I was wondering if there is a difference between the amount of croplands in a settlement and its grasslands. What would be the topography mix for a land area that is grassland with scrub (mediterranean climate) that is coastal and is located on the top of a cliff?
Thanks.

I would suggest in most settlements in Harn, that grasslands around and near a manor would be meadows, harvested for hay once a year, maybe twice. A certain portion of manorial land would be given over to meadow and hence hay production. As for your example of scrubby grassland in a mediterranean climate that is coastal, I would think that this would probably mostly be used as wild pasture for goats and sheep who would be herded by shepherds. Depending on how scubby the landscape is, certain 'crops' could be cultivated, for example even in the extreme conditions of the Karst of the Dalmation Coast, lavender is cultivated, but extraordinary efforts have been made over many years to make this possible.

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"The woods are alive with the smell of his coming!" Ilviran chant.

If you are looking at a map and trying to deduce the probable land use, think in terms of soils.

Your cliff top is likely to have a shallow, thin soil, that retains little moisture. It is therefore left to grass, or planted in a non-intensive way. Because the soil is light, it is easy to work with hand tools and therefore might be planted either by a poor farmer or simply because at the end of the planting season the manor had a little extra time and seed. But usually such land would go to pasture.

In general, there are three main factors: Is the soil heavy (i.e. mostly clay, which is produced by slow water) or light? Is it deep or shallow? Is it wet or dry? You can usually guess these things pretty well just by looking at the topography and water courses, and then deduce the land use pretty easily.

Thanks pokep, I'll check out about the soils. Any help on the "woods" percentage used? Usually grasslands are flat or gently rolling with small clumps of trees here and there. In HarnManor, topography for Coastal is 10% woods. I think that may be too much for my particular settlement.

Heavy, wet soils are often left to woods, since they are hard to clear and till. In grasslands you'll find them mostly in the hollows and swales where there is more moisture. But the overall percent will owe as much to human needs as topography and climate. Coastal regions often only produce stubby, useless trees (because of the thin soils), and therefore are often cleared to make for more pasture. But if the woods are reasonably productive then they will be preserved or even cultivated (e.g. by coppicing.) Also consider the need for fuel - if peat is available, woods aren't so valuable for firewood.

So, 10% could be a low number if the woods are reasonably productive and necessary for fuel - as would be the case in most of Harn. It could be way too high if the timber is poor and other building materials and fuel are available. Don't ever feel bound by HarnManor or other texts on such matters. Those numbers are merely "typical", but no manor is ever completely typical. If in the course of puzzling things out you conclude that your manor should be 5% or even 0%, go with your logic.