The first person to start managing saline-alkali land was Wang Yingjiao, who was appointed as the coastal defense governor of Tianjin Denglai and other places in the 26th year of Wanli.
He organized farmers and soldiers to build dikes, dams, and ditches to store fresh water, and then use the fresh water to flush the saline-alkali land to achieve the purpose of washing salt.
After a period of management, the yield of paddy fields reached four or five shi per mu, and the yield of dry crops reached one or two shi per mu, with a significant increase in output.
The second person to suggest the management of saline-alkali land was none other than Xu Guangqi, Paul Xu, a Shanghai native who firmly believed that "there is no waste land in the world, and people are sick when they eat."
At that time, the coastal areas of Tianjin were covered with endless weeds and reeds, and "only the Gegu Highlands in Jinghai County were turned into fields."
Xu Guangqi wrote home: "For years I have been discussing the issue of land reclamation in the northwest, but I have no comrades to start it. Now in Tianjin, there are countless wastelands. The most expensive land is only 6 or 7 cents per mu, and the cheapest is only 2 or 3 cents... Anyone can cultivate it and graze cattle and sheep."
Otherwise, why do we say that knowledge is wealth and technology is power? Others can see the wealth contained in the wasteland that others despise.
Xu Guangqi purchased about 20 hectares of land in Tianjin, half of which he used as an enclosure. "He built a circle around it, forming a continuous ring. Following the terrain, he built large banks on each side, with smaller banks in between. Under the banks were ditches, which served as ponds. The water outside protected the crops inside."
From the 41st to the 45th year of the Wanli reign, Xu Guangqi conducted military farming experiments in Tianjin, accumulating a large amount of experience and information, and solving the problem of growing rice. Sweet potatoes were also successfully planted during this period.
Xu Guangqi also discovered that sweet potatoes grown in the drylands of the north had better quality and taste than those grown in the rainier south. He proudly remarked, "It's almost like oranges growing beyond the Huai River don't become bitter oranges."
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