Minor Snow Farming

During Lesser Snow, the ground across Northeast China is fully frozen, temperatures fall to −10 to −20°C, snowfall becomes more frequent, and the landscape turns white. Field activity has effectively ceased, while the traditional “猫冬” period continues.
The “猫冬” period continues. Agricultural work remains largely indoors. Grain already in storage is checked regularly for temperature and humidity and protected against moisture, insects, and rodents, while farmers adjust the timing of sales according to market-price trends. Seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, agricultural film, and other inputs are purchased during the off-season, when prices are relatively low, in preparation for spring sowing. Large agricultural machines are fully inspected and serviced during winter, with particular attention to engines, hydraulic systems, seeding mechanisms, and other key components, ensuring that equipment is in good condition when spring fieldwork begins. Farmers also formulate the following year’s cropping structure and cultivar choices according to market conditions, policy direction, and soil status. Although there is little field work during the “猫冬” period, these indoor preparations are equally important because they affect the quality of spring sowing and the year’s overall harvest.
Winter management in pastoral areas. In eastern Inner Mongolia, livestock management enters a critical winter stage. All animals are moved into housed feeding, shelters are reinforced, bedding is increased, and drafts are kept out. Supplementary feeding becomes fully established, with herders carefully calculating feed reserves and daily rations to ensure that livestock can endure the long winter safely. Weak animals, pregnant females, and young livestock require particular care, with higher feeding levels and improved nutrition. Attention must also be paid to “白灾”, when blizzards cover grazing land and prevent animals from feeding; close monitoring of forecasts and advance reserves of emergency feed are therefore essential in case heavy snow blocks access routes. Management quality during Lesser Snow directly affects overwinter survival and pastoral income in the following year.
Greenhouse vegetables enter peak production. Around Lesser Snow, greenhouse cucumbers, tomatoes, leafy vegetables, and other crops enter fruiting or harvest. Because winter days are short, insulation covers need to be opened at appropriate times to extend available light. Temperatures should be maintained at 25–28°C during the day and 12–15°C at night, with careful insulation and cold protection. Humidity also requires close management because winter greenhouses are prone to high moisture levels; timely ventilation is needed to reduce humidity and limit diseases such as gray mold. Under low-temperature, high-humidity conditions, gray mold and downy mildew are particularly likely to develop, so monitoring and disease control must be strengthened. Greenhouse vegetables are an important source of winter income in Northeast China, and management quality directly affects both yield and quality.

During Lesser Snow, Northwest China enters a critical stage of winter management. Winter wheat moves into overwintering, winter orchard management becomes fully established, and basic farmland improvement continues.
Winter wheat enters overwintering. Growth largely ceases and the crop enters dormancy. Strong plants formed before winter, with 3–5 tillers and a well-developed root system, provide the basis for safe overwintering and a good harvest the following year. Winter irrigation is fully complete; the pre-freeze watering has thoroughly recharged the soil, and the frozen surface layer now forms a protective cover. Farmers need to inspect wheat fields periodically and check overwintering conditions, taking remedial measures such as straw or plastic-film covering if freezing injury appears.
Winter orchard management becomes fully established. Orchard sanitation is the first and one of the most important steps: dead branches, fallen leaves, diseased fruit, infected branches, and weeds are removed and either burned together or deeply buried to reduce overwintering pests and pathogens and lower pest and disease pressure in the following year. Winter pruning is carried out from leaf fall until bud break, removing dead, diseased, crossing, and overcrowded branches and adjusting tree structure. Young trees are pruned mainly for training, including open-center and spindle forms, while mature trees are pruned primarily for renewal and rejuvenation by renewing fruiting wood, controlling tree height, and improving ventilation and light penetration. Pruning wounds are treated with healing agents to prevent pathogen entry. Winter pruning is one of the most important orchard operations and directly affects yield and fruit quality in the following year.
Tree trunks are also whitewashed for protection against cold and pests. The whitewash consists of quicklime + sulfur + salt + water and is applied to the lower 1–1.5 meters of the trunk. It reflects sunlight, reduces day–night temperature differences, helps prevent sunscald and frost cracking, and kills overwintering insect eggs hidden in bark crevices. Autumn fertilization is completed before leaf fall, with organic fertilizer used as the main source of nutrients to restore tree vigor and build reserves for growth and fruiting in the following year. The quality of winter orchard management directly affects fruit-tree performance in the next season.
Basic farmland improvement continues. Autumn fertilization makes use of the slack season to apply farmyard manure or compound fertilizer in preparation for spring sowing or winter-wheat green-up. Land leveling is carried out to improve irrigation conditions, while irrigation canals, wells, reservoirs, and other water-conservancy facilities are repaired in preparation for spring irrigation. Shelterbelt establishment also continues, with winter tree planting used to reduce wind, stabilize sand, and improve the agricultural environment.

