72 Strawberry-Growing 



vate shallow, if at all, so as not to disturb the plants. 

 Be especially careful not to throw soil upon the crowns; 

 unless it is soon removed by hand, at the first hoeing, the 

 crowns will rot. After this, one or two deep workings 

 should be given to loosen the soil compacted by the plant- 

 ers. In the North there is little danger of injuring them 

 by deep working ; in the South, apparently, there is some 

 danger from deep tillage in the fall. Midsummer tillage 

 should be shallow, — not more than two and one-half 

 inches deep. It is well to vary the depth slightly and to 

 use different types of tools ; some growers alternate five- 

 toothed and twelve-toothed cultivators throughout the 

 season. 



Usually It is best not to ridge the land with the culti- 

 vator any more than can be helped. The rows tend to 

 ridge naturally if the field is fruited three or four years. 

 Level culture, when practicable, is better than ridge 

 culture, because it exposes less soil surface for evaporation. 

 There are some sections, particularly in Florida and the 

 Gulf states, where surface drainage must be provided. 

 This ridging is usually done, however, before the plants 

 are set. The other extreme is found in the lighter soils 

 of New Jersey and the Delaware-Maryland peninsula; 

 there some growers consider it an advantage to have 

 the middles higher than the rows, so that surface drainage 

 will be toward the plants. 



In matted row and spaced row training the disposi- 

 tion of the runners must be taken into account when cul- 

 tivating. The land can be cultivated both ways and 

 close to the mother plants until early summer ; then the 

 cultivator must be narrowed gradually to permit the 

 runners to root. Run the cultivator in the same direction 

 each time ; if reversed, many of the runners are uprooted. 



