6 Strawberry-Growing 



trees. If other crops are to be grown with strawberries, 

 these influence the choice of a location. 



The strawberry requires more labor than most crops, 

 especially at the harvest. There have been many disas- 

 trous failures because of a shortage of pickers. Many 

 of the large plantations secure pickers from a distance 

 and encamp them on the farm, but a local supply is a 

 distinct advantage. This point should be considered in 

 selecting a location. 



SITES 



Having fixed on a geographical location for the enters 

 prise, the selection of a site, — which is the location 

 with reference to local topography, — next demands at- 

 tention. The nature of the soil usually is of more im- 

 portance than the lay of the land, and may be the deter- 

 mining factor ; yet there are several points about the site 

 that should be weighed independent of the nature of 

 its soil. These have to do mainly with air drainage, 

 water drainage, earliness, wind protection and irri- 

 gation. 



Air drainage. 



Except when grown in connection with trucking or 

 market-gardening, gently sloping land is preferred for 

 strawberries, provided the soil conditions are favorable. 

 The strawberry plant hugs the ground; it would suffer 

 severely from frosts were it not for the fortunate circum- 

 stance that the blossoms open in succession over a con- 

 siderable period. The plant, also, shows remarkable 

 recuperative power, especially in the South, by sending 

 out a new crop of blossoms immediately after the first 

 crop has been destroyed by frost. Nevertheless, the loss 



