HANDLING, SHIPPING, AND STORAGE OF BARTLETT PEARS. 3 



DISTRIBUTION OF BARTLETT PEAR GROWING IN THE PACIFIC 



COAST STATES. 



In California Bartlett pears are grown under a very wide range 

 of climatic conditions. By far the heaviest producing area lies along 

 the Sacramento Kiver on reclaimed land below the city of Sacra- 

 mento. This region produces about one-third of all the pears grown 

 in the State. Another heavy-producing section lies in the foothills 

 of the Sierra Nevada Mountains north and east from Sacramento 

 and centering about the towns of Newcastle, Auburn, Colfax, and 

 some others. This area lies in Eldorado, Nevada, and Placer Coun- 

 ties, mainly in the last. A third important region is the Santa 

 Clara Valley, centering about San Jose. There are, however, large 

 plantings of pears in all the region centering about San Francisco 

 Bay, from 150 miles north of San Francisco to 100 miles south and 

 east to the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Some sections of southern 

 California are also beginning to produce pears extensively. Los 

 Angeles County has a large acreage soon to come into bearing and 

 is already a factor in the tonnage produced. The Antelope Valley, 

 at the edge of the Mojave Desert, has a considerable acreage of pears, 

 while at Tehachapi, at the summit of the range of mountains of that 

 name, is another fairly large area. These regions in southern Cali- 

 fornia are not yet in full bearing. 



In Oregon the principal pear-producing section is in the Rogue 

 River Valley, in the southwestern part of the State. A large ton- 

 nage is also produced, however, throughout all the valleys of the 

 western part of the State, particularly in the Willamette Valley, 

 about Salem. The Hood River Valley is also growing pears in im- 

 portant commercial quantities. 



The Yakima district is by far the heaviest pear-producing section 

 of Washington. The Wenatchee district is second in total tonnage, 

 while scattered plantings occur through the other fruit sections. 



There is wide variation in the method of handling fruit from these 

 different sections. Some growers depend entirely upon the shipment 

 of fresh fruit to the Eastern States in order to market their crop. In 

 other sections the canneries are depended upon entirely as an outlet 

 for the production. The crop from numerous sections is shipped in 

 part in the fresh state, the remainder usually being canned, while the 

 output of at least one important producing section (Lake County, 

 Calif.) is practically all dried. 



HANDLING FRUIT FOR SHIPMENT IN A FRESH STATE. 



TIME OF PICKING. 



One of the most important questions which face the grower or the 

 shipping organization is that of knowing when to pick the pears. 

 Wide differences of opinion prevail us to the effect upon the keeping 

 quality of the fruit of leaving it on the trees until late or of removing 



