Leshe Leeching

The history of farming Leshe Cacti is one of trial and error as is the case with many crops, and is not surprising given Susma's harsh climate. Desert and sun scorched savannah dominate the lands here and so one would not immediately think of farming given the landscape and biome. Yet be it in a more symbiotic and mutualistic manner like the permaculture of Depenwood, or adversial manner like Suranth or Susma, society does require food production, and so to do cities as they come to be. Thusly as such things are want to do, so came trial and error, struggle and challenge until Leshe.



Leshe cacti are the lifeblood of the Kaleshin region, which is where they were discovered, and the industry is a vast one. Massive plantations sprawl all around the major city of Kalesh for two days in nearly every direction and small village like communities dot the regions further out centered around more plantations. Basically the center of the Kaleshin Region is a checkwork quilt of sandy savannah and leshe fields. Farming them is a lot of work. They are a favorite treat of many pests and a variety of beasts due to being both an excellent source of nutrients with their succulent fruit, and also water if you can manage it past the spines. However these dangers are limited in scope and scale. No the truest danger to a Leshe field is simultaneously the most important time of year for their growth and the success of the crops. The arrival of the rains. For it is that first crucial rainfall that can see the cacti experience tubular rupturing.

However let it not be said that those of the sands are without ingenuity. Its unknown which farming family or even from which township those that figured out the solution first came from. But not very long after the discoveries of Leshe and coming to understand how robust and useful a crop it could be, came a tried, true and tested method of avoiding tubular ruptures. And thus would the tradition of 'Leeching' be born.

Leeching in essence and execution is actually quite simple. The cacti store water in their stalks and limbs, however Leshe are a strange cacti in that they do not use as much as they store, and also in that they cannot drain it or will not use it to grow, specifically the limbs of the cacti will not. This is a major problem when farming them, because should those limbs rupture, that plant is effectively a dead plant for at least a season or two until new mature limbs can grow. The limbs it grows are where the fruit grow on the males and the flowers grow on the females, the two crops most desireable.

But there is a solution, and that solution simply put? Tapping. Tapping the lower stalk of the cacti, carefully as one might more picture you would a maple tree. You do this two or three times at varying heights, but below all the limbs. You do this weekly each week until the rains come, beginning in Jundar, which generally should only be about three to five weeks before the short rainy season begins. If its any longer that would constitute concern but not worry or panic until the rains were at least four weeks late. If it ever got that extreme that would be a drought but that has not happened in nearly a century, much to the boon of the region.

The reason this works is because the roots are yet dry, almost petrified, a thing the plant does once the rains pass, likely to protect it from being uprooted by wildlife as easily perhaps. By tapping the plant you begin waking it, as the waters you drain flow down into the sandy soil and eventually make it to the roots, where slowly the mostly petrified plant matter rehydrates and reinvigorates. With its roots active and the limbs no longer pressured fit to rupture, the plant will absorb this first 'meal' and its natural rhythm to grow when exposed to water via its roots will begin again,

Though sounding simple in theory of course this traditional farming technique has a bit of ritual to it in a fashion. Leeching day is an all hands on deck day at any plantation. The workers in question will be equipped with special long and rather thick leather gloves, a corkscrew like tool fit to purpose and with a handle and long drilling portion to keep you back from the cactus and its needles. There will be additional hands brought in for moving refreshments out to the field hands, generally its an all day affair every day for as long as a week, doing as many fields a day as is needed to insure they are all done in that week time frame, and then you do it the next week and the next week, until the rains arrive.

The actual Farmhands as well as the Farmer and the other staff of the plantation are the obvious participants and key roles. However in townships and villages sustained by the Leshe industry of which the Kaleshin region is home to many, often others get involved as well. Within the village proper, even meals and refreshments, as proper a homecooked dinner as can be managed, is pooled together by everyone for the farmhands every night and though the workers are sweaty and tired they oft spend at least two or three hours eating, drinking and spending time with their community, taking in the festivities and gratitude being lauded over them by their community.

This process many often confuse and think is an easy task when they first hear of it, forgetting that you are outside for some fourteen hours or more, in the hottest part of a Susman Summer the blistering weeks before the sudden cooling and arrival of the rains. These last few weeks are oft referred to as 'Sunfire's Kiss' in Susman culture due to just how extreme the heat can get to. Dehydration and Heat Stroke are absolutely a regular risk and certainly a notable percentage of those involved with this task suffer one or the other each year.

This tradition is strictly observed however when it starts will vary based on the progress of the season. Usually farming communities will start together, choosing the date based on the observations of how the dry has progressed and how late ending or early ending the rains the previous year had been amongst a wide variety of other data and observations of course. However it is done every year, strictly without fail to limit tubular ruptures. Naturally no process done by people is perfect and so every plantation expects to have a few ruptures but the focus here is to not lose all of or most of a field. That is the driving force and importance.