Locations y Sites and Soils 11 



Soil preferences in different regions. 



The typical strawberry soil of the Atlantic coastal 

 plain, from New Jersey to South Carolina, is a light 

 sandy loam. The soil is not rich, but it is warm and 

 quickly responds to under-drainage and enrichment with 

 green-manures and fertilizers. The water-table is quite 

 close to the surface; at Selbyville, Delaware, during 

 May or June, standing w^ater will be found at a 

 depth of three or four feet. This is favorable to the 

 crop in soils of such open texture. The opposite ex- 

 treme — a heavy clay or muck — is preferred in this 

 region for late berries. Some of the most profitable 

 fields on the Delaware-Maryland peninsula are gum 

 swamps near the headwaters of streams, that have 

 been cleared and under-drained. These rich, moist 

 lands are commonly called "Gandy land" because of 

 their special value for this variety. There is a large 

 area of clay loam in southern New Jersey, notably in 

 Cumberland county, that has made this section famous 

 for late berries. 



In the early years of Florida strawberry-growing, pine 

 land was considered too sandy for strawberries, but in 

 recent years it has been used quite successfully. A good 

 quality of flatwoods is more retentive of moisture than 

 other Florida soils. It is a dark, sandy loam, one and 

 one half to two feet deep, with a clay subsoil. Hammock 

 land has a more mucky soil, which does not resist drought 

 as well. A warm, dark-colored, sandy loam is preferred 

 to heavier and richer soil, everi though it is poor in fer- 

 tility; plant-food can be supplied easily, but warmth 

 and earliness cannot, except to a slight extent by drain- 

 age. Many Florida strawberries are grown on an almost 

 sterile sand which is used simply as a medium in which 



