The Bulletin. 7 



little water, and are less satisfactory than the sandy loams. A sandy 

 loam contains sufficient sand to provide necessary drainage, enough 

 clay and vegetable matter to make the soil richer in plant food, and 

 at the same time hold more moisture. 



The ideal soil is a sandy loam with a clay subsoil, not deeper than 

 about two feet. In all the dewberry sections of the State the best crops 

 are produced on sandy loams underlaid with a clay subsoil, which 

 varies in depth from six to twenty-four inches. These soils contain 

 more plant food, and the subsoil prevents it from washing down into 

 the lower layers of soil, where it is out of reach of the roots. Large 

 amounts of fertilizer are used in dewberry growing, and the soils 

 which are most retentive are therefore best. 



Moisture.— The dewberry will not endure a very wet soil, yet the 

 crop requires a large amount of moisture. This is especially true 

 while the fruit is developing and ripening. It must always be kept 

 in mind that the berry is composed largely of water, and this at 

 once shows the necessity of plenty of moisture in the soil. On poor, 

 open, sandy soils it is often difficult and sometimes almost impossible . 

 to supply the crop with enough moisture while the fruit is ripening. 

 Thorough cultivation is, of course, the greatest remedy. Often the 

 size of the fruit can be doubled by frequent cultivation at this time. 

 A sandy loam soil underlaid with a clay subsoil is most retentive of 

 moisture. 



Humus.— Another important factor in retaining moisture is hu- 

 mus. Humus is decaying vegetable matter, such as leaf mould, com- 

 post, stable manure, and cowpeas. In an open, porous soil humus 

 tends to fill up the spaces between the soil grains and helps to make 

 such soils more compact. The humus itself acts like a great sponge, 

 absorbing large quantities of water, and during a drought will help 

 to retain it much better than a soil without humus. In many soils 

 humus is quite as important as cultivation. 



Drainage.— Dewberry fields should always be thoroughly drained. 

 There are places in the State where dewberry plants are dying, and 

 the only cause, as far as can be determined, is a soggy soil. A num- 

 ber of plants examined in these' fields show that the roots are actually 

 rotting. The water excludes air from the soil and tends to smother 

 the roots. In the same fields where the soil is well drained this con- 

 dition does not exist, and as the soil is rich and moist the plants are 

 growing luxuriantly and yielding excellent crops. The remedy, of 

 course, would be to drain thoroughly those portions of the field which 

 are too wet. It is a waste of time and money to plant dewberries in 

 a low, wet soil. Many of these soils, however, are excellent when 

 well drained. 



