A large number of agricultural books appeared during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. According to incomplete statistics, there are more than 150 kinds. The largest ones are "Agricultural Policy Encyclopedia" and "Time Service Examination". "Shishi Tongkao" is an official agricultural book. It mainly collects data and does not create anything new. However, a large number of local agricultural books are very valuable in agriculture. For example, the "Outline of Knowledge" by Yang Xiu of the Qing Dynasty focuses on farming, sericulture, arboriculture, and animal husbandry in Shaanxi and Shanxi. The content is practical and of great practical value.
Baodi's Letter to Encourage Farmers written by Yuan Huang in the Ming Dynasty was written when the author was the magistrate of Baodi County, Hebei Province. The whole book includes eight chapters on weather, location, field system, sowing, tillage, irrigation, manure, and horticulture. The "field system" includes well fields, district fields, enclosed fields, Tu fields, and Sha fields. All are accompanied by pictures; "Irrigation" includes twelve pictures of a large water fence, a sluice, a pond, a pond, a waterwheel, a waterwheel, an ox-drawn waterwheel, a barrel cart, a wooden barrel, a trough, a bucket, and a high cart. It provides valuable technical information; "Dung Soil" describes the methods of stepping on dung, pitting dung, steaming dung, brewing dung, simmering dung, and boiling dung, all of which are summarized based on the characteristics of dung production in the north. It is quite practical to adapt measures to local conditions.
In "Mashou Nongyan" written by Qi Yuzao in the Qing Dynasty, it is divided into terrain and climate, planting, agricultural equipment, agricultural shovels, fortune telling, dialects, grain diseases, grain prices, water conservancy, animal husbandry, famine preparation, and temples. It contains ten articles on sacrifices, weaving affairs, and miscellaneous stories. It describes the agricultural production technology of Shouyang County in Shanxi Province (called Ma Shou in ancient times) and quotes a large number of opinions and experiences of people at that time. It is an agricultural technology book with local characteristics.
The commodity economy developed during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, agricultural products became increasingly commercialized, and the number of landowners increased. Some landowners summarized their management practices in books, which is also an achievement in agriculture. The first such book is "Shen's Agricultural Book".
"Shen's Farm Book" was written by the Huzhou native "Lianzhou Shen", edited by Zhang Luxiang in the early Qing Dynasty, and included in "The Complete Works of Mr. Yang Yuan". The book is divided into five parts: "Monthly Matters", which is an outline of farmers' monthly orders, divided into four categories: sunny weather, rainy weather, miscellaneous crops, and preparation; "Farming Methods", which talks about paddy field farming techniques; "Sericulture" talks about sericulture. Planting mulberry and raising livestock; "Daily daily necessities" is the daily family motto of landowners; "District Field Method" talks about planting methods to resist drought and conserve moisture in the north. "Nong Yan Shi Shi" and "Mountain Ju Suo Yan" are also of this type
Special books on famine relief during the Ming and Qing Dynasties were also one of the new achievements in agriculture. For example, Zhu Shi's "Herbal Medicine for Famine Rescue" recorded 414 species of life-saving plants in Henan Province, and 138 of them were found in the previous generation. species, and the rest were collected by the author from botanical gardens in various places, and he personally observed the characteristics and growth conditions, recording the origin, name, shape characteristics, nature and flavor, cooking methods, etc., especially the roots, stems, flowers, leaves, and fruits of the plants. It has realistic illustrations. It is known as the most scientific botanical book in China in the 15th century.
Wang Pan's "Wild Vegetable Manual" in the Ming Dynasty, "Rucao Bian" by Zhou Lvjing and "Ode to Wild Vegetables" by Gu Jingxing in the Qing Dynasty. This type of work belongs to this category.
The emergence of a large number of special books on locust control during the Ming and Qing Dynasties is also one of the characteristics of agriculture, such as Gu Yan's "Locust Control Complete Book" and Zhiling's "Eight Essentials for Removing Locusts". , Li Xingfu's "Three Essential Methods for Catching and Eliminating Locusts", etc. "Eight Essentials for Eliminating Locusts" is divided into digging wasteland, digging trenches, paying for wheat harvest, placing bags, treading diligently, supporting labor, being responsible for regular reconnaissance, and repairing provinces. Eight ways to get rid of locusts. These special books are a summary of people's experience in fighting locusts during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.