Introduction: Once an important cash crop, it used to be difficult to survive in the summer, and now few people plant it
Since the summer solstice, the temperature has been getting higher and higher. Although it is still a while before the "ambush", the recent sweltering weather is still very uncomfortable.
Especially in Henan, there is a high temperature weather of 40 ° C that has occurred for many years, so that many people shout "it is too hot, can't stand it, now only air conditioning can continue to live!" ”
Yes, now that the living conditions are better, many people really can't do without air conditioning in the summer. Because as long as you go out, you don't dry anything, and you will be soaked with sweat. If you go to do some hard work, it is not an exaggeration to sweat like rain.
So twenty or thirty years ago, how did the countryside spend the summer without air conditioning? In the past, although there were no such high-tech products, there were also many "summer artifacts".
Today I will introduce you to a plant, it was once an important cash crop, it will be very difficult to leave in the summer, but now few people plant it. It is the grass, folk customs known as "cordyceps", do you still know it?
A small science of grass
Recently, this period of time has ushered in the peak harvesting season of lincao, and the number of people harvesting lincao in the production area is very scarce, and a few hundred yuan a day can not hire people.
Some people may be confused and have heard of wheat cutters, but have not heard of people who specialize in mowing grass. Yes, in the past there were farmers who specialized in helping people harvest grass, and they were also called "lawnmowers", but now there are fewer and fewer people doing this.
It is a very important cash crop in the past, and it is not surprising if you have not heard of its name, but many people have used it before, such as the straw mats, pillowcases, cushions, etc. used by every household in the past, which are woven with grass.
In the mainland folk call it cordyceps, or mat grass, knotweed, tiger whisker grass, jasper grass, etc., it is a wild cordyceps after artificial long-term selection of a plant, currently artificial planting is the mainstay.
As a plant rich in food fiber, its grass stem is smooth and slender, can grow to about 1.5 meters, and the stem thickness is uniform, the aroma is rich, there is a good elasticity, and it can also resist pulling and compression. It has been the main raw material for straw weaving since ancient times, and in the past it was also known as the "green diamond".
Distribution of grass
Because it is an aquatic plant, it can be planted in both freshwater and saltwater, but it has certain requirements for temperature, light and soil, especially the quality of the grass has a lot to do with the local land and climate environment, so this also limits its planting environment.
In China, it is mainly concentrated in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and other places with warm and rainy climates, such as Sichuan, Zhejiang, Guangzhou and other provinces on the mainland that used to be large planting provinces. It was because at that time, it was still a very important cash crop, which brought a lot of income to local farmers.
In the past, it was grown as an important cash crop because it was in great demand at that time. In the past, in the summer, every household would spread straw mats, pillowcases, or cushions on the bed. And its use is very extensive, it can also be used to weave straw hats, baskets, or various crafts.
Now many people say that they rely on air conditioning to "continue their lives" in the summer, and in the past, straw mats, mats, and fans woven with grass were the "artifacts" that were indispensable for people to cool off in the summer at that time. It was also with them that people at that time could sleep peacefully in the summer. Otherwise, how can you sleep on a bed like a stove?
Cultivation status of the grass
However, in recent years, the planting area of grass is far less than before, and many farmers have given up planting, which is another cash crop.
On the one hand, the environmental requirements for the growth of grass are relatively high, and on the other hand, the cultivation of grass is very hard, and the economic benefits are not as good as other cash crops. Another point is that many young people have gone out to work, and many of the farmers who can grow grass are old.
I heard a netizen say that his family planted grass when he was a child, and every household in the village planted this plant in large quantities at that time. And what he was most afraid of was planting this, especially when harvesting, almost having to dry several layers of skin.
Because the harvesting of the grass must be artificial, this is a very skilled work, but also a hard work, can not eat this suffering can not do. Especially when the grass is harvested, it is the hottest time of the year. Some families have more plants, and they often have to work for a month or two to harvest and dry.
If the harvest comes back, there is no good weather, and improper drying will also affect the quality, so it will not sell at a good price. Bad luck, encountering continuous rain, it is really possible to work hard all year to drift. In addition, weaving straw mats is also a very hard job.
In other words, the planting, harvesting, processing, etc. of this crop are very hard.
Of course, there is also a reason for this, that is, the standard of living has improved in recent years. Many families have installed air conditioners, and they still have to cover quilts when sleeping, so they don't need to use straw mats woven with grass. At the same time, there are many alternatives to straw mats, such as bamboo mats or mats made of other materials.
It is precisely because of the hard planting of grass, the economic benefits are not too high, and the market demand is far less than before, so many farmers in China have given up planting it in recent years.
However, in some major producing areas, the grass is still an important cash crop, and some of these large-scale planted grasses are for domestic market demand, and some are exported abroad.
Countries such as Japan and South Korea import a large amount of grass from the mainland every year, after all, the straw mat woven in Japan is still indispensable for every family, especially on tatami mats, which is standard.
Friends, do you still have people in your hometown who grow grass? Do you know this plant? Welcome to leave a message to discuss!