HANDLING, shipping, and storage of bartlett peaes. 9 



In the Yakima and Wenatchee districts of Washington very great 

 difficulty has been experienced in shipping fruit, through to eastern 

 markets. In former years the losses from fruit breaking down in 

 transit were very heavy. By prompt and very efficient precooling, 

 however, it has been possible to handle the Yakima Valley fruit 

 during recent years without much loss. The Wenatchee Valley, with 

 a somewhat cooler growing season and less cold-storage capacity for 

 precooling. still suffers considerable loss of Bartlett pears on eastern 

 shipments. 



The temperature range in these districts (the Yakima and We- 

 natchee Valleys) is not markedly lower than that at Sacramento. 

 It is true, however, that during a normal season the peak of the pick- 

 ing season in the former regions is not reached until the first week in 

 September. It will be noted that September temperatures represent 

 a. sharp drop below those of July and August. This may account 

 in part for a greater difficulty with this fruit than the records would 

 seem to warrant. 



In the Santa Clara Valley of California, centering about San Jose, 

 in the Sonoma County section north of San Francisco, and in the 

 Willamette Valley of Oregon attempts to ship Bartlett pears to east- 

 ern markets have not generally met with success, except in the case 

 of very early picked fruit. These districts, near enough to the coast 

 to have a comparatively cool climate, produce Bartletts excellent 

 for cannery purposes, but with a carrying season too short to allow 

 them to be readily handled for eastern shipment. The tendency to 

 break down internally is marked. It is probably true, however, that 

 some of this fruit, even of later pickings, could be shipped success- 

 fully were it possible to precool it efficiently. 



In the counties near the coast, and especially in districts directly 

 adjacent to the coast, a few Bartlett pears are produced. Grown in 

 this extremely cool climate, the pears are of the poorest keeping 

 quality of any under observation. Such fruit is particularly likely 

 to break down internally, and it must be handled very carefully, 

 even for use by canneries, if it is to be utilized without loss. 



It is not the intention in this report to imply that the temperature 

 of the growing season is the only factor involved in determining the 

 rapidity of the breakdown in pears following removal from the tree. 

 In the territory studied the humidity varies inversely with the tem- 

 perature, the regions >>\ high temperature being low in humidity, and 

 vice versa. This may be equally important with temperature in its 

 effect <»ii iIm- fruit. Soil and soil moisture undoubtedly are factors 

 entering into tin- beeping quality of the fruit to a marked extent, but 

 tli<- relationship to temperature during the growing season seems 

 to stand out when the conditions characterizing (he different districts 

 are considered. 



