78 Strawberry-Grovnng 



When the soil is so sandy or coarse-grained that water 

 does not rise to the top of the ridge by capillary action, 

 it is necessary to reverse the method. The plants are 

 set in double rows about two feet apart and a low bank, 

 or levee, is made on each side, with soil drawn up from 

 the middles. The narrow strip thus enclosed is irri- 

 gated by flooding when the sun is not shining. When 

 strawberries are trained in hills or hedge-rows, they are 

 set in double rows, eighteen to twenty-four inches apart, 

 and the irrigation furrow is run down the middle of each 

 pair of rows. This leaves the interspaces dry for tillage 

 and picking. If the rows are two and a half or three 

 feet apart, the plants are set in single rows and there is one 

 water furrow in each middle ; if the interspace is wider, a 

 water furrow is made on each side of every row. 



Water is conveyed to various parts of the field through 

 small ditches or flumes. Flumes are made of boards 

 about ten inches wide and twelve feet long (Plate VI). 

 A square flume is made by nailing together three boards, 

 braced by strips across the top ; V-shaped flumes, made 

 of two boards, are used for a small flow of water. The 

 flumes are laid upon low trusses or square blocks of wood. 

 An inch auger hole is bored close to the bottom of the 

 flume, opposite the middle of each row. Corks, wooden 

 buttons or tin gates are used to close the hole when the 

 water is not needed. Enough water should be diverted 

 at one point to run quickly the entire length of the row, 

 but no farther. The lateral ditches or flumes should be 

 so distributed that the irrigation furrows will be short, 

 usually not over 400 feet ; if too long, the water does not 

 run to the end quickly enough and the plants near the 

 flume get too much water, while those at the end do not 

 get enough. 



