picking season. If, however, the soil is fairly retentive of moisture there is no 

 serious objection to such a slope. 



The soil factor is decidedly important, because, while the berry is grown on 

 a great variety of soils, from the lightest sau'de to the heaviest clays, it naturally 

 prefers a deep, warm sand loam, that is retentive of moisture. Whether such a 

 soil can he miade too rich or not is a disputed point. The writer does not believe 

 it- can, provided the cultural methods are intensive, and especially where straw- 

 berries are grown as a regular crop and have a place in the rotation. But the 

 fertilizers applied must be balanced. At the same time, while maximum crops 

 might be expected under such ideal conditions it must not be supposed that other 



The Type of Plant Necessary for a Large Yield. 



soils will not produce profitably. Even a light sand may be made to yield good 

 returns by the application of large quantities of farmyard manure. The problem 

 is as mucii one of moisture retention as of fertility. Fiarmyard manure and com- 

 mercial fertilizers may be applied in large quantities, at the Avill of the grower, 

 but for the water supply, except where irrigation plants have been installed, we 

 are entirely dependent on nature. The same facts apply to a olay soil, except 

 that when intelligent cultural methods are exercised, commercial fertilizers are 

 not required to such a large extent. Farmyard manure, however, instead of tending 

 to make the clay hea\'ier as it does the sand, makes it lighter and easier to cultivate 

 and in this way more retentive of moistuTe. Very heavy applications of farmyard 



