THE PEARS OF NEW YORK 1 09 



a keg holding about a bushel or more is less used; a pear barrel holding a 

 peck less than an apple barrel was formerly more used than now; Kieffer 

 is often sent to the market in apple barrels. A very few New York growers 

 ship in boxes, but these are few indeed. In all excepting the boxes, the 

 pears, having been graded, are carefully put in the packages, sometimes in 

 layers and sometimes hit or miss, but the package is always faced. Good 

 grades are usually labeled, though the same attention is not given to labeling 

 pears that is given in putting up apples. Truth is, the packing of pears in 

 New York is a decade or two behind the packing of apples. 



The commercial pear-grower now stores his pears in cold storage if he 

 keeps them any length of time after harvesting. A few varieties, of which 

 Beurre Bosc is most notable, do not keep well in cold storage, but most 

 of the mainstays in the pear industry keep fairly well in artificial cold. 

 There is, however, much to be learned about the commercial storage of 

 pears. There seems to be little information that can be relied upon as to 

 how low the temperature should go; how humid the atmosphere should be; 

 how long the pears can be kept in good condition; and how different varieties 

 behave under these several conditions. 



Perhaps a word should be said as to how the pear can be ripened best 

 in the home. After harvesting, the pears should be placed in a cool sweet- 

 smelling fruit-room in shallow boxes or spread upon shelves to acquire in 

 time full flavor and color. Most pears part with their moisture readily, 

 and the pear-room must not be open to draughts which usually cause the 

 fruits to become hard and leathery or to shrivel. If the pears are to be 

 kept long, wrapping in paper helps to prevent shriveling. Nearly all pears 

 ripen perfectly in cool or cold storage, but a few late winter sorts ripen 

 better if brought into a temperature of 60 or 70 for two or three weeks 

 before their season. 



A large part of New York's pear crop is canned in commercial canneries. 

 Canners usually pay high prices, and the crop, when sold to them, need 

 not be so carefully picked, packed, and otherwise handled. It is a mistake 

 to assume that pears for the cannery can be shaken from the tree or handled 

 roughly otherwise. Neither do the canners want the poor grades, after 

 the good pears have been sent to the market. Large sizes are usually 

 preferred, and the fruits must be well formed, free from serious insect, 

 fungous, or mechanical injuries, and at a particular stage of maturity which 

 the canner specifies. The profits in selling to canners are usually more 

 certain, and are often quite as great as in selling on the markets. The 



