What were the methods of gourd cultivation in ancient China

Soak the seeds in 55°C water for 15 minutes, then in 30°C water for 24 hours. Place above warm water for seven days (without contact); once the tip cracks, plant them. Then plant them in the soil, and when the seedlings emerge to 2/3, move them to 18°C. Crop rotation and land preparation 1. Land selection: For crop rotation, it is best to choose flat plains and second-bottom land with good drainage and fertile soil; sloped land with irrigation conditions is also acceptable. Corn, wheat and soybean as the previous crop are good; avoid repeated or alternating cropping with white gourd, watermelon and other cucurbits, and plots where closed herbicides were used on the previous crop cannot be planted. 2. Land preparation: In early spring, ridge along the thawing soil and press promptly to preserve moisture. The planting ridges are long-opening ridges, with a ridge width of 90-130cm; the 7-8 empty ridges in between should also be ridged to help control weeds. Indoor sprouting 1. Seed soaking: For the variety, choose Japanese green-skinned gourd; soak the seeds in 40°C warm water for 12-24 hours, remove them, wrap them in gauze, shake off the dried large Yayao gourd just harvested, and crack open the soaked seeds. 2. Sprouting: Use a wooden trough or an ordinary basin, spread a layer of disinfected sawdust or sand, then a layer of gauze, place the soaked seeds evenly on the gauze, cover with a wrung-out new towel, cover with a lid, and cover with a cotton quilt to sprout; use a new brush broom to sprinkle water twice a day. Do not sprinkle too much water, to prevent water from accumulating inside the seed coat. The sprouting temperature is generally 25-28°C, not lower than 25°C, and no higher than 32°C. 3. Requirements: Every day pick out the seeds that have already sprouted (cracking the shell and showing white), put them in another basin, and place them in a cool indoor spot to control sprout growth while waiting for sowing. Seedbed sowing 1. Seedbed preparation: Under the seedbed, pad 8-10cm of horse manure or chopped straw, spread a layer of soil on top, tread it firm and level. At the same time, disinfect with 70% dexon at 0.3-0.6g per sq m, and also put up a shed. After the seeds are sown, put up a small shed over the seedbed. 2. Nutrient soil preparation: Choose soil that has not been treated with herbicides such as pursuit or chlorimuron-ethyl, screen it well, and mix it with screened fully decomposed farmyard manure at a 7:3 ratio. 3. Bagging and sowing: Put the nutrient soil into 10×15cm plastic bags, and at 1/3 of the bag bottom place 20-30 granules of diammonium as base fertilizer, fill and press firm, and cut open the bottom corners of the nutrient bags or punch 2-4 holes with a diameter of 8-10mm at the bottom for water drainage. Arrange the nutrient bags neatly on the seedbed (with 1cm gaps), water thoroughly, and after the surface soil dries, wait to sow; the sowing time is April 5-10. Use a wooden stick to make a 3-4cm deep hole in the middle of the nutrient bag, place the sprouted seed with the sprout eye facing down, cover with soil, and then water once.