What does Xiaoman, one of the 24 solar terms, mean to agriculture?
Xiaoman is one of the 24 solar terms in a year and the second solar term after summer. The implication is that the seeds of crops are full, but they are not fully mature, especially the wheat in the Yellow River valley. At this time, the ears of wheat are full and are about to enter maturity, and early rice in some places in the south is gradually maturing.
As one of the important solar terms, what are the obvious phenological phenomena of Xiaoman? Xiaoman has three stages: the first stage is bitter vegetable show, the second stage is weeds withering, and the third stage is mild summer. Bitter vegetable show: Ya Ya takes tea as bitter vegetable. Shi Mao said, "Who suffers in tea?" Yeah, yeah. Bao said, "It is bitter to feel the gas of fire." Er Ya said, "Those who are disrespectful and dishonest are called beautiful, and those who are disrespectful and dishonest are called English." This painful experience, speaking English is perfect.
Bao said, "It is bitter to feel the gas of fire." Cai Yong's "Moon Order" refers to a little bitter walking with a stem. A grass died; Zheng Kangcheng and Bao Jingxiang both said: A grass belongs to Zhan Bi. Note in the Book of Rites: "The branches and leaves of the grass are not fine." Fang said: "Anyone born in Yang is strong; Born in the shade, soft and weak. "It is said that the grass destroys the people, and it is also born in Yin, and it is impossible to die in Yang. It turned out to be the summer solstice, and later the record in the Book of Golden History was changed to the autumn solstice.
"Moon Order": "Wheat autumn to April; The summer of solstice is in May. Xiaoman is in the middle of April, so it's easy. Autumn is the time when a hundred grains are ripe, which means that although it is summer, wheat is autumn, so it is also the cloud of wheat autumn. " Judging from the climate characteristics, from Xiaoman solar term to the next Mang solar term, all parts of the country entered summer one after another, the temperature difference between north and south further narrowed, and precipitation further increased.
During this period, in addition to the yellowing of wheat in the early stage, silkworms began to spin cocoons, mulberries gradually turned red and matured, cherries, loquats and other fruits matured one after another, and fresh garlic moss and open-field cucumbers also came to farmers' tables one after another. Xiaoman's diet is more suitable for bitter food, such as bitter vegetables and bitter melons.
On the day of Xiaoman, people generally offered sacrifices to Shennong the Great. Shennong is the ancient Shennong. He not only taught people to farm, but also personally picked and tried herbs to relieve people's suffering. He played an important role in the development of China civilization and was honored as Shennong the Great by the Chinese nation. Therefore, both agriculture and medicine are believed by people.