Chapter 733: Being a Leader in Scientific Farming

To promote the use of chemical fertilizer, the state compiled many new agricultural proverbs.

In the past, it was said, "A crop is like a flower, it all depends on the fertilizer."

Now it is, "If you want good crops, you can't do without chemical fertilizer."

However, the current farmers generally don't have a high level of education and rely heavily on experience for farming. Although Northern Xinjiang is different from the interior, farmers here have slowly accepted the benefits of scientific farming, but they are still hesitating and exploring how to use chemical fertilizer.

After all, the types of chemical fertilizer needed for each crop are different, and they also need to be matched according to the acidity and alkalinity of the soil.

To solve this problem, the authorities slowly set up agricultural technology promotion schools in every township. Children who graduated from junior high school but didn't get into high school could go there to study for a year.

What was taught there was how to farm scientifically, how to use chemical fertilizer and pesticides scientifically, etc.

In his previous life, Li Juan didn't get into high school, technical secondary school, or normal school, so she finally went to the agricultural broadcasting school.

But to be honest, what the agricultural broadcasting school taught wasn't profound. Later, because of the popularization of technology, the school was discontinued.

A feeling of mission accomplished.

Hearing Li Long say that chemical fertilizer must be used, Xu Chengjun was thoughtful, and Tao Daqiang nodded and said:

"I think it's feasible. To be honest, the chemical fertilizer used in my family's fields this year was more than last year, and I think the grain, especially the wheat, was harvested more than last year."

At this time, two hundred kilograms of wheat per mu was already very good land. The yield-increasing effect of farm manure wasn't very large, but using chemical fertilizer could increase the yield by ten or twenty percent.

"The family foundations of each household in our team are okay, using chemical fertilizer isn't impossible, it's just that some people are reluctant," Xu Chengjun said. "Other teams aren't, the family foundation isn't good, and this chemical fertilizer isn't cheap. Using too little doesn't have much effect."

Northern Xinjiang is vast and sparsely populated, and every family has at least ten or twenty mu of cultivated land. Even if one mu of land uses two bags of chemical fertilizer, that's a not-so-small investment.

The Fourth Team has Li Long, and there is extra income every year, so buying a few bags of chemical fertilizer isn't too much of a burden. Other teams are different.

But many people in the Fourth Team are reluctant to use more chemical fertilizer. In their view, that has the suspicion of having an exaggerated effect.

"Little Long, if you say this, everyone will believe it," Xie Yun Dong said with a smile while cracking melon seeds. "Everyone has seen what you've done in the past two years. As long as you say chemical fertilizer is useful, everyone will definitely buy more chemical fertilizer next year."

"That won't do, everyone will think I'm pulling business for my father-in-law's shop," Li Long shook his head. "I can't say it. We'll just use it ourselves. Use more chemical fertilizer, and when the time comes, more grain will be produced. When autumn comes, others will understand—next year I'll see if I can invite a professor from the Autonomous Region Agricultural Academy over. When the time comes, he can tell everyone what to plant and what fertilizer to use. We won't use it indiscriminately, and there will definitely be benefits."

"Really? Can you invite an expert over?" Xu Chengjun's eyes lit up when he heard this. "If you can invite an expert over, the team will give you a subsidy! How long can that expert stay? One day, two days? Can he stay for a few more days?"

"At least half a month, right?" Li Long thought and said, "They are coming to study that saline-alkali land of mine, to see if good things can be planted. I'm thinking of developing that piece of land."

"What? Helping you study that saline-alkali land?" Xu Chengjun's eyes widened. "Are you bragging? Experts and professors come over just to help you study saline-alkali land? How much money did you spend to invite them?"

"Didn't spend any money? I just provide them with a place to stay. Those few houses in the old horse corral, just clean them up when the time comes," Li Long smiled and said, "Really, Captain, I wouldn't lie to you about this."

Li Jianguo already knew beforehand, so he wasn't surprised, but Xie Yun Dong and Tao Daqiang didn't know clearly, and they were also very surprised.

What kind of status is a professor from the Autonomous Region Agricultural Academy? Running to the Fourth Team to help Li Long study how to plant things in saline-alkali land? Did Li Long drink too much?

But he didn't drink alcohol?

"I'm telling the truth. When they come over next spring, you'll know. Of course, they aren't coming specifically to help me, this is also their research project," Li Long said.

"Hey, if they really come over, regardless of whether it's a research project, the team will give you a subsidy!" Although Xu Chengjun only graduated from elementary school and didn't even go to junior high, he was quite respectful to educated people. Moreover, the one coming this time was a professor from the Agricultural Academy!