During Lesser Snow, winter wheat across North China enters overwintering, winter irrigation is fully complete, and agricultural activity as a whole moves into the winter slack period.
Winter wheat enters overwintering. Growth largely ceases and plants enter dormancy. Strong pre-winter seedlings with 3–5 tillers and a well-developed root system provide the basis for safe overwintering and a good harvest in the following year. Winter irrigation is fully complete; the pre-freeze watering has thoroughly moistened the soil, and the frozen surface layer now acts as a protective cover. This irrigation is a key measure for winter-wheat survival because it increases the soil’s heat capacity, slows the decline in ground temperature, protects seedlings through winter, and stores moisture for spring green-up. Firming of excessively vigorous wheat fields has also been completed, helping suppress premature stem elongation and improve cold resistance.
Agricultural work enters the winter slack period. Autumn harvesting and sowing are fully complete, winter wheat has entered overwintering, and field activity largely stops. Farmers use the winter to manage stored grain through regular checks for moisture, insects, and rodents and to adjust sales according to market trends; purchase seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and other inputs during the lower-priced off-season; carry out comprehensive maintenance of agricultural machinery to ensure good condition for spring cultivation; and prepare the following year’s planting plans according to market conditions, policy direction, and soil status. Although there is little field work during this period, indoor preparation remains equally important.
Winter orchard management. Apple, pear, and other orchards enter winter management through orchard sanitation, winter pruning, trunk whitewashing, and autumn fertilization. Dead branches, fallen leaves, diseased fruit, and infected branches are removed to reduce overwintering pests and pathogens. Winter pruning removes dead, diseased, and crossing branches and adjusts tree structure, with young trees shaped and mature trees renewed and rejuvenated. Trunk whitewashing provides protection against cold and pests, while autumn fertilization is completed before leaf fall, mainly with organic fertilizer, to restore tree vigor.
Vegetable management. Greenhouse vegetables enter peak production. Cucumbers, tomatoes, leafy vegetables, and other crops reach fruiting or harvest and require close temperature control at 25–28°C during the day and 12–15°C at night, together with adequate insulation and cold protection.

During Lesser Snow, the middle and lower Yangtze enters a critical winter-management stage. Rapeseed and winter wheat move into overwintering, and keeping drainage channels clear to prevent waterlogging becomes the central task.
Rapeseed enters overwintering. Growth slows markedly and plants enter dormancy or semi-dormancy. The highest priority is drainage: a three-level system of main ditches, cross-field ditches, and perimeter ditches needs to remain fully functional, with respective minimum depths of 80 cm, 60 cm, and 40 cm, so that water drains quickly once rain stops. Winters across the Yangtze basin are damp and cold, and excessive soil moisture poses the greatest threat to overwintering rapeseed, potentially causing root rot and seedling death. Fields must therefore be regularly cleared and shaped to maintain unobstructed drainage.
Missing plants should still be resown or transplanted promptly, but work cannot be delayed too long because late replacement seedlings may fail to overwinter safely. Weak stands may receive a pre-winter topdressing based mainly on organic or compound fertilizer to promote root development and improve cold resistance, at a rate of 5–8 kg of compound fertilizer per *mu* or 500–800 kg of farmyard manure per *mu*. In colder highland areas or exceptional years, straw or plastic-film covering may also be used for insulation and frost protection. The quality of overwintering management directly affects survival and yield in the following year.
Winter wheat enters overwintering. Growth largely ceases and plants enter dormancy or semi-dormancy. Management centers on maintaining drainage, applying pre-winter fertilizer to weak stands where necessary, and checking for missing plants.
Drainage and waterlogging prevention are the overriding priority. During Lesser Snow, the Yangtze basin is in its cold, damp winter phase, making drainage the primary management task for both rapeseed and winter wheat. The standard three-level system consists of a main ditch more than 80 cm deep and 40–50 cm wide, connecting the field with drainage channels; a cross-field ditch more than 60 cm deep and 30–40 cm wide, linking the main and perimeter ditches; and a perimeter ditch more than 40 cm deep and 20–30 cm wide, surrounding the field and intercepting surface runoff. Keeping all three levels connected and functional is fundamental to safe overwintering.
Winter-vegetable management. Chinese cabbage, radish, lettuce, spinach, celery, and other winter vegetables enter active growth and require continued water and nutrient management, pest and disease control, and preparation for cold protection through insulating covers.
Winter orchard management. Citrus and other orchards enter winter management. Postharvest pruning and fertilization are carried out to restore tree vigor, orchards are cleaned of dead branches, fallen leaves, diseased fruit, and infected wood to reduce overwintering pests and diseases, winter pruning proceeds after leaf fall, and trunks are whitewashed for protection against cold and pests.

