42 g CALIFORNIA FRUITS: HOW TO GROW THEM 



sandy loams with water equal to the needs of the plants upon such a 

 footing. It must be remembered that the strawberry is a shallow- 

 rooting plant and must have moisture retained near the surface. 

 Some loose soils, especially on uplands, are almost out of the question 

 for strawberry growing. They are so leachy that they will not hold 

 moisture near the surface though one should stand with a hose and 

 almost continually pour it on. The plants would also dry up though 

 the water were running near by in a ditch. To grow strawberries 

 it is often an advantage to have a shallow loam over clay or hard- 

 pan, for then the tight layer below will prevent the escape of the 

 water below the reach of the roots. If this can not be had, the best 

 way to grow strawberries on leachy soils for home use is to mulch 

 and sprinkle. 



Propagation of the Strawberry. Seedlings undertaken in the 

 hope of originating valuable new varieties are easily grown by 

 taking off the outside layer of the choicest berries, which carries 

 with it the small, yellow seeds. Wash these from the skin and 

 cover them slightly in a sandy soil partially shaded and kept moist 

 by sprinkling, or a light mulch, and the plants are readily grown. 

 As with seedlings of other fruits, few if any, will be found superior 

 to the parent variety. 



Plants for setting out are secured by tafling off the small growths 

 rooted from runners. The strongest plants are those nearest to the 

 parent plant. When these are allowed to root in small pots plunged 

 into the soil, they are called "pot-grown," and are superior for plant- 

 ing out, but they are not largely used in this State. When plants of 

 any variety are desired for new beds or fields, a row or more are 

 allowed to send out runners during the summer, and these are fit 

 for taking up and replanting the following winter or spring. 



Laying Off Ground for Strawberries. The essentials are deep 

 and thorough pulverization of the soil and grading of the surface 

 so that water will flow slowly in the ditches. The inclination which 

 answers for water distribution may be very slight; about two inches 

 to the hundred feet answers on the level lands of the Pajaro Valley, 

 while in the foothills much greater fall is made use of, and on hill- 

 sides, rows are located on contour lines and not in straight lines. 

 A grade of three and three-quarters inches to the hundred feet is 

 sometimes used. The triangle described in Chapter XV can be used 

 to fix the grades. 



Of course, in grading the field it is often necessary to give ad- 

 jacent blocks opposite inclinations to provide for the return of the 

 water. On hillsides, where the water is carried down a ridge to a 

 flume, it is usual to keep the water always running away from the 

 flume, and only enough is taken out to reach the ends of the small 

 ditches. A grade of six inches to the rod is practicable for hillside 

 irrigation, but of course only a small flow of water is employed. 



There are various ways of laying out strawberry beds and 

 plantations. Some give flat cultivation and lay out in single rows 

 two and a half to three and a half feet apart, and in some districts 



