PEARS 



1589 



pears are grown in France and the United 

 States than in any other countries. In 

 the United States the principal pear-pro- 

 ducing sections are New England, New 

 York, Michigan, California, Oregon, Wash- 

 ington and Idaho. 



Among the fruits of the United States 

 the pear ranks fourth in commercial im- 

 portance. 



There are two general groups of pears, 

 viz.: the European and the Oriental. The 

 European group originated with Pyrus 

 C07n7nunis, and the Oriental with Pyrus 

 sinensis, the native pears of China and 

 Japan. Many varieties of the so-called 

 European pears originated In America as 

 seedlings from the European varieties. 

 Among them are the Seckel Lawrence, 

 Clapp's Favorite, Wilder, Howell a,nd Ty- 

 son. However, many of the European 

 varieties came directly from Europe, such 

 as the Anjou, Angouleme, Louise Bonne 

 de Jersey and the Bartlett. 



Pears are classified also as Dwarf, 

 Standard and Oriental. 



Dwarf Pears 



The dwarf pear consists of European 

 varieties propagated on quince roots, the 

 principal stock used for this purpose, be- 

 ing rooted cuttings of a vigorous variety, 

 called the Anglers. The trees so prop- 

 agated are dwarfed in their habits and 

 bear profusely. In some cases the fruit 

 is improved in quality and in quantity 

 by the dwarfing process. An example of 

 this is the Angouleme. The Seckel is said 

 not to be so good in quality by dwarfing. 

 Natural dwarfs, that is, pears on pear 

 roots, occur occasionally, but generally 

 dwarfing means grafting pears on quince 

 roots. 



Standards 



Standard pears consist of European va- 

 rieties propagated on pear roots. The 

 stock for this purpose may be from 

 European seedlings. Oriental seedlings, or 

 almost any kind of rooted pear cuttings. 



Orientals 



These are of Chinese or Japanese 

 origin. The Orientals are planted in this 

 country not because of their commercial 

 value, for in this they are far inferior to 



the European varieties, but because of 

 their vigor, hardiness and disease-resist- 

 ing qualities. Even the hybrids crossed 

 with the European varieties are much 

 hardier than the types of pure European 

 varieties, and under adverse conditions 

 where the European varieties cannot be 

 successfully grown, these varieties are 

 preferable. However, wherever the Bart- 

 lett will grow the Oriental varieties 

 should have no consideration. In the 

 South the Oriental pears seem much more 

 resistant to heat and drought than the 

 European varieties, but they are also 

 more resistant to cold. 



Location and Soil 



Pears may be grown wherever apples 

 can be grown successfully, and are even 

 adapted to a wider range of conditions 

 than apples. They succeed well in the 

 sandy soils of the Southern states where- 

 ever peaches do well, in the colder regions 

 of the North and the higher altitudes se- 

 lected for apples. They are profitable in 

 the arid regions where irrigation is neces- 

 sary, and on the coast where there is lit- 

 tle sunshine and much rain. 



In many sections of the West clay soils 

 have been chosen for pears, because on 

 such soils the growth is slower and 

 there is less danger of blight. They are 

 also more resistant than peaches and ap- 

 ples to alkali, which in many places in 

 the arid regions is found in the soil in 

 excessive proportions. It has been proven 

 that pears are more resistant to an ex- 

 cess of water in the soils than other 

 fruits. For this reason it is common to 

 see pear orchards doing fairly well on 

 seepage lands, undrained lands and sub- 

 irrigated lands, where apples, peaches and 

 other fruits would not succeed. 



This does not mean that pears do bet- 

 ter on strong alkali soils and where there 

 is an excess of water than they do on 

 soils with less alkali and with better 

 drainage, but that they are more resistant 

 to these unfavorable conditions than are 

 most fruits. 



Of late years it has been proven that 

 the Pacific Coast states are especially 

 adapted to pears. Perhaps no other re- 

 gion of the United States will produce 



