In order to further develop agriculture, Song Youliang plans to develop agriculture, animal husbandry, and sideline fisheries together. After listening to the advice of the old farmers in Haiyang, Song Youliang decided to adopt the method of crop rotation, that is, wheat-alfalfa-wheat-alfalfa rotation. Alfalfa can fertilize the field and be used as feed after harvesting. Song Youliang plans to open a ranch, preferably raising pigs and cattle. Pigs can consume some scraps that are difficult for humans to eat, and they can also produce meat. Cattle are an important animal power, and ploughing is indispensable.

If you want to start a ranch, you must have someone who knows how to veterinarian, but you can search all over Haiyang, and ask a few people in the surrounding tunpu, but none of them know veterinarians. This made it difficult for Song Youliang

Coincidentally, Fan Shunbao sent the gospel to the worried Song Youliang. Because Fan Shunbao is righteous, more and more Hebei people from Hebei came to Dengzhou to join Fan Shunbao, and this year he came to his fellow villagers in Hebei, including the Xing brothers.

Among the Xing brothers, the eldest brother is named Xing Jiabao, and the younger brother is named Xing Jiagui, who has been a veterinarian for generations in the family, and is also well-known in the local area. But there are unforeseen circumstances, that year, the father of the Xing brothers, after seeing the foot-and-mouth disease for the livestock in a rich man's circle, actually contracted the epidemic, and as a result, self-treatment was ineffective and died, and the two little brothers could only follow their relatives to Dengzhou to join Fan Shunbao.

Opening canals and working in the river is heavy manual labor, and Fan Shunbao saw that these two short and young boys couldn't do this hard work. Although Fan Shunbao is kind-hearted, he does not raise idlers, and he was worried about how to place the two boys, so he heard that Song Youliang was going to run a ranch, so he recommended the Xing brothers to Song Youliang

The eldest brother of the Xing family is twenty-three years old, and the younger brother is twenty-one years old, and the birth is considered white, Xing Jiabao saw Song Youliang and immediately saluted, "I have seen the owner~~" and then pulled the corner of the slightly wooden younger brother Xing Jiagui's clothes

"I've seen the owner~" Xing Jiagui also hurriedly saluted

Song Youliang smiled slightly and said, "Don't be busy calling the owner, I only said that Master Fan said that your family is a generation veterinarian, but that's your father, not the two of you." Besides, I've only heard of it, but I haven't really seen it after all. So I haven't decided whether to hire you ~~~"

Xing Jiabao hurriedly said: "Son, our two brothers are weak, and the river workers who dig the soil will definitely not be able to do it, if you don't want us, then our two brothers will have no way to live~~"

Xing Jiagui was also so anxious that he bowed directly: "Childe, please~~"

"It's better to ask for others than for yourself~~" Song Youliang paced a few steps and said: "That's it, the corral of my ranch has just been erected, and I have also driven twenty big fat pigs, you can accompany me to see it first~~"

The pasture of Hai Duong was selected outside the northwest corner of the fort, and the employees had already set up the pig barn and cattle pen. After walking around the pig barn and the cowpen, Song Youliang asked, "What do you two think?" ”

Xing Jiabao said neither humbly nor arrogantly at this time: "The scale of the child's pig barn and cattle pen is not small, even if the villain's hometown Handan generation generation, such a large ranch is rare. It's just ~~" Xing Jiabao circled the pig house with his fingers and said: "Although the pig house is big, it has not dug a ditch to excrete feces and urine, and it is facing and pooping, and it has not been able to sit north to south, leeward and sunny, so pigs are prone to diseases." ”

Then Xing Jiabao ignored the smell of pig manure, walked into the pigsty, pointed to a pig and said: ""Qi Min Yao Shu" said: The sow takes the short beak and has no pubescent hair. If the beak is long, there are many teeth, and if there are more than three teeth, it is not annoying to the animal, and it is difficult to fatten. There are pubescent flame cures are difficult to clean, this kind of pig may have to be re-selected~~"

The breeding of pigs in China dates back to about 9,000-6,000 years ago. The excellent breed characteristics of the breed have been well-known at home and abroad in the Han Dynasty, and have since made important contributions to the improvement of pig breeds in the world. In the Han Dynasty, the first breed has been spread, and the ancient Roman Empire introduced South China pigs and bred Roman pigs. In the 18th century, France introduced South China pigs to improve local pigs and breed Yorkshire and Bakshire pigs. At the beginning of the 19th century, the United States introduced *** breeds and bred Polish pigs and Chester white pigs. Many of the world's most famous pig breeds today are almost all directly or indirectly involved in breeding. "Historical Records and Biography of the Japanese" records a series of animal experts, among which "the elder son is named after the pig", and there may also be a monograph such as "The Book of the Pig", but it has long been lost. Xing Jiabao is talking about the ancient pig method, to the effect that those with pubescence have poor physique and slow growth, and those without pubescence are the opposite; Those with a short mouth will eat well and gain weight quickly, while those with a long mouth and many teeth on one side will eat poorly, grow slowly, and give birth to piglets, which is also unhealthy.