Li Long often went to the Agricultural Academy to ask professors how to plant watermelon seeds. This matter had spread throughout the team. Now, a professor from the Agricultural Academy was coming to help Li Long with the planting in saline-alkali land. If this spread, how many jaws would drop?

Regardless of whether the professor was coming for research or to help Li Long, as long as the person arrived at the Fourth Team, couldn't the problems in planting in the Fourth Team be asked at any time?

People who couldn't be invited even if asked at ordinary times, now that they were coming voluntarily, shouldn't the Fourth Team receive them enthusiastically?

"When the time comes, don't worry about the cleaning work of the old horse corral, the team will take care of it. Regarding food and lodging, the team will prepare! The team's account has had some money in the past two years, the team will be responsible for the reception!" Xu Chengjun didn't expect that coming over to talk about militia training could have such a big harvest. His mood immediately became different, feeling like he was smiling from ear to ear: "Little Long, I feel that since you came back from Wucheng that year, you have had a big change. It seems Wucheng is still quite good. I'm thinking that when Mingwa grows up a bit, if he can't get into high school, I'll send him there for further study too."

Xu Chengjun's words were very sincere. Li Long felt a bit ashamed when hearing them—if it weren't for living a second life, the time spent in Wucheng wouldn't have brought him anything good, only vanity, arrogance, and reckless spending.

But it wasn't easy to say this at the moment. He just said vaguely:

"Let Mingwa study well. When the time comes, getting into technical secondary school, normal school, or high school is better than being a worker."

"That's true, but my Mingwa is not like Old Li's Li Juan and Qiangqiang. Their learning is so good, my Mingwa... I dare not think about it."

Li Jianguo listened and smiled, his face reserved but proud.

Li Juan and Li Qiang's academic performance was getting better and better. The midterm exam had just finished. Li Juan got second in the grade, first in the class; Li Qiang got second in the class.

At this rate, getting into high school definitely wouldn't be a problem for the two of them.

Regarding whether Li Juan and Li Qiang should go to high school and university or technical secondary school, Li Jianguo actually had a tendency. He only went to junior high school himself, and because of family difficulties, he didn't even finish junior high.

After coming to the Fourth Team, because his relationship with Gu Bo Yuan was considered not bad, he, a junior high dropout, chatted well with Gu Bo Yuan, and from this, he knew the erudition of university students, and even more regretted not being able to continue his studies.

This regret made him want to place it on his children—of course, Li Jianguo never said it, he just hoped. He was thinking of letting Li Juan get into high school and university. As for what Li Juan thought after graduating from junior high, it would depend on the situation then.

But in any case, the studies of Li Juan and Li Qiang were top-notch among children of the same age in the village. This point made the parents very gratified.

After the topic circled around the children, it finally returned to planting. After all, they were farmers, and they had thoughts about what to plant.

Li Long took the opportunity to say some precautions mentioned by Professor Wu at the time.

"Watermelon seeds and watermelons are actually very land-consuming crops. If you plant them the first year and then plant them the second year, the yield definitely won't be as good as the first year. If you plant them for three years, the land will be ruined." Li Long admired and believed in Professor Wu very much. He continued:

"Watermelon seeds need to be planted in sandy land to be relatively good. There is good land in our team, and there is quite a bit of saline-alkali land, but there is relatively little sandy land. If you want to plant watermelon seeds next year and want to have the yield of our past two years, it's basically impossible."

"Then if the yield can't go up, and the price can't rise, wouldn't planting next year be a big loss?" Xie Yun Dong knew that some people wouldn't listen to persuasion and insisted on planting watermelon seeds.

He was relatively worried.

"There's no way, no one has eyes in the back of their head. The price hasn't come down yet, and what's planted next year hasn't come out yet. If you say this, others won't believe it," Xu Chengjun knew that several of his uncles and brothers were going to plant watermelon seeds. He could persuade a few, but some definitely wouldn't listen to persuasion. Li Long waved his hand and said:

"We've put the words out, the matter is just like this. When it's planted next year, they'll know—anyway, we've already said it in advance. If they don't listen, that's their business. Regardless of what we plant next year, the fertilizer that should be used must be used more.

The effect of farm manure is slow, and there are few people raising cattle and sheep in our team, so there is little farm manure itself. Now that all our families can afford chemical fertilizer, let's use more chemical fertilizer.

Calculate the account, a bag of chemical fertilizer is ten-something yuan, the harvest grown from sprinkling it in the field is worth more than twenty-something yuan, that's profit, right?"

Li Long promoting chemical fertilizer so hard was actually really wanting to lead the team members onto the path of scientific farming—at least a few years ahead of his previous life.

After all, thirty or forty years later, farming is the foundation. There is a lot of land in the village, everyone can buy buildings in the county, Shicheng, and the prefecture, and send their children to Wucheng to study. Isn't that money all coming from the land?

