Ripening of Pears. 381 



to the detriment of texture. It is ordinarily con- 

 sidered that the best time to pick a pear of any 

 variety is just as soon as it reaches its full size 

 and before it has begun to color. In most varie- 

 ties, this stage is pretty well indicated by the facil- 

 ity with which the fruit stem parts from the spur. 

 The pear is taken in the hollow of the hand and 

 turned up ; if the stem snaps off from the spur 

 at its point of articulation, the fruit is generally 

 considered to be ripe enough to pick. The pears 

 are then ripened under cover. The best place in 

 which to ripen them is a rathei: cool but dry room, 

 like a loft or a chamber. Here they are piled upon 

 the floor or upon racks, and they should not lie, 

 for the best results, more than three or four pears 

 deep. If they are piled too deep, the lower ones 

 are likel} r to be indented by the weight of those 

 above them. The room should be kept fairly close. 

 If there is too much circulation of air, and if the 

 temperature is high, the pears ripen too quickly, 

 and often shrivel. A Bartlett pear, when properly 

 picked and handled, ordinarily requires a full week 

 in which to ripen up to its best quality, and the 

 ripening process may often be continued consider- 

 ably longer than this by picking the fruit early 

 and keeping it cool. Kieffers, especially if grown 

 in the north, seem to ripen best if they are stored 

 in bulk, like beans, two or three feet deep, or even 

 in barrels, and the ripening process is ordinarily 

 two to three weeks long. If they are given this 

 long time in which to mature, the quality may be 



