DECIDUOUS FRUITS 183 



sixty varieties of pears were listed for sale in the catalogues 

 of London nurserymen early in the seventeenth century. 

 Pear culture was developed to a remarkable extent in France. 

 According to Peter Henderson, a single nursery in France 

 carried a stock of 3600 varieties. 



As the pear seems to be somewhat less troubled by its 

 chief enemy, the blight, in regions near large bodies of water 

 than in the dry interior parts of the country, very successful 

 pear sections are those south of the Great Lakes region and 

 east to the Atlantic, and in the Pacific states. California, 

 New York, Michigan, Oregon, and New Jersey have about 

 half the pear acreage in the United States. Eastern 

 Maryland, Delaware, the region along the southern part of 

 Lake Michigan, the Yakima Valley of Washington, and the 

 Rogue River Valley of Oregon are well known pear-producing 

 sections. Pears are not grown to nearly as great an extent 

 in Canada as are apples. They are raised for the most part 

 in the Ontario region west of Lake Ontario, in Nova Scotia, 

 in British Columbia, and to a slight extent on Prince Edward 

 Island. 



The pear thrives on heavy soils and will withstand more 

 water than other fruit-trees. Pears will not tolerate a light 

 sandy soil. Care must be exercised in fertilizing the soil, in 

 irrigating, and in cultivating the trees. The organism caus- 

 ing the blight usually enters through the flowers, but it may 

 also gain access through the soft moist tissues of the rapidly 

 growing tips. Any type of fertilization or cultural methods 

 causing a rapid and " sappy" growth should be avoided, 

 especially in seasons when the blight is prevalent. 



With the exception of a few varieties, pears are picked 

 green and allowed to ripen in storage, as the flavor is better 

 than if they are allowed to ripen on the tree. 



Some varieties of pears in certain localities are self-sterile 

 and require the planting of other kinds with them for pollina- 

 tion purposes. 



