496 CALIFORNIA FRUITS: HOW TO GROW THEM 



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 straw- 

 berry growing. They are so leachy that they will not hold mois- 

 ture 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 

 a clay or hardpan, 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 taking 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 planting 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 follow- 

 ing 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. Suggestions as to 

 location of grade lines may be found in Chapter XV. The inclina- 

 tion 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 hillsides 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 to the ends of the small 



