MANAGING THE SOIL 



541 



After the first season, cultivation must be shallow, espe- 

 cially adjacent to the rows. The roots of the black and purple 

 raspberries are barely beneath the surface, and in the red 

 raspberry and blackberry, which sucker from the roots, the 

 more the roots are broken, the more numerous will be the 

 suckers that come up to plague the grower. With the latter 

 fruits, the rows must be rigidly restricted in width or the 

 suckers will gradually preempt the entire area. This can be 

 done only by frequent and thorough cultivation. In the hill 

 system the problem and solution are the same, except that the 

 rows must not fill in between the hills. 



The plantation will yield some fruit the second season — a 

 considerable amount if all conditions have been favorable. 

 Cultivate each year through the harvesting season to loosen 

 the soil packed down by picking, and to conserve all moisture 

 possible for the plants. If the plants droop over the cultivated 

 area, they must not be disturbed when loaded with ripe fruit, 

 or much of it will fall to the ground. In such a case, cultivate 

 immediately after each picking. 



Sow a cover crop in late summer, about mid-August in 

 most sections, keeping the crop well away from the rows if it 

 is one that lives over winter. Oats and barley, winter vetch, 

 the clovers, cow peas, and soy beans possess merit, and under 

 the proper conditions give good results. 



Some growers secure good results by plowing toward the 

 rows just deeply enough to turn the furrow before sowing the 

 cover crop, and plowing away from the rows in the spring. 



Mulching aids in moisture conservation and constitutes 

 good practice where the cost of the material is not prohibitive. 



Irrigation is necessary in some of the arid or semi-arid 

 sections. The technique and practice relate directly to the 

 needs of the particular section, and have been developed to 

 meet them. In the Eastern states, overhead irrigation is valu- 

 able at times, when, in spite of good care, an abnormally dry 

 season makes the lack of moisture the limiting factor in pro- 

 duction. For the most part it is more to the point to maintain 



