Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 285, Section 284: Calendar and Solar Terms
How should we fertilize now?

good question.

Because the commoner in front of him said without hesitation, "Sprinkle wood ash and pour manure."

"How dare you offend such an important person's ears!" the steward quickly reprimanded.

"It's alright." Qin Shi shook his head, his gaze fixed intently on the old farmers who were clearly shrinking back in fear after being reprimanded by the village head.

Is that all?

“There is something else…” the other person hesitated, “Sometimes we also collect some hay, manure, wood ash, etc., and pile them up in the fields to slowly compost.”

"But piling it up like this for a long time doesn't produce much fertilizer, and sometimes it even burns the seedlings..."

Qin Shi probably had a general idea of ​​what was going on.

Simply put, composting technology is still in its early stages.

Open-air composting was still used in later generations, but by then farmers had learned to cover it more tightly, use high temperatures for composting, and turn the pile regularly.

It not only enhances fertilizer efficiency but also provides gentler, longer-lasting fertilizer without harming seedlings.

As for pouring manure...

This is not surprising; until around 2000, rural families still used manure for irrigation.

During the Qin Dynasty, I even saw simple outhouses in the countryside, which were no different from those in the Qin Dynasty today.

They dug a pit in the ground, and to ensure that the excrement wasn't wasted, they placed a large earthenware vat inside. Two wooden planks were placed on top of the vat, and that's how they used the toilet.

People need to be extremely careful when stepping on it, and even more so, they need to be very cautious...

In terms of progress, it's not even as advanced as the ancient versions of dry toilets and chamber pots unearthed from Han tombs.

She nodded in agreement: "Your first task is composting."

Everyone was stunned.

The scribe beside him quickly took out bamboo slips and fine pen to record. Although Wu Zi did not move, she was probably serving by the king's side. Which servant girl did not have a strong memory?
Although you won't remember it for long, you can remember it clearly.

Qin Shi said, "Straws, hay, leaves, livestock or human excrement, plus 30% wood ash, add water and mix until moist but not dripping when squeezed in your hand, or even less."

“Pile it up nine feet high and seven feet wide, and make sure to tamp it down firmly on top, then cover it thickly with heavy loads of dry grass.”

"If it rains or snows, the oilcloths should be taken out and covered, or several more layers of straw mats should be added to block the rain and snow."

“If the weather is good every two weeks, the pile must be turned over again…”

She copied all of this from the documents, and it sounded a bit stiff and rigid when she said it now. However, since it only involved two more steps than the original process and there was no technical difficulty, no one objected.

He listened attentively to this secret method, then eagerly asked a question:
"When can this fertilizer be used?"

Qin Shi paused for a moment: "Now that it's cold in winter, it will take two months to be ready. However, composting in spring, summer and autumn takes much longer. I will ask someone to teach you then."

To produce food, all you need are seeds, climate, sunlight, water, and fertilizer.

If fertilizer is applied in sufficient quantities, the yield will naturally be greater.

Starting with this simple composting process, which requires no technical skill, they still have several months left in the long winter, enough time for them to build compost heaps of all sizes.

They could even cultivate some more land on the mountain.

By spring, the soil on the mountain might be fertile and soft.

In comparison, this is already the lowest-cost way to increase yields among farming tips.

In addition, while it is still winter and the soil is not yet frozen, the land must be plowed again.

She brought with her a curved plow, various iron farm tools, and inkstones that could be adapted to local conditions for waterwheels and other inventions...

The other party's glasswork was still not fully understood, but since all that was needed was to study the glass shards, there was no need to keep it in the glass workshop. Therefore, upon hearing that there was now an opportunity to put it into practice, Mo followed along without hesitation when the Queen asked.

Like him, Xin also couldn't wait to come over.

He still took charge of the important work at the cement workshop, but that didn't prevent the Queen from doing what she wanted; he had prior knowledge of it.

Unlike the focused Mo, Xin has clear plans and requirements for his future.

He has already experienced family changes and is now serving as an official in the court. How could he have achieved such rapid success as serving by the Queen's side?
The Chief of the Imperial Carriage Office held a high position beside the King, and he desired the same position beside the Queen.

Although Chi Nu Wu Zi was also intelligent, she had not systematically studied poetry, literature, or the opinions of great scholars, so her starting point was lower than his.

Before all the talented people in the world fall into his trap, he naturally needs to show his abilities in every aspect.

……

at the same time.

While in Xianyang Palace, Ji Heng also raised the matter of performing the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai in Zhangtai Palace.

He and his officials had long planned this matter, and now he was raising it to ask the Grand Astrologer to calculate an auspicious day.

The Grand Astrologer Yuan Xin had grown another year older, but his spirit was still radiant, showing no signs of aging.

He smiled and said, "Spring is the season of growth and renewal, and the Fengshan ceremony is to be held this spring, which is just right."

Wang Fu hesitated for a moment: "If we set out too early, before spring has even begun, the weather on Mount Tai will be bitterly cold—Your Majesty, it would be better to set out in the third month of spring."

The fields along the way should be prepared at this time, and the king can observe the various aspects of people's lives as he travels.

The Grand Astrologer did not object: "Indeed, the three months of spring are a good time. The early spring thunder dispels the bad luck. Then there is new life. We should respectfully inform Heaven of this, and the gods will naturally be pleased... I will go back and calculate it carefully later."

only……

Wang Fu then asked, "Does Your Majesty intend to go with the Queen?"

“Indeed,” Ji Heng said calmly. “The Queen is blessed by Heaven, and it was she who proposed the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai. My Queen of Qin is certainly qualified to go.”

Wang Fu had guessed it earlier.

Compared to the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai, he would have much rather heard the good news that the Queen was pregnant. What a pity...

Various worries still lingered in his mind, but before he could say anything more, the Grand Historian said, "Your Majesty, the Queen once gave me a secret method for the changing seasons and the arrangement of agricultural time."

"It would take decades to compare them one by one. But my Qin state has been waiting for so long, which is perhaps too cautious."

"Since spring plowing has not yet begun in the third month of spring, if this solar term is truly suitable, should Your Majesty promulgate a new calendar and solar terms?"

Calendar?

The so-called "Chonghua grasps the calendar, holds the balance and embraces the celestial sphere" refers to this.

Calendars are of great importance and have always been the domain of monarchs; any changes to them must be made with utmost care.

Especially when everyone in the world relied on this calendar.

Now they suddenly want to change it, and it's a new calendar proposed by the Queen...

Ji Heng and Wang Fu both frowned at the same time.

It's not that I don't believe it, but such an important matter requires special caution.

However, the Grand Astrologer Yuan Xin had served three dynasties. Since he was willing to say this, he must have been constantly observing these days and was certain that the new calendar was more accurate than the current Zhuanxu calendar.

At this moment, the Grand Astrologer reported back: "This calendar contains twenty-four solar terms, and each corresponding solar term day has corresponding planting techniques..."

Ji Heng made a decisive decision: "Present the new calendar before the Fengshan ceremony."

(End of this chapter)