8 - 



Further information on rabbit repellents, as well as live 

 trapninq and fencing of rabbits, may be obtained by writing to 

 the office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at Amherst, Mass 

 achusetts . 



( Note : Mention of 

 endorsement by the 



the foregoing products in no way 

 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.) 



implies their 



*************** 



HARVESTING AND STORING PEARS 



W.J. Bramlage and J.F. Anderson 

 Department of Plant and Soil Sciences 



Most pears grown in New England are marketed locally by the 

 grower, which means that high quality is necessary for repeat sales 

 at the roadside stand or retail store. Pears can be a 

 quality commodity, but producing this quality requires 

 The fruit must be harvested at the right stage, stored 

 and ripened properly to produce this premium quality. 



very high 

 special care 

 correctly , 



Unlike most fruits, pears cannot be tree-ripened, because they 

 will develop internal breakdown. They must be harvested green, 

 but at a rather definite stage of maturity. This maturity is best 

 determined by flesh firmness, and it has been repeatedly found that 

 the Magness-Tayl or pressure tester is an adequate tool for this 

 determination. This is in marked contrast with apples, where the 

 pressure tester has very limited value as a maturity index. 



In determining pear maturity, the Magness-Tayl or pressure 

 tester is used the same way as on apples, with one very important 

 exception: a 5/16" diameter head must be used instead of the 7/16" 

 head used for apples. Since the green pears are much harder than 

 apples, the smaller head is essential to get a meaningful reading. 

 Using the 5/16" head, the following pressure- test ranges have been 

 established as indices of optimum maturity for major varieties: 

 Bartlett, 20-17 pounds; Bosc, 15-12 pounds; Anjou, 15-13 pounds; 

 Comice, 13-11 pounds; Gorham and Flemish, 14-12 pounds. 



It is important that pears be harvested at the proper stage 

 of maturity. Fruit picked too early tends to shrivel in storage 

 and to develop poor quality when ripened, while over-maturity re- 

 sults in shortened storage life and the development of breakdown 

 disorders. Susceptibility to certain physiological disorders, 

 especially CO^ injury, is associated with advanced maturity. 



All varieties of pears can be stored safely at the lowest tern 

 perature at which they will not freeze, which ranges from 27 to 



29°F 



