Science and Civilisation in China, Part 2, Agriculture

• List of illustrations; List of tables; List of abbreviations; Author's note; Part 41. Agriculture; a. Introduction: 1. General characteristics of Chinese agriculture; 2. Agricultural regions; 3. Origins of Chinese agriculture; b. Sources: 1. The yüeh ling or agricultural calendars; 2. Agricultural treatises; 3. State-commissioned compilations; 4. Monographs; 5. Supplementary sources; 6. The content of the Chinese sources, and the implications for historical interpretation; 7. A comparison with the European tradition; c. Field systems: 1. Land clearance and reclamation; 2. Shifting cultivation; 3. Permanent fields; d. Agricultural implements and techniques: 1. Tillage implements; 2. Sowing; 3. Fertilisation; 4. Weeding and cultivation; 5. Harvesting, threshing and winnowing; 6. Grain storage; e. Crop systems: 1. Crop rotation; 2. Millets, sorghum and maize; 3. Wheat and barley; 4. Rice; 5. Legumes; 6. Oil crops; 7. Tuber crops; 8. Fibre crops; 9. Vegetables and fruits; f. Conclusions: Agricultural changes and society - stagnation or revolution?: 1. Did China contribute to Europe's Agricultural Revolution?; 2. Agricultural revolution in China?; 3. Development or change?; Bibliographies; General index.

"[An] astonishing and enduring study...[Needham brings] depth of emotion and technical finesse to his task."Jonathan Spence, New York Review of Books