THE MONTHLY BULLETIN, 297 



slaked should be used, and after slaking it with the water it should be 

 allowed to cool before being used in making paste. If covered to avoid 

 evaporation each ingredient will keep indeiinitely, but after mixing the 

 paste slowly deteriorates. Where it is being used over a number of 

 days or weeks, just enough of the wet slaked lime and the bluestone 

 solution should be mixed to make paste enough to last for one day, 

 leaving the remainder unmixed in separate vessels. It may be applied 

 with large brushes as is whitewash. 



PEAR CULTURE IN THE NORTHWEST.* 



By O. I. Lewis, Professor of Hoiticultiire, Oregon Agricultural College, 



Corvallis, Oregon. 



PRESENT STATUS, 



Recently I made a special study of the status of pear culture in the 

 country as a whole, A perusal of the census figuras, accompanied by 

 replies to many letters which I wrote to every horticulturist in experi- 

 ment stations in the United States, as well as to many men who were 

 growing the fruit, revealed the fact that the industry on the whole 

 was on the decline. Tremendous areas in the south and middle w^est, 

 that at one time produced millions of boxes of fruit, are now producing 

 nothing. The terrible ravages of blight have largely eliminated this 

 fruit in these sections. Other districts which at one time produced 

 choice Bartletts, Anjous, and fruits of this type, are now confining 

 themselves entirely to Kieffer production. 



This cpiestion of Kieffer production deserves considerable of our 

 attention. Formerly the Kieffer was not very acceptable in many 

 markets, whereas today trainloads of this pear are being .sold where 

 formerly none were desired. Many housewives have learned to prize 

 the Kieffer for preserving purposes, and the ease with which it is 

 handled, and the fact that it will grow successfully in sections where 

 other varieties will not grow, means that this fruit will have to be con- 

 sidered when w^e take a survey of the pear industry. 



As far as the production of a high class pear is concerned in the 

 east, it is confined very largely to the North Atlantic Seaboard. It 

 comprises such states as the New England States, New York, and also 

 Michigan. In other than these states, there is very little activity in the 

 production of high class pears. The only other section where pears 

 are being produced in any considerable amount is in the West on the 

 Pacific Coast, Up to the present time California has undoubtedly 

 produced the most of the pears, but the Northwest is coming to the 

 front very rapidly. This section is bound to be a very prominent 

 factor in pear production in coming years. In fact, most of our 

 orchards are very young. A very large percentage of them have not 

 borne as yet. Within ten years the increase in yield will be something 

 enormous. The pears being produced on the whole are very satis- 

 factory. They seem to have good shipping qualities, good eating 

 qualitias, and are very acceptable in all the markets to which they are 

 being sent. 



*Address before the State Fruit Growers' Convention, Davis, California, June 1 

 to 6, 1914. 



