RIPENING AND MARKETING PEAKS. 17 



are small, and the^' will shrivel unless ripened with great care, and 

 the}' lack the bod}' and flavor of those which are fully grown. Late 

 fall and winter pears should be left on the trees until hard frosts 

 and wind}' weather cause them to fall ; then they should be care- 

 fully picked, sorted, and packed in clean barrels and stored where 

 the temperature can be kept as near 40° as possible until the season 

 of ripening has arrived, when they should be placed between wool- 

 len blankets in a room where an even temperature of as near *70° 

 as po8sil)le can be maintained, and they will soon ripen like sum- 

 mer pears. 



I believe the cause of the failure of so many people to satisfac- 

 torily ripen winter pears is, that the fruit is kept and ripened at so 

 low a temperature that the tendency to saccharine fermentation is 

 destroyed, instead of being favored, and consequently such pears 

 are dry and tasteless. 



The summa swnmarum of this whole matter is, if we wish to 

 keep pears and retard their ripening, we must keep them in a still 

 dry air, at a temperature as near 40° as it is possible. But when 

 it is desirable to ripen them, put them in a dark, warm place with 

 a moderate degree of moisture in the air, and keep them covered 

 to exclude the light and retain the heat and gases which are gene- 

 rated. In warm weather use papers for a covering, and in cold 

 weather use woollen blankets. 



Marketing. To the man who grows pears for profit, the subject 

 of marketing is of paramount importance, but here is where many 

 fail. They can produce first class crops in abundance, but fail to 

 put them into market in the best shape and at just the right time. 

 The best way to market a crop of pears depends very much on the 

 quantity, the kinds, and the distance from market, as well as the 

 individual tastes of the producer. 



To one who has a large quantity of fruit to dispose of, and who 

 is located some distance from a large market, or one who has not 

 any taste or ability for marketing, I would recommend to ship 

 them, while yet hard, to some reliable fruit dealer in one of our 

 large markets. By so doing he may obtain his money in a mass 

 and save a large amount of time. Pears/ sold in this way should 

 be carefully sorted, discarding all ripe or wormy ones, as well as 

 those which are knurly or undersized, and they should be packed in 

 clean barrels, with a layer of choice ones laid on their side in the 

 bottom of the barrel ; then fill in a few carefully and shake down ; 

 3 



