Growing the Strawberry. 401 
berries all the year” does not mean a uniform supply; nor does 
it mean that everywhere in California can one expect such con- 
stant fruiting. In the very hot interior situations the plant re- 
bels against the atmospheric conditions of midsummer, even 
though the ground be moist; and in frosty places the plant be- 
comes dormant during the wintry portion of the year. The 
conditions of constant growth and bearing are moderation of 
temperature and of atmospheric and soil moisture throughout 
the year. 
SITUATIONS AND SOILS FOR THE STRAWBERRY. 
Bearing in mind the conditions described, the strawberry 
can be grown anywhere in California. The native species, as 
mentioned in Chapter V, flourish from the sand of the ocean 
beach to the rich valleys of the Sierra, just below the line of 
perpetual snow, and the deduction is that wherever fertile soil 
and sweet water can be brought together in California, the straw- 
berry will reward the grower. 
Strawberries do well on a variety of soils, but as a rule 
a deep, moist, loamy soil will yield best results. Boggy or 
swampy spots should be avoided unless drainage is provided, 
and in this way most excellent strawberry ground may some- 
times be secured. Land which will produce good potatoes or 
corn will generally yield good results with strawberries, pro- 
vided irrigation is furnished. In many regions the plants will 
hardly survive the summer without irrigation, and everywhere 
a succession of crops during the season depends upon irrigation. 
It is the common experience that light, warm soils yield the 
earliest and highest-flavored berries, and heavy soils the later 
and larger ones; but the size of the berry depends more upon 
the supply of available moisture, and immense fruit can be pro- 
duced on loose, open soils by free irrigation. And yet the 
heavier soil, both because of its usually superior fertility and re- 
tention of moisture, is preferred for the strawberry. The largest- 
producing regions for the San Francisco market in the Santa 
Clara and Pajaro Valleys are comprised mainly of low-lying, 
heavy valley soils, naturally moist and rich, and furnished with 
abundant water supply for irrigation. And yet in southern Cal- 
ifornia the chief market crops are produced upon light sandy 
loams with water equal to the needs of the plants upon such a 
footing. It must be remembered that the strawberry is a shal- 
low-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 continuously pour it on. 
The plants would also dry up though the water were running 
