六道、首种、六种考

TEXTUAL RESEARCH ON LIU DAO;SHOU ZHONG AND LU ZHONG

“六道”、“首种”、“六种”是古农书中的几个词汇、迄今尚无确诂。前人多以为，“六道”是指田地中一年可以接连种植的六期作物，尽管具体是哪六期不详，而“首种”则是其中最早种植的作物，“六种”可能即“六道”。该文作者从农业史，特别是粮食作物史的角度对此进行了考证。认为“六道”，即六谷，是指六种主要的农作物，即禾、黍、稻、麻、菽、麦；“首种”原本是指主要作物中最重要的作物，但由于粮食作物构成的变化，春秋、战国以前的首种指的是稷（粟），而秦汉以后，首种则指的是麦；而“六种”，即陆种，出现于南方农业生产中，与水种之稻相对，指的是旱地作物。

This paper makes a study of the words liu dao;shou zhong and in zhong appearing in ancient Chinese agricultural treatises. It holds that liu dao means the six main crops; namely;millet; broomcorn millet; wheat; soybean; rice and hemp; shou zhong means the most important crop; but owing to the change of grain composition in history; millet; which had been the most important crOP before the Qin Dynasty;gave its place to wheat afterwards; ; also written as; means upland crops; contrary to the rice growing in the paddy field.