. The most important thing is that the local Texas longhorns sell for only $2 per head......

The 20-fold windfall profit drove some bold young men to drive huge herds of cattle across Texas and to the Great Railroad in Kansas to transport cattle to metropolises such as Chicago.

Along the way, not only did you sleep in the open, but you also had to deal with robbers. Therefore, the cowboys at that time were accustomed to carrying revolvers, riding horses, and driving longhorn cattle all over the mountains...... Subsequently, with the development of the "Westward Expansion Movement", these bold cowboys with revolvers broke into the west in search of opportunities to make a fortune, or to herd cattle......

Revolvers, steeds and longhorned oxen, are classic images of cowboys in the American West. Of course, it's not as rosy as it appears in the movie, but it's full of gore and carnage.

Marin doesn't really have much interest in longhorns, mainly because their horns are too long! Even if they are tame, they can accidentally injure their companions or cowboys by throwing their heads.

So, Marlin actually prefers hornless cows. Such cows, even if they are thousands, do not have to worry about the bulls and cows having bloody fights with their horns, and there is no need to worry about the cows hurting the cowboys.

However, there are thousands of longhorn cattle on the island of Haiti right now, and there is no need to use them in vain. It just so happens that it is not wasted to use it to cultivate land and then grow tobacco.

In fact, the finest service cattle in the tropics are the zebu cattle of India. But now Marin doesn't have many zebu cattle in his hands, so he can only make do with those longhorn cattle first. Thousands of longhorn cows, if they are used well, they can be planted on tens of thousands of acres of land. In any case, these cattle are adapted to the hot climate of the island of Haiti. Because, those longhorn cattle that have not adapted to the tropical climate have long since died......

……

While Marin was struggling with tobacco cultivation and livestock on the island, a fleet arrived in the Strait of Hormuz in Asia......

This was the convoy of trading artillery sent by Marin to Persia, consisting of four armed merchant ships of the 250th class. In fact, to come and sell artillery, only one ship is enough. After all, this is just the first contact.

However, the voyage was very risky in those years, and the Persian route was opened for the first time, so for safety, Marin sent four armed merchant ships.

Moreover, although the other three of these four ships did not bring back the goods, they can bring the goods back!

Although after consulting with the Portuguese, the merchant ships of the North Sea Kingdom were not allowed to purchase popular goods such as the most famous Persian carpets and silk from Persia, but they could carry large quantities of livestock!

Persia is a predominantly pastoralistic country, and although there is agriculture in the two river valleys of Iraq and the areas around the Caspian Sea in the north, most of the area is still dominated by animal husbandry. Therefore, the last thing that Persia lacks is horses, cattle and sheep. Of course, there should be fewer cattle, because cattle are mainly used in agricultural areas, and the other is to eat meat. But cattle have horns, and bulls are more aggressive and prone to injuring each other and even herders. As a result, the proportion of cattle raised in livestock areas is relatively small. Unless, a more tame breed can be found. However, compared with horses and sheep, the amount of cattle raised is still relatively small.

This time, the four 250-class armed merchant ships carried a total of 40 "Franc cannons" as commodities for the transaction. In addition, there were 200 arquebuses.

Moreover, Marin also sent artillerymen and musketeers who knew how to operate them, intending to show them to the Persian Shah Ismaili I himself......