Chapter 157 Are you asking fellow villagers to study farming?
Ming Dynasty: Being the Magistrate of Beiping County Chapter 157: You asked your fellow villagers to study farming? Latest website: Guo An smiled softly, "We are not afraid of the humble ministers, and they also study farming. Those fellow villagers
I am also very willing."
"Huh?"
Zhu Di was stunned again, "We have never heard of anyone who is a scholar willing to cultivate the fields?"
Guo An said: "Your Highness does not know something. Most of us in Guo Village, influenced by our ancestors, like to study some objects.
It just so happens that when they were in their hometown, they often tended the fields, and studying farming was probably the easiest thing for them."
"Oh?"
Zhu Di was curious again, "We would like to hear it."
Guo Andao: "Your Highness, Wei Chen's fellow villagers are scholars. Although they like to study objects and have cultivated fields, they are not as hard-working as farmers.
However, if they are allowed to enter the palace as officials, they do not have the ability. And if they are allowed to be shopkeepers, they do not want to be merchants.
Therefore, Wei Chen just sent them to study farming.
However, their research on farming is different from that of ordinary farmers. Instead, a few of them are responsible for observing and making statistics on each field on the farm."
"The grain in those fields is cultivated with different soil quality, different fertilizers, different seeds, and different amounts of irrigation water.
Wei Chen wants them to observe, what kind of seeds are planted on what kind of land, what kind of fertilizers are used, and how to irrigate the fields will produce more food?"
"How can it still be like this?"
Zhu Di's eyes widened and he was greatly shocked, "Why has no one ever thought about this since ancient times?"
Guo Andao: "Your Highness, the only ones who have a lot of time to study these things are the country gentry and powerful people. However, those country gentry and powerful people control a large amount of land, but they don't bother to cultivate it.
They would rather read the Four Books and Five Classics over and over again than care about farming.
Naturally no one would think about this."
A trace of anger flashed in Zhu Di's eyes, but he did not curse.
"This is a great thing that benefits the country and the people. If Guo Qing has any requests, just let us know."
Guo An smiled and said: "Your Highness, please rest assured that if anything happens, I will inform Your Highness in time."
Zhu Di nodded with satisfaction.
Guo An continued: "In addition, Wei Chen is also planning to let the four fellow villagers on the farm research new rice and wheat seeds."
"How to study?" Zhu Di asked curiously.
Guo An said slowly: "Your Highness, I have observed that rice and wheat can only produce rice and wheat through flowering and pollination."
Zhu Di's eyes widened again, "Guo Qing is saying that rice and wheat will still bloom? Although I am the prince of the Ming Dynasty, I have also planted fields in Fengyang for two years. How come I have never seen rice and wheat bloom?" p>
Guo Andao: "Your Highness doesn't know that the flowers of rice and wheat are not only small, but also very short-lived, and they bloom at the hottest time at noon.
As long as you don't lie down on the rice specifically to observe, you will naturally not be able to find it, and His Highness is no exception."
"Is that so?"
Zhu Di's face was full of surprise.
Immediately, he hurriedly asked: "Then how does Guo Qing research new rice and wheat seeds?"
Guo Andao: "Your Highness, whether it is rice or wheat, male pollen and female pollen on the same plant combine to produce offspring, and rice and wheat grow..."
"What Guo Qing means is that rice and wheat are just like those domestic animals. They need two male and female flowers to penetrate each other to produce rice and wheat?..."
Zhu Di couldn't help but interrupted Guo An again.
Guo An's eyelids twitched, but looking at Zhu Di's eyes full of curiosity, he said helplessly: "Your Highness, plants and animals are different. Animals need to eat, plants...
Just as His Highness thought, if rice and wheat want to grow ears of rice and ears of wheat, they also need male and female pollen to combine with each other!"
Zhu Di's eyes widened, shining with excitement, "It's so magical?"
"Hmm!"
Guo An nodded slightly and continued: "It's just that on the same rice plant, there will be female flowers and male flowers.
Generally speaking, a rice plant can grow ears of rice by itself.
However, Wei Chen wanted to give it a try. If he combined the male and female flowers of two high-quality rice plants, would the rice grown be bigger and better than their parents?
However, this matter may require a large amount of rice and wheat from different regions to combine with each other. It will not be accomplished in one day. Please understand, Your Highness."
Zhu Di clicked his tongue and said excitedly: "Guo Qing's words are like breeding horses, they are all about breeding the strongest male horses to those mares.
In this way, the foal born will definitely be the strongest war horse.
The same is true for Guo Qing's rice. Therefore, if Guo Qing's research is really successful, the rice grown will definitely be the rice with the fullest grains and the largest ears."
Guo An was dumbfounded when he heard this. Although Zhu Di said it in a rather vulgar way, it was indeed the truth and he could only murmur in praise.
"Your Highness is wise!"
Zhu Di stood up directly and bowed respectfully to Guo An with a solemn expression, "Guo Qing's wisdom is so vast and profound! Having Guo Qing here is really a blessing to our Beiping Mansion."
Guo An was startled and quickly turned sideways to return the salute, "I would never dare to bear the honor of His Highness."
Zhu Di ignored it, but continued to look at Guo An expectantly, "I wonder if Guo Qing has anything else he wants to study?"
Guo Andao: "Your Highness, the ancients once used a method of grafting ten gourd seedlings into a vine to form a large gourd. "Qi Min Yaoshu" even has an article about pear planting. In the B.C. Yuan Dynasty, there was a method of grafting various trees with similar shapes together.
Example.
There happened to be no fruit trees around the farm, so Wei Chen was going to experiment and change the shapes and colors of flowers, trees and fruits.
For example, persimmons are connected to peaches, mulberries are connected to bayberry, plums are connected to peaches, peaches are connected to apricots, plums are connected to peaches..."