14 



CIRCULAR 6 2 7, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Table 3. — Pressure-test limits recommended for harvesting pear varieties — Continued 

 [Plunger, f{ 6 of an inch in diameter; penetration, ?l6 of an inch] 





Pressure- 

 test limits 

 (pounds) 



Locality 



State 



Remarks 



o 



c 



c 



Variety 



Upper 



1 





- 

 — z. 

 a p 





Passable 

 Optimum 



I 2 

 2 



f_-J 16 



"16" 



"il" 



9 

 9 



Santa Clara Valley 



do 



Wenatchee_ . _ 



California .. Pared 



pn 



Easter Beurre_ 



E 



15 



!; 



15" 



15 

 15 

 13 



14 



13.5 



10.5 



10 



12 



10.5 



11.5 



11 



18 



22 

 16+ 

 13.5+ 

 15.5 

 16 

 14 



13.5 

 17.5 

 14 



16 

 18 

 14 

 14 



do 



Washington . 



do 



(55) 

 (55) 



Flemish 



Beauty. 

 Forelle 



do 



Santa Clara Valley 



do 



do 



do 



California. .. 



do 



do 



(55) 

 (5) 



Glou Morceau- 



do 



do 



do-_- 



do 



(5) 



(5) 





do 



do 



do 



(m i 



Hardy ° 



Sacramento River and 

 Sierra foothills districts. 



Sacramento River dis- 

 trict. 



Sierra foothills district 



do 



do 



do 



...do . 



do -_ 



do 



do 



do 



( b ) 



(5) 

 (5) 





12 



20 

 14 

 12 

 13 



14 

 12 

 12 



15" 

 10 

 11 



Santa Clara Valley and 

 Sacramento River dis- 

 tricts. 



Rogue River Valley 



do 



do 



(5) 



Howell 



Oregon 



Unpared 



CWi 





New York 



Pared 



(fifff) 



Kieffer 



do 



do 



do 



do 



(55) 

 (5n) 



Seckel 





Rogue River Valley 



Santa Clara Valley 



Sierra foothills district 



Oregon 



California 



do 



do.. 



Unpared 



f.W, 





15" 



Pared 



(5) 





do 



do 



do 



(55) 

 (*>) 





Sacramento River dis- 

 trict. 



. .do 



(5) 



Winter Nelis_. 



--.do 



do 



(5) 





Rogue River Valley 



Wenatchee 







(°,f!) 







Pared 



{Kit) 





Approximate limits ap- 

 plicable generally. 













» The Federal-State inspection service in California (as of 1940) requires that Bartlett pears to be mature 

 must test not more than 23 pounds unless distinctly yellowish green (No. 3 on pear color chart (5$)), in 

 which case they must not test more than 25 pounds. If distinctly yellow (No. 4 on color chart) at time of 

 picking, they shall be considered mature regardless of pressure test. 



b Unpublished data by W. T. Pentzer. 



c The Federal-State inspection service in California (as of 1940) requires that Hardy pears to be mature 

 must test not more than 11 pounds. 



Studies have been conducted on the softening of pears at various 

 temperatures after harvest. With many varieties there is practically 

 no softening or ripening at low temperatures (30° to 32° F.) . Changes 

 take place in the fruit, however, so that it loses its capacity to ripen 

 or develops internal break-down. Consequently, the pressure test 

 of the fruit in cold storage cannot be used to follow ripening or physio- 

 logical changes or to indicate when it should be removed for market- 

 ing. At high temperatures also (90° to 100°) the fruit may fail to 

 ripen and soften. Lutz and Culpepper (4-/) have shown that the most 

 rapid softening and ripening of Kieffer pears takes place at 60° to 

 65° and that the rate of softening is retarded by temperatures either 

 above or below the optimum. 



The range of pressure-test values representing different degrees of 

 ripeness in pears has not been determined. Magness et al. (44) 

 stated that Bartlett pears testing 3 pounds are in full eating-ripe 

 condition. Mallison and Powell (49) indicated a range of pressure- 



