THE PEARS OF NEW YORK 83 



CHAPTER m 

 PEAR CULTURE 



The common pear or some of its hybrids with the oriental pear is 

 grown for a home supply of fruit, if not for the markets, in every part of 

 North America where hardy fruits thrive except in the extreme north and 

 south. But commercial pear-growing on this continent is confined to a 

 few regions, and in these is profitable only in carefully selected situations. 

 Perhaps the culture of no other fruit, not even of the tender peach nor of 

 the capricious grape, is more definitely determined by environment than is 

 that of the pear. A study of the regions in America in which pears are 

 successfully grown for the markets furnishes clews to the proper culture of 

 this fruit in New York, and shows with what regions this State must com- 

 pete in growing pears for the markets. The location of the pear regions 

 in America is readily determined by figures showing the number of trees 

 and their yield in the various fruit regions of the country. 



PEAR STATISTICS FOR THE UNITED STATES AND NEW YORK 



Six states produced over 65 per cent of the pears grown in the United 

 States in 1919. The census of 1920 shows that in the preceding year 

 the total crop of the country was 14,211,346 bushels, of which California 

 produced 3,952,923 bushels; New York, 1,830,237 bushels; Washington, 

 1,728,759 bushels; Oregon, 761,063 bushels; Texas, 637,400 bushels; and 

 Missouri, 430,828 bushels. Trees in all other states yielded 4,870,136 

 bushels. There were according to this census 14,646,995 bearing trees 

 and 6,051,845 not of bearing age. The yield of fruit was 60 per cent 

 greater than in 1909; the number of bearing trees 3 per cent less; 

 and the number of non-bearing trees 28 per cent less. Compared 

 with other tree-fruits, according to this census, the pear occupies fourth 

 place in value of product, the apple, peach (including the nectarine), and 

 plum (including the prune), in order named, outranking the pear. Prob- 

 ably the orange, grape, and strawberry yield greater value to the country 

 than the pear, although the acreage of each of these three fruits is smaller. 

 Commercial production cannot be segregated from the total, but without 

 question the increase in plantings is due to commercial activities; for the 

 development of the canning industry, refrigerator service, and better 

 transportation have greatly stimulated trade in this fruit. 



