Locations, Sites and Soils 7 



from frost often is serious. A sloping site, which pro- 

 vides cold air drainage to lower land, may give sufficient 

 immunity from light frosts to justify the somewhat 

 greater inconvenience of cultivation, as compared with 

 level land. The slope need not be steep ; a fall of two or 

 three feet in one hundred may be sufficient to secure good 

 air drainage. The steeper the land, the greater the in- 

 convenience of cultivation and danger of soil erosion. An 

 elevation considerably above the surrounding country is 

 preferable, provided the slope is not steep or the soil 

 poor. In the Chattanooga district, the growers find it 

 more profitable to go high enough on the ridge to escape 

 frost than to plant on the more fertile lower slopes. In 

 Colorado, the high mesa or bench lands are preferred. 

 Smudging may afford considerable protection if the site 

 is frosty, but it is more economical to plant on an elevated 

 site. 



Water drainage. 



A sloping site usually provides good water drainage, 

 but not always. Poor drainage is one of the greatest 

 difficulties of strawberry-growing in the Gulf states. 

 Ridging and bedding may be resorted to, but sloping 

 land is preferable, if available. In the North, especially 

 in Canada and northern New England, it is desirable to 

 select a site with enough slope to carry off melting snow, 

 so that ice [will not cover the field; frozen slush will 

 injure strawberry plants if it covers them many days. 



Exposure. 



If a slope is to be planted, its exposure, or aspect with 

 reference to the points of the compass, may have some 

 bearing upon the success of the enterprise. A southern 



