174: 



strawi;i:rry 



STRAWBERRY 



(In- SUOll rn 



tU-pend u\« 

 a failure \>- 

 Ju<-un<la. a 



. to 1m- more or-rtaijity in Lcruwiil.tj; StrnwlK-rrios un- 

 loli roiiditiuiis than in r''-:iuijs wiit-re the ecup uivi.^t 

 rainfall. Sonic varieties tliat arr usually 

 iisM (if their dHJicieut nxit-systrui, such as 

 th\is (.'iial)le«l tn nourish in such a degree 

 as To be ann-iiu- tlir nio>t jn-olilalde. \\'liatev..-r may be 

 s;dd of otlicr parts of tht cnin iinMit <pf North America, 

 it is an indisputabh^ fact that the i^lains region is very 

 good for Strjiwln-rrirs. (.-iood judgment in the selection 

 of proper h.<-;,Tioiis and th.' rigiit varieties, thorough 

 ].re|iaraTion nf tIm- soil and good culture will )h_- abui 

 daiitly rewarded. pi. E. Vax De.max. 



The Strawberry on the Pacific Coast. — Californi 

 coiiilitioiis iijLdude both tliose most favorable an i 

 most tryiiii,' for the growth of Strawberries. Theie 

 are situations where, through local topography an 1 

 I'ro\imity to the oeean, winter temperatures are veri| 

 sfddom too low for the growth and fruiting of th 

 plants and where, by summer irrigation to maintain 

 this continuous activity of the plants, it is possible tj 

 gather fruit every month in thi' year. This fact is not 

 however, nuule of much commercial a'-<'Ount, nor is it 

 widely true that one can have Strawberries all the year 

 round in the open air. It is true, however, that even on 

 the lowlands, where the commercdal crops are chiefly 

 grown, the Avinter is so mild that StrawLterries l»egin tu 

 ripen in ship]ung i[uaiitities as early as jMarch and by 

 ■[.•roper cultivation and irrigation the fruiting is con- 

 tinued until late in the autumn, and the grower has 

 therefoi'e a verj^ short closed season. The trying condi- 

 tion for the Strawberry is found in the long, dry sum- 

 mer, which enforces dormancy as early as June on light 

 loams in the more arid localities of the interior. Such soils 

 become dry and hot to a depth of several inches in spite 

 of surface cultivation and cause the dwindling and death 

 of a shallow-rooting plant like the Stra.vberry, unless 

 frciuent irrigation is begun in time. This trouble is 

 less acute on more retentive soils in regions of lower 

 summer temperature and greater rainfall, and plants in 

 such situations may survive the summer dormancy, but 

 it is true that everywhere in California and even in the 

 more humid states on the north that Strawberry-grow- 

 ing without irrigation results either in failure or only 

 ] utidl s\tisfirti n an 1 the "^entuic is scld m to le 

 c nimen le 1 It is h w ^ i so eis\ \isua]l\ t j secuie 

 tilt sm ill tin unt f witcrn crssii-\ t(_i h me ], i jdu 

 ti n in 1 th 1 Unt \^hen 1 iul\ ti iti d is so highh tr 

 lucti\e that ^e ' ■ 



tinned popularity of Longworth Prolific, Sharpies.^, 

 Monarch of the "West, Wilson Albany, etc. Long- 

 worth has survived nnu-e than thirty years' continued 

 growing. Other popuhi.r varieties are ^lelinda, Jes.sie, 

 TriompbedeGand, Brandywine. Marshall, Lady Thomp- 

 son, etc. An English variety, Laxton Noble, ha.s been 

 largely planted in southern California but not always 



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n an mi. 



ti 1 



1 d e\! It iti n t Stiawl eii> 

 s]s t ilh T\ 11 1 -inte 1 



2428. A proUfic row of Strawberries, the fruit resting on a mulch. 



There are several species of Strawberries indigenous 

 to California, and they are of both littoral and 'alpine 

 types. Some interest has been shown in development 

 of cultural varieties from these sources, but no com- 

 mercial signiticance has as yet attached to them. The 

 varieties cliiefly grown are different from those popular 

 at the East. New varieties from the eastern states and 

 from Europe are freely trie<l, but few are successful and 

 they retain local pojmlarity after abandonment in their 

 birthplaces. A striking instance of this fact is the con- 



2429. Strawberry field in Wisconsin. 



successfully, though it does well near the coast. The 

 Arizona Everbearing is par excellence drought- and 

 heat-resistant and is constantly increasing its area in 

 interior situations. It has endured neglect which has 

 actually compassed the death of other varieties. The 

 Australian Crimson is a popular market variety in 

 southern California, of which the first plants came from 

 the southern hemisphere, but it has some appearances 

 of being a re-named American variety. 



The growth of Strawberries is almost wholly in 

 matted rows, the rows usually occupying low ridges only 

 sirfficiently elevated to allow the slightly depressed in- 

 tervals to serve as irrigation ditches and as walks dur- 

 ing picking. The slight elevation of the plants also 

 assists in surface drainage, when heavy rains fall during 

 the early part of the fruiting season, and this promotes 

 early growth and fruiting of the plants. Where the soil 

 is too coarse to j^erniit free rise of water from the de- 

 pressed ditches the conditions are reversed and low 

 levees are made to inclose blocks of plants which are 

 irrigated by flooding the inclosures. In the chief com- 

 mercial regions a fine loam is used and irrigation from 

 the small ditches on both sides of the ridges, which are 

 about 2 feet wide, is the ruling method. 

 i Nearly level land is selected and grading 



^;^_ '-^ is done before planting to reduce dry 



^'_^_''^y "-- knolls and fill low places so that the 



water will flow slowlj' and will evenly 

 nioi.sten the whole field. Subirrigation by 

 tile has been often advocated but never 

 has been employed to any extent. 



One of the chief Strawberry-shipping 

 districts in central California is charac- 

 terized by a shallow loam underlaid by an 

 impervious indurated clay or hard pan, 

 which prevents the percolation of the ir- 

 rigation water and enables growers to 

 maintain a large acreage by means of the 

 small water supply secured by windmills. 

 lu this case water is applied very fre- 

 quently, even oftener than once a week 

 in some cases, but the total amount for 

 the season is small. Quite in contrast 

 to this is the growth on light, deep loams 

 where water sinks so rapidly that the 

 plants suffer, although water is almost con- 

 stantly running in the ditches. In such 

 cases mulching and sprinkling are the price of success, 

 and these are too costly except on a small scale for home 

 supply. The largest producing districts have soils mid- 

 way between the extremes above noted; viz., deep, re- 

 tentive loams, situated rather low in the valleys and 

 Willi irrigation available either by ditch system or by 

 wells both flowing and pumped. The pump wells re- 

 quire usually only a short lift, and abundant water is 

 secured cheaply by the use of modern pumps and 



