 The result was the recruitment of many disciples, including Miyahiro Sadao (1797–1858) who himself registered with the academy in 1826. Sadao had overcome excessive drinking and corruption and transformed himself into a hardworking and respected village headman (nanushi) of Matsuzawa village. A self-proclaimed “potato-digging headman”, Sadao reclaimed agricultural land, repaired roads, and grew medicinal herbs. Later that same year of 1826, the Hirata family began to publish several agricultural manuals beginning with Sadao’s Essentials on Agriculture or Nōgyō yōshū, which offers instruction to farmers on the practice and profitability of planting. The Hirata academy facilitated the publishing of hundreds of copies of such farming manuals to meet a growing demand in agricultural communities, while Sadao and other disciples contributed capital. Records of Plant Seed Selection or Sōmoku tane erami, also authored by Sadao, explains plant gender and argues that planting female seeds would lead to a large harvest.