宋代东南丘陵的绿肥与火粪及其后世演变

Green Manure and Smoked Manure in Southeast China Hilly Areas during Song Dynasty and Their Evolution in Later Ages

传统农业里,绿肥是春耕前稻田的基肥,在水稻的生长过程中起着重要作用;同样,火粪之利众多,可改良农田,利于耕作。在宋代东南丘陵地区,农民虽认识到绿肥的功用,但是绿肥种植处于起步状态,并不普遍;而农民获取火粪的方式则是野烧与烧田。不过宋代以降,绿肥作物的推广种植同时伴随着烧田制作火粪的退缩。绿肥在后世的演变反映出在人口不断增长的背景下,农民为了增产,不断开辟肥源,寻找肥力更好的绿肥植物;而烧田的退缩则表明农人选择更高效的肥料。

Green manure is the fundamental fertilizer for paddy fields before the spring plowing in China’s traditional agricultural practice,and it plays an important role in rice growth.Similarly,smoked manure also has plenty of advantages,and can improve farmland and facilitate farming.During the Song Dynasty,the farmers in Southeast China hilly areas realized the benefits of green manure,but planting green manure crops was still in the initial stage and was uncommon.They got smoked manure simply by burning weeds and straws in the fields.In the later ages,planting green manure crops was popularized and it was accompanied by the decline of burning fields.Such evolution reflects that under the background of population increase,famers constantly expanded fertilizer resources and sought for more effective green manure crops in order to increase agricultural production.The decline of burning fields indicates they chose more effective fertilizer.