PEARS. 



135 



advantage to display their best fruit with the 

 aid of a little coloured paper. 



If boxes were more generally employed for 

 the finest British Pears, it would be much easier 

 to develop that direct communication between 

 the producer and consumer that must be to 

 their mutual benefit. The use of boxes also, 

 strong but cheap, that can be given with the 

 fruit, avoiding all the trouble and expense of 

 returned empties, would facilitate the extension 

 of the market trade as well as the direct retail 

 business. The majority of salesmen would 

 gladly be relieved of the responsibility and 

 expenditure involved in providing baskets, which 

 constitute a serious item in the business. The 

 boxes provided by some of the railway com- 

 panies are cheap, and as regards the smaller 

 sizes, are strong enough for the safe conveyance 

 of Pears with good packing and ordinary care 

 in transit. The three most convenient sizes for 

 this purpose are the following: — No. 3, 15 inches 

 long by lOf inches wide and 5 inches deep; 

 No. 4, 16f inches long by 11 \ inches wide and 

 5 \ inches deep; and No. 5, 18 \ inches long 

 by 13 inches wide and 6 inches deep. These 

 are sold and delivered on the systems of the 

 respective companies at 25. 6d. (No. 3), 3s. 

 (No. 4), and 4s. (No. 5) per dozen. These will 

 take two layers of fruits, and will hold from 1J 

 to 2 dozens. Upon the majority of railways 

 such boxes filled with Pears can be sent at 

 owner's risk by passenger trains to a distance of 

 100 miles for 6d. to 8d. Within 50 miles from 

 the starting-point a weight of 24 lbs. can be 

 thus forwarded for 6d. Similar boxes can be 

 readily constructed as a means of utilizing 

 labour in the winter or bad weather, but unless 

 the wood is bought in very large quantities and 

 the men are very expert, the cost will usually 

 exceed that stated. It is convenient to furnish 

 the box -lids with simple wire hinges and a 

 fastening in front, so that nailing may be 

 avoided, but cording is a safeguard that adds 

 somewhat to the expense. The sides and lids 

 may be branded with the senders' name and 

 that of the variety, together with the number 

 or weight of the fruits, but preferably the 

 former. 



The prices of Pears show an extremely wide 

 range; even taking the averages, the varia- 

 tion is often surprising. Thus the commoner 

 Pears or unsorted fruits in half -sieves or in 

 bushels (50-56 lbs.) may range from 2s. to 6s. 

 per bushel, while in scarce seasons the latter 

 may rise to 10s. or 12s. Selected fruits in boxes 

 show even greater variance, for they may run 



from Is. per dozen fruits up to 6s. per dozen, 

 the latter being an exceptional rate, although 

 sensational Pears of the Belle de Jersey type 

 may be seen in shops at the fancy prices of 30s. 

 per dozen. 



Owing to the great productiveness of Pears, 

 they yield a large return for the space they 

 occupy when the prices are not excessively low, 

 and in suitable localities afford a better return 

 than Apples, but except under special circum- 

 stances they are a less reliable source of income 

 to the general grower. Still, with the requisite 

 attention to the details here set out, British 

 cultivators might command a larger and more 

 profitable share of the home trade than they do 

 at present. 



Select Pears. 



The following descriptive list is intended for 

 reference as regards the principal characters of 

 a Pear with which a cultivator is concerned, 

 and respecting which he most frequently re- 

 quires information. Only varieties which pos- 

 sess some recommendations have been included, 

 but those of variable character have not been 

 entirely excluded, because under the right con- 

 ditions some of these are of excellent quality. 

 The newer sorts of Pears are still under trial, 

 and more experience with them is needed be- 

 fore they can be generally depended upon, but 



Fig. 928.— Pear. Bellissime d'Hiver. (i.) 



several now in trade lists are of very promising 

 character. 



In the descriptions the average character has 

 been taken as far as possible; thus a "large" 

 Pear is one which under ordinary good culture 