During Lesser Snow, agricultural activity across Southwest China enters a critical winter-management stage. Rapeseed and winter wheat move into overwintering, while management of emerging winter potatoes proceeds steadily.
Rapeseed enters overwintering. Growth slows and plants become dormant or semi-dormant. Management centers on maintaining clear drainage through main ditches, cross-field ditches, and perimeter ditches so that fields drain quickly after rain, as winter conditions in Southwest China are damp and cold and waterlogging poses the greatest threat to overwintering rapeseed. Missing plants are replaced where necessary, weak stands receive pre-winter fertilizer to promote root development and cold resistance, and in high-altitude areas straw or plastic-film covering can be used for frost protection.
Winter wheat enters overwintering. Growth largely stops and plants become dormant or semi-dormant. Drainage management, topdressing of weak stands, and stand inspection remain the main tasks.
Winter-potato seedling management proceeds steadily. Potatoes planted from late October through early November begin to emerge and enter the seedling stage. Farmers inspect stands and replace missing plants, carry out the first inter-row cultivation to loosen the soil and promote root development, apply 5–8 kg of urea per *mu* as a seedling-stage topdressing, and control seedling-stage pests such as cutworms and aphids. Winter potatoes are an important cash crop in Southwest China during the cold season, and the quality of seedling management directly affects final yield.

#### (1) Mainland South China
Winter-crop sowing reaches its peak. Around Lesser Snow, winter planting expands across large areas of fields left free after the late-rice harvest. Winter potatoes are planted using early-maturing, high-yielding, disease-resistant cultivars at a depth of 8–10 cm, with row spacing of 60–70 cm, followed by plastic-film covering to conserve heat and moisture. Winter maize is planted using early-maturing, density-tolerant cultivars at a depth of 3–5 cm with 60 cm row spacing. Winter vegetables—including Chinese cabbage, radish, flowering Chinese cabbage, Chinese kale, spinach, and other leafy and root vegetables—are sown on a broad scale. Winter production is an important part of South China’s cold-season agriculture, and both planting area and sowing quality directly affect farm income.
The late-rice harvest is fully complete. Grain is safely stored and the autumn harvest comes entirely to an end. Paddy fields are then plowed and prepared for winter crops.
Winter-crop field management becomes fully established. Once winter crops emerge, management shifts to stand inspection, gap filling, thinning and final plant establishment, inter-row cultivation and weeding, seedling-stage topdressing, and pest and disease control. Because rainfall decreases during winter in South China, timely irrigation is needed to meet crop water requirements, while drainage channels must also remain clear because occasional heavy rain can still occur.
Tropical-fruit management. Citrus enters maturity and harvest. Early cultivars such as “十月橘” and “砂糖橘” reach peak harvest from mid- to late November through December, and farmers take advantage of clear weather to pick, grade, pack, and market the fruit. Banana harvesting approaches completion, while lychee and longan enter winter management through postharvest pruning to restore tree vigor, winter fertilization based mainly on organic fertilizer to promote flower-bud differentiation, and orchard sanitation to remove fallen leaves and overwintering pests and diseases.
#### (2) Taiwan
Rice: Rice harvesting across Taiwan is fully complete and fields enter either the winter slack period or winter-cropping stage.
Vegetables: Around Lesser Snow, sowing and transplanting of winter vegetables continue across Taiwan.
Fruit trees: Citrus enters maturity and harvest, while banana harvesting approaches completion.
Tea: Tea gardens in central and southern areas such as Nantou and Chiayi enter winter management, as do northern tea-growing areas such as Wenshan and Sanxia.
Fisheries: Fishing continues in waters around Taiwan, but the northeast monsoon strengthens and greater attention is required for safety at sea.
Farmer’s proverbs and folk customs: Taiwanese folk tradition preserves the saying “小雪小到”, meaning that the weather has turned cold around Lesser Snow but has not yet reached its coldest point. Another saying, “小雪封地，大雪封河”, describes the ground beginning to freeze during Lesser Snow. This is also traditionally a season for preserving vegetables: “小雪腌菜，大雪腌肉” refers to the custom of pickling winter vegetables during Lesser Snow and curing meat during Greater Snow, making use of the lower temperatures.