This mostly depended on the fertility of the soil nearby the manor, the amount of serfs a lord had and the trade that he had set up with other manors. The reason for this is that if a manor had fertile soil, the lord had set up ample trade between manors, and therewere enough serfs to work on the land, they were pretty much self-suficient. However, if these things were lacking, then self-sufficiency was not necessarily achieved.
He started as a second lieutenant in West Point, Cavalry Branch of the United States. Patton excelled in military drills then became a cadet sergeant in his junior year and a cadet adjutant in his senior year. He was entitled as the best swordsmen in the academy.