Focusing attention on the land in advance and eating the dividends of the land in advance, only then will they lay out in advance later.

Equipment like large wheeled tractors and cotton pickers, the villagers of the Fourth Team can completely buy, use, and benefit from in advance.

But the actual situation isn't like this.

In the afternoon, when Li Long drove the jeep to pull Gu Xiaoxia and the others back to the large courtyard, the news had already spread in the team that a professor from the Agricultural Academy was coming to live in the horse corral next year to help Li Long transform the saline-alkali land.

And at the same time, what spread was Li Long's prediction about the planting requirements of watermelon seeds, the application of chemical fertilizer, and the price drop of watermelon seeds.

!

If it were just Li Long saying that the price of watermelon seeds wouldn't be good next year and the planting requirements for watermelon seeds were high, then everyone would just say that their family made money and didn't want others to make money.

But adding to this that a professor from the Agricultural Academy would come to help Li Long transform the saline-alkali land, then Li Long's words together had weight.

Some people who were originally determined to plant watermelon seeds on a large scale next year were now also hesitating.

However, most people still thought about planting. Anyway, it would be better than harvesting wheat, right?

But there were also some people who thought that if the professor really came next year, it would mean Li Long's words were correct, then they wouldn't plant.

Listening to persuasion was relatively better.

After all, Li Long's change and prosperity were real.

When Li Long returned, he brought quite a few things. Besides frozen fish, there were wild rabbits and pheasants.

Originally there were no pheasants outside the Fourth Team, but there were quite a few "quack chickens."

This year, I don't know why, in the places where the reed lake was cleared and in the fields where winter wheat was planted, pheasants appeared.

Heavy snow fell, and when the young men in the team went to chase rabbits, they actually chased pheasants. Tao Daqiang chased several, and left two for Li Long.

The rabbits were trapped by Li Jianguo. There was less to do in winter, he was bored and thought about trapping rabbits.

It wasn't that they lacked meat to eat, it was just finding something to do.

In the evening, when Gu Bo Yuan came over for dinner, Li Long told him about the things he said in the village, and also said to Gu Bo Yuan:

"Uncle Gu, if you have a path, stock up on more chemical fertilizer. Stock up on more commonly used fertilizers like urea, diammonium phosphate, and potassium dihydrogen phosphate. More and more people will definitely use chemical fertilizer to farm in the future."

"Hmm, that's the principle. Is it true that the professor is coming to help you with the saline-alkali land?" Gu Bo Yuan was interested in the saline-alkali land plan Li Long mentioned.

"Hmm, almost. Professor Luo said that next spring he will bring students over," Li Long said. "That's what they said, when exactly they will come, it's not clear yet."

"Then when spring comes, you go and ask," Gu Bo Yuan said. "This matter, I think you feel it's average, but I feel that it might be more important than you imagine. When the time comes, it might even alarm the county leaders."

Li Long didn't expect that the matter would really be so serious. He just thought about developing his own saline-alkali land in advance. As for that project, regardless of who it counts for, what is researched will definitely benefit the farmers.

Although thirty or forty years later, raising shrimp and crabs, raising sea fish, and planting salt-alkali-tolerant rice in saline-alkali land had already succeeded, at this time in this life, large tracts of saline-alkali land were still barren and not utilized.

As long as this is solved, even if it's five or ten years in advance, it's a great merit.

Li Long just thought about it for a moment and then put this matter aside.

When he was free, he ran to the supply and marketing cooperative again, found Li Xiangqian to approve two or three slips, each time collecting one hundred bullets, not exceeding Li Xiangqian's limit, so there was no need to alarm Director Wei.

Accumulating more bullets in hand was always a good thing.

At least when gun control tightened later, there would be no need to worry about having no bullets to use for hunting.

In mid-November, Li Long drove the jeep into the mountains.

What surprised Li Long was that the snow into the mountains had actually been trampled open, and there were people pulling horse carts and people walking into the mountains.

Obviously, after the reform and opening up, everyone's focus was no longer limited to their own one-third of an acre of land.

Although there were few people in the Southern Mountains, there were quite a few good things there.

Li Long could see traces of people pulling wood out of the mountains and sliding in the snow.

The biggest possibility for these people was still to get wood out of the mountains to use.

Of course, other things were also there.

When Li Long found Halimu, Halimu was slaughtering a sheep.

And Yushanjiang and the young man Talihar were also there.

Li Long was a bit surprised. Talihar was about twenty, Halimu was twenty-seven or twenty-eight, and Yushanjiang was almost forty.

That they could stay together was also quite alternative. (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 734 =====

That they can stay together is also quite unconventional. (End of chapter)