124 SIXTEENTH BIENNIAL REPORT 



any other pear raised in these few favored districts of Oregon, with one of the 

 same variety raised elsewhere, and the difference is plainly marked. Not only 

 does tlie fruit keep better, but its distinctive flavor — delicious, melting and frag- 

 rant — brands it as supreme. 



To raise good pears it is not only necessai-y to liave good soil, but tlie climatic 

 conditions, soil makeup and natural conditions must be just riglit. After tbis, 

 careful selection of stock and varieties, careful and scientific cultural metbods 

 and proper harvesting and packing must be followed in Order to produce the 

 perfect article. 



Good pears are raised in several sections of the State, but outside of a few 

 raised in the Willamette Valley and Hood River district there are few com- 

 mercial pear orchards outside of Southern Oregon. It is this latter section which 

 is, today, the preeminent pear raising district of the State. 



The pear acreage in the United States is gradually decreasing. But few 

 sections in the East are now producing commercially and those that are, are 

 either dwindling or barely holding their own against the ravages of disease. 



California has produced enormous crops of Bartletts for the canneries, but it 

 now looks as though the future great pear canning center will be Southern Ore- 

 gon. This can be readily seen when one understands the conditions confronting 

 California growers. Heretofore, the canneries started the season with peaches 

 and canned that variety of fruit as long as they could get the proper kinds. When 

 tlie peaches were gone, which was about the time of the Bartlett season, they 

 turned their attention to pears. Now, however, they have succeeded in developing 

 new varieties of canning peaches which ripen in rotation so as to give the can- 

 neries a steady run of the fruit throughout the whole season. 



As the peaches may be canned much easier. cheaper and with more profit than 

 pears. the canneries are turning their attention more and more to them. The 

 result is that many growers are now going into the raising of peaches instead of 

 pears, and the acreage of the latter will undoubtedly grow less. 



But canned pears are a necessity and, therefore, the canneries will look to 

 Oregon for the pears. Besides, it is admitted that the Oregon Bartlett makes a 

 better canning pear than the California product. 



With proper Organization among the growers and the right kind of packing, 

 advertising and selling, it won't be long before the public will be demanding 

 Oregon pears in preference to all others. 



APPLE INDUSTRY 



By H. H. Weatherspoon, State Horticultural Commissioner for the Fifth District 



A careful survey of the apple industry, as well as other fruits now grown in 

 the State during the past 20 years, furnishes some very interesting facts and aside 

 from this, serves as a guide. if well studied, to the future orchardist going into 

 fruit growing as an occupation. 



About 20 years ago it may be said that Oregon as a state entered the field 

 to produce apples, pears, peaches, prunes and berries in a commercial way to 

 help feed the outside world in conipetition with other fruit-growing states that 

 had been producing for nearly 100 years. 



How well Oregon has forged to the front may be easily learned by asking 

 nonresidents of the state or residents of foreign countries who have used and 

 handled Oregon fruit what they think of it. The reply is always the same: There 

 is noue better and very little quite so good. 



What we think of our fruit at home stimulates us to keep trying to reach a 

 still higher mark in quality, and what the outside world thinks of our fruit brings 

 the demand and highest prices obtained by any fruit-growing section of the 

 entire world. 



