BARTLETT PEAR PRECOOLING AND STORAGE INVESTIGA- 

 TIONS IN THE ROGUE RIVER VALLEY. 1 



By A. V. Stubenrauch, Pomologist in Charge, and H. J. Ramsfa-, Pomologist 

 in Fruit Transportation- and Storage Investigations, Office of Field Investiga- 

 tions in Pomology. 



INTRODUCTION. 



There are now approximately 50,000 acres of pear trees in the 

 Rogue River Valley of Oregon and planting is still in progress. 

 By far the major portion of the acreage consists of Bartletts. At 

 present only a small percentage of the trees are in bearing. When 

 the new plantings come into full bearing the production of pears in 

 the valley will assume large proportions, and the problems of suc- 

 cessfully marketing the large crop therefore become of pressing im- 

 portance. The general experience thus far has been that Bartlett 

 pears shipped during the first half of the season do not bring as much 

 in the eastern markets as later shipments. This is due to the fact 

 that they usually arrive in the markets of the East at a time when 

 California pears of excellent quality are very plentiful. As soon 

 as the bulk of the California crop is out of the way the demand for 

 Rogue River Valley Bartletts increases, and the prices received are 

 considerably higher. The extension of the season during which Bart- 

 letts can be marketed in good, sound condition is therefore of the 

 greatest importance to the industry of the Rogue River Valley and 

 wherever these pears are grown in the Pacific Northwest. 



PRECOOLING AND STORAGE EXPERIMENTS. 



With a view of determining whether the usual Bartlett pear 

 season of the Northwest could be extended or lengthened sufficiently 

 to enable the bulk of the crop to reach eastern markets after the 

 California season closes, investigations were begun in the Rogue 

 River Valley during the season of 1912. These investigations, un- 

 dertaken at the urgent request of growers and shippers, included a 

 study of the practicability of extending or lengthening the market- 

 ing season by precooling and storage at the producing end. The 

 work also included a study of the relation to decay in storage and in 



i Issued Feb. 22, 101.".. 

 [('ir. 114] 19 



