Chapter 436: Three Lives of Fortune
"Is this the white radish? Is this how it is planted?" Song Xuanyu looked at the seedlings in the wooden lattice, very puzzled.
Are the exotic flowers and plants growing in the forbidden gardens of the deep palace really suitable for promotion since they are so delicate?
"This is seedling cultivation. It's the same principle as the rice in the field. We need to cultivate seedlings to increase the survival rate," Su Ying explained.
"This is a problem. If we want to promote it on a large scale, how many wooden grids will we need? Is there any simple way?" Song Xuanyu asked.
“Yes, if you really want to plant on a large scale, it’s just like rice. You use a piece of land to sow the seeds, and then let the seedlings grow for more than a month before digging them out and transplanting them.
Dig furrows and ridges and plant at a certain distance. After the cotton blooms and produces seeds, it will grow white fibers and can be harvested around autumn.
The fibers can be spun into yarn and then woven into cloth, and the seeds are not just for use as seeds, they can also be pressed for edible oil,” Su Ying said.
"Edible?" Song Xuanyu's eyes widened. "In that case, the white stalks can be considered a treasure! The stalks can also be used as firewood."
"I guess so!" Su Ying smiled.
"I heard that there are new and improved textile machines and silk reeling machines here?" Song Xuanyu said with a turn of his eyes.
"Yes, why don't you have it in Xingzhou?" Su Ying was surprised.
These things have long been reported back to Chang'an. Could it be that the court didn't take them seriously?
"How could it spread so quickly? The Chief Engineer and the Ministry of Works have leaked the blueprints, but they haven't gone beyond Sanbai. You can't see the real thing on the market, let alone the blueprints." Song Xuanyu smiled bitterly.
It has long been in the hands of certain people, who use it in their own farms and do not allow it to be passed on to outsiders, which invisibly hinders the spread of advanced and improved equipment.
"The provincial workshop has blueprints. I only provided a schematic. The workshop has been through many trials and adjustments..."
"No need, I just want to see the real thing!" Song Xuanyu interrupted. Music, chess, calligraphy, painting, riding and shooting were all no problem for him.
As long as you have the real object, you can draw it, measure it, and mark the dimensions. How easy is that!
"Well, it's at home. I can watch it in a while!" Su Ying found that there were times when her mind couldn't work properly.
"Thank you. In a few years, Xingzhou will be able to develop into the hometown of Baidiezi, and then open a large textile factory to produce and process a full line!" Song Xuanyu's eyes flashed with light.
"Uh, Lord Song, planting is no problem, but weaving is not!" Su Ying shook her head.
"Why? Xingzhou has a vast territory, with thousands of miles of fertile land, perfect for growing white sedge. It also has a dense population and convenient transportation, both by land and water.
"Spinning it into yarn and then weaving it into cloth would allow so many people to earn a living and become a hallmark of Xingzhou, just like Wuzhou," Song Xuanyu said frankly.
"I know what Lord Song means!" Su Ying smiled, "Lord Song is a rare man of action!
But spinning is not possible! Not only in Xingzhou, but also in the entire Henan and Hebei provinces!"
"Why? Why can't we spin yarn? Lord Su, is there something behind this?" Song Xuanyu is very good at capturing key words.
"Because of the climate! Henan and Hebei provinces have ample sunshine and a dry climate, which is very suitable for the growth of white cotton. The cotton fibers are long and tough.
However, the dry climate makes cotton fibers fragile and easily broken during weaving, resulting in high yarn loss and easy breakage, making the cotton cloth weak.
Su Ying admired this far-sighted county magistrate very much. He could see the development trend in a few years from Baidiezi, instead of just focusing on the present.
"Oh, textiles are also related to climate?" Song Xuanyu learned new knowledge.
"According to Master Xiao Su, weaving is best done in a humid climate? A place with many rivers and lakes?"
"Yes! The best place for textile production is Jiangnan. In the future, there will be a situation where planting will flourish in Henan and Hebei, and textile production will flourish in Jiangnan." Su Ying nodded.
"No wonder!" Song Xuanyu was silent for a moment.
"No wonder Gaochang Baidiezi has such a long history, yet its uses haven't been fully developed! It's probably due to climate restrictions."
The white daisy has a history of not just one or two years, but hundreds or even thousands of years in Gaochang, and has always been cultivated as an ornamental flower for the nobility.
It's such a pity for Gaochang that he has such a great treasure but doesn't know how to use it!
Song Xuanyu's heart was burning with desire, he really wanted to gallop across the battlefield, sweep across the Western Regions, and incorporate Gaochang into the territory of the Tang Dynasty.
"But the weaving machine is also very good at weaving silk!" Su Ying encouraged.
The sericulture industry was initially mainly distributed in the Yellow River basin, but gradually moved southward with the development of history.
After the Anshi Rebellion, the economic center moved south, and the rise of the Maritime Silk Road greatly stimulated the development of the southern sericulture industry.
Due to the influence of multiple factors, the sericulture industry has developed into three major regions: the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and the Sichuan Basin.
In the early Tang Dynasty, the sericulture industry in Henan and Hebei was quite prosperous, and the improved silk reeling machines and textile machines were also very practical in the north.
"Thank you!" Song Xuanyu said with a bow, "May I have a look at your colorful silkworms?"
"Please come in!" Su Ying brought the two of them to the old house,
There was a large open space in the corner of the yard where sugarcane was planted. The children had taken care of it themselves, including planting a lot outside the wooden stakes. Su Ying didn't care about it anymore.
"Wow, this sugarcane is growing well!" Song Xuanyu walked closer and saw that it was a sugarcane seedling more than a foot long.
"The children want to eat it, so we grow it ourselves!" Su Ying saw Song Xuanyu's burning eyes and asked, "Master Song, do you want to take it back to the north to plant it?"
"Haha, I'm afraid I won't survive!" Song Xuanyu said embarrassedly when his intention was seen through.
"No, although the climate in the north is cold, the planting time can be moved slightly back to March, and the harvest time will be in November or December at the end of the year." Su Ying replied.
"Really?" Song Xuanyu couldn't take his eyes off the sugar cane. The more he looked at it, the more he liked it.
"Can these southern crops survive in the north?"
"After the sugarcane harvest, you can purchase a batch and send it back to the north for trial planting. The approximate timeframe is March. If the temperature hasn't risen yet, you can postpone it for a few days.
"The temperatures in the north and south are roughly the same in the intervening months, so the sugarcane should be able to grow." Su Ying urged.
"How do you grow sugarcane? I heard that the sugarcanes here are all grown according to your method, and they grow thick, juicy and sweet." Song Xuanyu was tempted and decided to get a batch to try planting in the north.
"I'll write down the planting method for you later. Come on, don't you want to see the colorful silkworms?" Su Ying saw that Song Xuanyu had forgotten about the important matter.
"Oh, there are so many things in Huanggou Village!" Song Xuanyu stood up.
"Master Su, why don't you compile a book on agriculture? Including it in the women's official schools and county schools can not only promote and popularize it, but also train professional talents for the county government."
Su Ying looked at Song Xuanyu without saying anything. Does that mean those who are capable should do more work?
"Haha, Lord Su will write a book and his name will be recorded in history!" Song Xuanyu realized that he was asking for too much and hurriedly flattered him.
No matter how many holes there are, flattery will never wear out.
"Pfft!" Su Ying was amused and shook her head, "I didn't realize that Lord Song is quite good at commanding people!"
"Haha, if I had the talent of Master Xiao Su, why would anyone else do it?" Song Xuanyu said with a smile, "I'm so lucky to have met Master Xiao Su! I've benefited a lot from it!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
