Chapter 305: Dengzhou hills turn into orchards Zhao Yingluo smiled slightly and began to describe the characteristics and advantages of Red Fuji apples to He Wenze in detail. She talked about the advantages of red Fuji apples such as their large size, bright color, delicious taste, and storage resistance. He Wenze listened with great interest and nodded in agreement from time to time. He knew that Zhao Yingluo's wisdom and knowledge were extraordinary, so he naturally believed in her proposal. "Your Highness the Princess's idea is really wonderful!" He Wenze admired sincerely, "It's just that we have never heard of this red Fujinai, and we can't find it." Zhao Yingluo said confidently: "Don't worry about this, I will find a way to introduce this variety of Fuji. And I believe that as long as we work together to promote the planting of red Fuji in Dengzhou, there will be one more species on the dining tables of the people of the Song Dynasty. Delicious fruit.” He Wenze was very excited when he heard this: "Her Royal Highness the Princess is really far-sighted! I will give my full support to your plan!" Shortly after Zhao Yingluo sent a messenger to Kaifeng, Jiang Laosi, the Minister of Agriculture, received the order. Without any hesitation, he immediately selected a group of farmers who were proficient in fruit tree planting techniques and hurried to Dengzhou. Their hearts were full of doubts, wondering what the purpose of Her Royal Highness's summons was.
After half a month of journey, Jiang Laosi and his party finally arrived in Dengzhou. They were led by the waiting guards at the city gate and went straight to the princess's temporary residence. "Your Royal Highness, Jiang Laosi has been ordered to come here. I wonder what your Highness's orders are?" Zhao Yingluo smiled slightly, signaled Jiang Laosi to get up, and then slowly told her plan: "Shilang Jiang, I have summoned you here this time because I hope you will try to plant a species called 'Dengzhou' in the hilly areas of Dengzhou. Apple's New Variety of Fruit Trees." A trace of surprise flashed in Jiang Laosi's eyes, but he soon regained his composure. He asked respectfully: "May I ask, Your Highness, what is so special about this 'Dengzhou Apple'? Does it require special attention from us farmers?" Zhao Yingluo nodded and introduced the characteristics and planting points of this apple to Jiang Laosi in detail. The reason why she changed the name of the Red Fuji apple to "Dengzhou Apple" was to make the apple more closely connected with the land and become a characteristic product of Dengzhou. After detailed discussions, Zhao Yingluo decided to personally lead Jiang Laosi and others to a small hill suitable for growing apples for a field trip. The group followed the prefect He Wenze to a hill with beautiful scenery. The terrain here is undulating and the soil is fertile, making it an ideal place for growing apples. Zhao Yingluo ordered her maid Xia He to take out several apple seedlings from the car. She carefully planted these apple seedlings in the pre-selected place. While planting, she said to Jiang Laosi and the farmers: "These are the saplings of 'Dengzhou Apple'. Take a look at their growth and understand their growth habits. Next, we will grow in this hilly area." This kind of apple is planted in a large area, and I hope you can take good care of them and make 'Dengzhou Apple' another special product of our Song Dynasty." After planting the "Dengzhou Apple" saplings, Zhao Yingluo did not relax. She knew that the survival and growth of the saplings required careful management. So, in the following days, she decided to personally guide Jiang Laosi and the farmers on how to manage apple trees, including important links such as grafting and pruning. "Grafting is an important method of fruit tree propagation, which allows us to obtain high-quality fruit trees faster." Zhao Yingluo stood in the orchard, holding a sharp grafting knife, explaining to the farmers watching. She selected several healthy apple trees as rootstocks and then selected scions with excellent traits. "The key to grafting lies in the selection of the scion and rootstock, as well as the mastery of grafting technology." Zhao Yingluo said and demonstrated. She gently peeled off the bottom of the scion to expose the cambium layer, then selected a suitable position on the rootstock, and quickly And insert the scion accurately. Finally, she ties the scion and stock together tightly with string to ensure they hold together tightly. "After grafting is completed, pay attention to protecting the interface from pests and diseases, and keeping the soil moist to facilitate the survival of the scion." Zhao Yingluo warned. Next is the pruning stage.
Zhao Yingluo told the farmers: "Pruning is crucial to the growth of fruit trees. Through pruning, we can control the tree shape and improve the ventilation and light transmittance of the fruit trees, thereby increasing the yield and quality of the fruit." She picked up a pair of pruning shears and began to demonstrate how to prune the branches. She first cut off some branches that were too dense and too weak to make the tree look more cheerful. Then, she cut off some diseased branches, insect branches and crossing branches to reduce the occurrence of diseases and insect pests. "When pruning, we must follow the principle of 'leaving strong branches and removing weak ones, leaving thin branches and removing dense branches' to ensure that fruit trees can grow healthily." Zhao Yingluo explained. Jiang Laosi and the farmers watched with great interest. Under Zhao Yingluo's careful guidance, they gradually mastered the technical essentials of grafting and pruning. After briefly demonstrating the techniques of grafting and pruning, Zhao Yingluo took out a carefully compiled booklet from her sleeve, and the cover was carefully tied with string. She solemnly handed the booklet to Jiang Laosi and said: "Shilang Jiang, this is an apple planting manual compiled by me based on previous experience and some of my own experiences. It records in detail everything from site selection, breeding, grafting, and pruning." I hope you can read it carefully and pass it on to these farmers.” Jiang Laosi took the book with both hands and felt its heavy weight. He knew well the great responsibility of this . He replied respectfully: "Your Highness, don't worry, Jiang will do his best to impart this knowledge to every farmer, and live up to Your Highness's trust." Zhao Yingluo nodded, satisfied with Jiang Laosi's promise. Then, she turned around and said to He Wenze: "Master He, I hope you can recruit farmers extensively in Dengzhou to develop these hilly areas. We not only want to make these hills a fertile soil for the growth of fruit trees, but also make it a place to increase the number of people in Dengzhou." A cornucopia of income for the people of the state.” He Wenze bowed and responded: "Your Highness, don't worry, I will get started immediately. We will definitely make this hilly area glow with new vitality and bring tangible benefits to the people of Dengzhou." Jiang Laosi also echoed: "Yes, Your Royal Highness, with your guidance and this manual, we are confident that we can turn these hills into mountains of gold and silver." Zhao Yingluo smiled slightly and said, "Then I'll leave it to you two adults. I believe that under your leadership, Dengzhou's agriculture will surely gain new vitality." After explaining everything clearly, Zhao Yingluo set off to return to Kaifeng. Because there are more court affairs in Kaifeng waiting for her to deal with. Now artillery supplies have been provided to Wanyan Zongyi. If everything goes well, it is expected that the Jin Kingdom will be in civil strife in the spring of the next year. The Song Dynasty must be fully prepared before the civil strife in Jin Dynasty.