20 Strawberry-Growing 



since it fills the horse tracks better and leaves the land 

 smoother for marking out. 



Bedding and ridging. 



Level culture is preferable except when earliness is 

 desired or surface drainage is poor ; the roots keep cooler 

 and the supply of soil moisture is more equable. Ridg- 

 ing to secure earliness has long been practiced, especially 

 in the South. The ridge is made by throwing two or 

 more furrows together (Plate I) . These are knocked down 

 to the desired height and shape with a drag; each one 

 accommodates one row of plants. Usually the ridge is 

 three to six inches high on the back or north side, and 

 grades down to a level on the front or south side, thus 

 presenting the maximum surface to the sun. A gain in 

 earliness of four to eight days may be expected, as com- 

 pared with level culture. Ridging or bedding to secure 

 surface drainage as well as earliness is used most com- 

 monly in the South, and occasionally in the North. In 

 Florida and the Gulf states, ridging is necessary except on 

 the lighter sands; heavy midsummer rains often cover 

 the flat lands of this region with water to a depth of one 

 or two inches. The width of the bed or ridge is deter- 

 mined mainly by the water absorbing power of the soil. 

 One-row ridges and two-row beds are used mostly, but 

 three- to ten-row beds or "lands" are used sometimes on 

 the lighter soils. The lower and wider the beds the better, 

 provided they will carry off the excess water. High, 

 narrow beds dry out quickly. Wide beds hold mulching 

 material better. The height of the bed or ridge varies 

 from two to eight inches. In Florida, the ridges are 

 commonly three to four feet wide and four to five inches 

 high. 



