THE PEARS OF NEW YORK 83 
CHAPTER III 
PEAR CULTURE 
The common pear or some of its hybrids with the oriental pear is 
grown for a home supply of fruit, if not for the markets, in every part of 
North America where hardy fruits thrive except in the extreme north and 
south. But commercial pear-growing on this continent is confined to a 
few regions, and in these is profitable only in carefully selected situations. 
Perhaps the culture of no other fruit, not even of the tender peach nor of 
the capricious grape, is more definitely determined by environment than is 
that of the pear. A study of the regions in America in which pears are 
successfully grown for the markets furnishes clews to the proper culture of 
this fruit in New York, and shows with what regions this State must com- 
pete in growing pears for the markets. The location of the pear regions 
in America is readily determined by figures showing the number of trees 
and their yield in the various fruit regions of the country. 
PEAR STATISTICS FOR THE UNITED STATES AND NEW YORK 
Six states produced over 65 per cent of the pears grown in the United 
States in 1919. The census of 1920 shows that in the preceding year 
the total crop of the country was 14,211,346 bushels, of which California 
produced 3,952,923 bushels; New York, 1,830,237 bushels; Washington, 
1,728,759 bushels; Oregon, 761,063 bushels; Texas, 637,400 bushels; and 
Missouri, 430,828 bushels. Trees in all other states yielded 4,870,136 
bushels. There were according to this census 14,646,995 bearing trees 
and 6,051,845 not of bearing age. The yield of fruit was 60 per cent 
greater than in 1909; the number of bearing trees 3 per cent less; 
and the number of non-bearing trees 28 per cent less. Compared 
with other tree-fruits, according to this census, the pear occupies fourth 
place in value of product, the apple, peach (including the nectarine), and 
plum (including the prune), in order named, outranking the pear. Prob- 
ably the orange, grape, and strawberry yield greater value to the country 
than the pear, although the acreage of each of these three fruits is smaller. 
Commercial production cannot be segregated from the total, but without 
question the increase in plantings is due to commercial activities; for the 
development of the canning industry, refrigerator service, and better 
transportation have greatly stimulated trade in this fruit. 
