What were the developments in agriculture during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period?

Agriculture during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, princes competed for hegemony and wars broke out. People had a better understanding of the importance of agricultural production. Thinkers at that time all paid attention to agriculture. He put forward his own views on the importance of agriculture, among which Guan Zhong's statement is the most representative. Guan Zhong not only has the famous saying "If you have enough food and clothing, you will know the etiquette, and if you have enough food and clothing, you will know the honor and disgrace", he also links agricultural production with the strengthening of the country and the prosperity of the people. It is proposed: "Those who leave the country in a land that cannot be dumped are taught to be virtuous; those who accumulate it in an inexhaustible storehouse are engaged in five grains; those who are hidden in an inexhaustible house are raised with mulberry and hemp and six animals... If they are provided with five grains, they will eat. If you have enough land, raise mulberry and hemp, and raise six livestock, the people will be rich." He also warned the rulers, "Every herdsman who has land must guard the barn at all times." Based on this understanding, some vassal states put forward the idea of ??"farming". "War" slogan, and encouraged farmers to develop agricultural production, harvest more grain, and support the war. Among them, the Qin State's approach was the most successful. Historical records: "Qin Xiaogong used Shangjun, destroyed the mine fields, opened roads, and plowed the war as a reward .Although it is not an ancient way, it is still for the sake of serving the roots, favoring neighboring countries and dominating the princes. "Qin's victory is actually a victory for agriculture.

In some princely states, they actively encourage farmers to farm. At the same time as the war, some thinkers also put forward their own views on agricultural issues from different standpoints, forming a peasant family and becoming one of the hundreds of schools of thought at that time. "Hanshu·Yiwenzhi" said: The peasants flowed out, and the foundation came from the agricultural industry. The official is to sow a hundred grains and encourage mulberry cultivation to provide enough food and clothing. Therefore, one of the eight policies is food, and the second is goods. Confucius said, "the most important thing is food for the people." This is what he is good at. And the despicable people do it and think it has nothing The sage king wanted to make the monarch and his ministers work together, contrary to the order of superiors and subordinates. It can be seen from this that pre-Qin farmers can be divided into two schools: one school's teachings have the color of "official agriculture"; the other school's teachings have the color of "contemptuous agriculture" Whether it is a farmer's agriculture with a color of "official agriculture" or a farmer with a color of "agriculture of the common people", its doctrine should include two aspects. On the one hand, it is about social politics. On the other hand, it is the knowledge about agricultural science and technology.

"Hanshu Yiwenzhi" contains 9 kinds of farmers' works, including 20 works by "Shen Nong" and 17 works by "Ye Lao" It is a work from the "Six Kingdoms Period". The former is that "when the scholars were ill, they were idle in agriculture and cultivated farming, and entrusted it to Shen Nong." The latter, according to Ying Shao of the Eastern Han Dynasty, "lived in the fields when he was old, helping the people to cultivate." No. "Ye Lao". These works have now been lost. The only agricultural literature belonging to the pre-Qin era that has been preserved to this day is "Shang Nong" in "Lü Shi Chun Qiu" listed in "Hanshu Yiwenzhi"; "Miscellaneous Category" , "Ren Di", "Bian Tu", and "Jian Shi" four chapters.

"Lu Shi Chun Qiu·Shang Nong" and other chapters reflect the technology of intensive farming. "Shang Nong" means "Shang Nong" ", expounding the importance of agricultural production, as well as policies and measures to encourage mulberry farming. "Ren Di" and other three papers are the most concentrated and in-depth set of agricultural science and technology in pre-Qin literature, discussing everything from plowing, land preparation, and sowing. A complete set of specific agricultural techniques and principles such as planting, planting, cultivating and weeding, harvesting and farming time, etc., the content is very rich. Among them, "Ren Di" has the nature of a general introduction, and "Bian Tu" and "Examination of Time" have the nature of separate treatises "Ren Di" puts forward ten major issues in agricultural production and the general principles of land use, which are the so-called "generous farming". It also discusses the importance and methods of mastering the farming season. "Bian Tu" mainly talks about farming and cultivation techniques. The method is the so-called "farming method". First, we will talk about some principles of "defining soil" and farming. Then we will talk about preventing the "three thieves" in farming and cultivation, that is, land theft, seedling theft and grass theft. It is urgent to talk about the unreasonable land area. The harm of structure. The technical principles of sowing and cultivating will be discussed in turn in the following. "Review of Time" mainly discusses the importance of mastering the farming time.

The prototype of intensive farming

"Ren Di" and other three articles The emergence of farming marked the initial formation of traditional intensive farming technology. The intensive farming during this period mainly had the following characteristics:

① Deep plowing. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, iron farm tools began to be widely used, which was a historical milestone. It has been confirmed by literature and archaeological excavations. At the same time, cattle farming has also appeared. These have prepared the conditions for the realization of intensive farming in agricultural production. By the Warring States Period, deep farming was widely advocated. Deep farming, to?quot; The degree of deep farming, Yin The soil must be obtained

"The advantage of this is that the cultivated land can make the cultivated land "no grass grows, and there are no moths or insects. This is a beautiful harvest, and here is a beautiful wheat." In addition to the deep requirements, "Lu Shi Chun Qiu Ren Di" also It is proposed that the general principles and some specific principles for adjusting farming should be based on the soil's own conditions. "Lü's Spring and Autumn Period: Ren Di" says: "The most generous way of farming: Those who are strong want softness, and those who are soft want strength; those who rest want to work hard." , Those who are tired want to rest; those who are thorny want to be fat, and those who are fat want thorns; those who are anxious want to slow down, and those who are slow want to be anxious; those who are wet want to be dry, and those who are dry want to be wet." The general meaning of this passage is: Hard soil wants to Make it softer; soft soil should be made harder; the land that has been cultivated for many years should be cultivated; the land that has been cultivated for many years should be left fallow; the thin and barren land should be made fertilized, and the over-fertilized land should be made thinner; The land that is too solid should be made looser, and the land that is too loose should be made firmer; the land that is too wet should be made drier, and the land that is too dry should be made moist. This shows that during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, in soil cultivation We have accumulated considerable experience in this regard.