Zhiwu Mingshi Tukao (Vol. 2)

Grains, Volume 2

Southern Barnyard Millet (Nanbai)

Southern Barnyard Millet original: "南稗" (Nanbai), also known as Wild Goose Claw Barnyard Millet, is also called Dragon Claw Millet. The price of its grain is competitive [with other staples]. It was once said that this crop did not exist in the Southeast, likely because the stony fields within the mountain gorges were considered too difficult for planting superior seeds. However, when I passed the embankments of the Zhang and Gong Rivers The Zhang and Gong rivers meet in Ganzhou, Jiangxi province, in Southeastern China, the harvest was extremely abundant. Golden clouds of grain stretched across the fields, so plentiful they could hardly be gathered in time. It is also found in Guangdong.? How then can it be said that the Southeast lacks this plant?

The mountains of Guizhou original: "黔" (Qián), the abbreviated name for Guizhou province are treacherous and barren, much like the terrain of the gorges, yet from the banks of the streams to the very peaks of the mountains, this crop is planted almost everywhere. In the autumn, when the seed heads ripen, their reddish-brown and green colors weigh heavily over the paths. Those that grow side-by-side look like the palm of a hand; those that are curved look like a clenched fist.

Because it requires little labor to cultivate yet yields a harvest that fills many carts, the people rely on it as their very lifeblood. How could anyone dare call such a plant a "farmer’s curse"? original: "農惡" (nóng’è), a term for weeds or inferior grains that farmers usually dislike; the author is defending the crop's value for survival The Illustration for Famine Relief likely referring to the Jiuhuang Bencao shows a plant slightly different from this one; perhaps they belong to the same category but are two different species. One name is Duck-Foot Millet.?