PEAR GROWING IN CALIFORNIA. 393 



pal requisite of a good pack, as fruit when being handled or hauled in 

 wagons or cars after packing, must not have a chance to move about in 

 the pack, for if it does the rubbing will cause bruising and result in 

 injuring or entirely spoiling the fruit. In order to do away with any 

 possibility of looseness in the pack, California pear growers, in fact 

 pear growers in all the Western states, have possibly gone to the extreme 

 in the amount of fruit placed in a box. Fig. 180 shows a bulge such 

 as is commonly seen on pear boxes. This bulge often measures three 

 inches at the point of greatest distention on the top, and on the bottom 

 there is a bulge which is nearly as great. That such a bulge is not 

 necessary is the opinion of many practical fruit men. Too frequently 

 the pressure necessary to put a cover on a box of fruit packed like that 

 shown in Fig. 180 results in appreciable injury by bruising a large 

 percentage of the pears in the box. Instead of a three-inch bulge, a 

 f - or 1-inch bulge is all that is necessary and no doubt in time the evils 

 of the present excessive bulge pack will be corrected. It must be borne 

 in mind, however, that too slack a pack is more liable to be injured in 

 transportation than the tight pack, and there must be enough pressure 

 of the cover upon the fruit to hold each piece in place. 



On one end of the packed box of pears an attractive label, usually 

 lithographed, is used. This label is required by law to have printed on 

 it the variety, the name and address of the packer, and the name of 

 locality where the fruit was grown. In addition, the minimum net 

 weight must be stamped on this label. This weight is generally put at 

 45 pounds. Most of the boxes, however, weigh more than 50 pounds. 

 Growers have particular brands of their own which are also indicated 

 on the label. Under the terms of the standardization act passed by the 

 legislature in 1917, pears when packed shall be practically free from 

 insects and fungous diseases and shall also be of practically uniform 

 size, quality and maturity. 



It is hard to estimate the value of the new standardization law. 

 It is safe to say, however, that since it became effective there has 

 been a decided improvement in the pear pack in many sections of 

 California. The wording of the law is possibly a little weak and 

 somewhat indefinite, making it necessary for the horticultural commis- 

 sioner to define certain terms which, if defined in the law, would make 

 his work much easier and more effective. For example, "practically 

 free" from insects and fungous diseases is not interpreted the same 

 by all. inspectors. It is generally conceded that "practically" should 

 mean that not more than 3 per cent of the fruit is infested, and that 

 when it applies to size the variation should be not greater than f of an 

 inch. A precedent for this ruling which has been adopted by some 

 of the horticultural commissioners is found in the apple standard- 

 ization act. There have been many difficulties in the way of enforcing 

 this new law but as time goes on these difficulties will disappear 

 and eventually the standardization law will mean much to the pear 

 industry as well as to the other deciduous fruit industries of California. 



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