Song Youliang nodded and asked, "Then in your opinion, how can it be improved?" ”

Xing Jiabao replied with a smile: "There is a lot of feces in the pig house, you just need to tell the person who has the department to clean it up in time, dig a ditch, and then scatter more lime in the damp part of the pig house." The basic structure of the pig house includes the ground, walls, doors and windows, roofs, etc., whether the pigs can be raised well, and these things can be related to the big ~~~" Xing Jiabao gradually opened the conversation, "The floor of the pig house is the place where pigs move, eat, lie down and discharge feces and urine. It is required to be warm, solid, impermeable, smooth, non-slippery, and easy to clean. It should also maintain a certain slope to help keep the ground dry ~~~ In addition, raising newborn piglets also has a lot of knowledge, Dengzhou has a cold climate, and piglets born in the cold night of midwinter must take cold-proof measures. "Qi Min Technique" has clouds: those born in October and November will be steamed overnight. Steaming method, the cage contains the dolphin, in the retort, steaming it over a slight fire, and sweating. If the dolphin is not steamed, the brain will freeze and die. Therefore, if the dolphin brain is less, it cannot warm itself when it is cold, so it must be helped by heating. In addition, the piglets should be castrated in time to improve the length of the meat and make the pork tender. Piglets are born in need of concentrate feeding, such as filling millet, beans and other concentrates, but because there is very little concentrate, but to prevent being robbed by pigs, we can bury the wheel for the food field, scattered corn beans inside, piglets are full of food, in and out freely, then quick fat. And the big pigs are kept out~~~~~~"

"Stop~~~" Song Youliang raised his hand and interrupted Xing Jiabao's talking, "Let's go and see the bullpen again~~"

Not far away, everyone came to the cattle pen, but the cattle that Song Youliang bought had not yet been delivered. "How about looking at my bullpen again?"

Xing Jiabao wanted to let his younger brother show his ability, so he asked Xing Jiagui to come forward and explain. Xing Jiagui ran around the bullpen, and then said: "This bullpen is remarkable, the ground is slightly sloping, the terrain is dry, the leeward is sunny, and the ditch dug is also conducive to the elimination of feces and urine. This cattle breeding~~~"

Xing Jiagui was about to continue, but Song Youliang interrupted him again, "Okay, I believe in you, from now on, the Song family's ranch will be taken care of by the two of you." As for the salary, one stone per month ~~~ No, one stone and three buckets ~~"

Xing Jiabao and Xing Jiagui hurriedly thanked them, "Thank you for taking me in~"

"Don't be busy thanking, in the future, I will raise horses, sheep, chickens and ducks, fish, and rabbits, will you all be healed?" Song Youliang smiled and helped the two up

Xing Jiabao hurriedly replied: "As long as there is something in the book, there is nothing that our brothers will not, if one day the owner gets a unicorn or a pixiu back, then our brothers will have no choice~~"

"Hahaha~~" Song Youliang laughed

The Xing brothers also suggested that the ranch should divert water into ponds in low-lying areas to raise clear fish and grass carp. Haiyang thousands of households rely on the sea, and the fish in the sea are inexhaustible, so Song Youliang thinks there is no need to dig fish ponds anymore. Xing Jiabao explained that ducks should be stocked next to the fish pond, and next to the duck pen is a large chicken coop, and fruit trees can be planted next to the chicken coop. Now the piglets and calves in the barn and cowshed eat the ordinary grass they have cut, but when the alfalfa grows, the piglets and calves can eat the king of these grasses. The manure dropped by pigs and cows can not only fertilize the fields, but also the chickens and fish in the pond can eat the contents of the dung, and it is easy to fatten. Ducks can go to the pond to eat shrimp screws, and the mud from the fish pond can be used to fertilize fruit trees. In fact, the recycling of poultry, planting, and feeding is a comprehensive management mode of agricultural and sideline industries that integrates agriculture, fishery, fruit and vegetable industry, etc. It can not only be profitable, but also promote a virtuous cycle and balance of production and ecology. Song Youliang saw that there were people in the Ming Dynasty who knew such a circular planting method, and he had to admire the wisdom of the ancient Chinese people, that is, the old military households and old women who had the most abundant farming and breeding in Wuzhai Fort, and also had to express their admiration for the practice of the Xing brothers. Subsequently, the Xing brothers suggested that Song Youliang raise another batch of rabbits

"Why do you want to raise rabbits?"